old-school filmmaking techniques refreshing to see

old-school filmmaking techniques, making them refreshing to see in an era dominated by CGI. Stuntmen really repelled down Hoover Dam, and the pyrotechnics crew had the freedom to set off real explosions and destroy real vehicles. All of this material is delivered with R-rated action sensibilities, allowing for plenty of brutal violence throughout. And, of course, as with any action film from this period, Universal Soldier has some terrific one-liners. Altogether, it’s a lot of fun. Say what you will about the slipshod scripts of any of Emmerich’s movies, he’s a competent craftsman who knows how to stage and shoot exciting action scenes.

Surprisingly, Emmerich and Devlin actually used their brains while developing the picture – they took note of the strengths and weaknesses of the two leads, tailoring the material so as to highlight their strengths while masking their weaknesses. Van Damme’s dialogue was thus kept to a minimum, and Devlin shortened his lines even further during filming to give the illusion of good acting. It’s impressive that Emmerich and Devlin could use Van Damme’s wooden theatrics to their advantage. Although the Mussels from Brussels lacks charisma, and was obviously still struggling to master the English language at this point in his career, he suits the role of Luc Devereux. Lundgren, meanwhile, is terrific as psycho antagonist Andrew Scott. He steals the whole show; he clearly had fun hamming it up and generally taunting everyone in sight, all the while wearing a necklace of severed ears.