The Soldier (1982)

Terrorists take over a plutonium bomb and threaten to detonate it in a Saudi Arabian oil field. A special anti-terrorist unit is sent in to stop them.

Director:

James Glickenhaus

Writer:

James Glickenhaus

Stars:

Ken Wahl, Alberta Watson, Jeremiah Sullivan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Wahl	...	The Soldier
Alberta Watson	...	Susan Goodman
Jeremiah Sullivan	...	Ivan
William Prince	...	The President
Joaquim de Almeida	...	The Soldier's Force (as Joaquim DeAlmeida)
Peter Hooten	...	The Soldier's Force
Steve James	...	The Soldier's Force
Alexander Spencer	...	The Soldier's Force
Klaus Kinski	...	Dracha
Bill Anagnos	...	Truck Driver / Cowboy #1 (as William Anagnos)
Bob Andrews	...	ICBM Guard
Lisa Cain	...	Cowgirl #2
Gerald Aleck Cantor	...	Customs Officer (as Gerald Cantor)
Anthony Cecere	...	Nuclear Guard
Al Cerullo	...	Dauphin Pilot (as Al Cerullo Jr.)

Storyline

The Russians steal a nuclear device and are stating that unless the Israelis pull out from the West bank, they will detonate it, which they have planted in an oil field and if it should go off; 50% of the World's oil will be contaminated. And the Israelis are unwilling to cooperate and the Americans knowing that they can't allow this are making preparations to force the Israelis off the West bank. The President then calls the Director of the CIA to do something about this. The Director assigns the agent who works outside the official channels codenamed the Soldier. He starts by trying to see if the Russians are indeed behind it but the Russians have him marked for termination. When he tries to contact the Director, the Russians placed a bomb in his office that leaves the soldier with no one but his team and the Israelis to help him.

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist | sand | desert | terrorist plot | opening action scene | 

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Taglines:

Code Name: The Soldier - You don't assign him. You unleash him.

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Genres:

Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Codename: The Soldier

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of a number of movies made during the 1980s that looked at Middle Eastern politics and/or the Israeli-Palestine conflict. The films included The Soldier, The Man with the Deadly Lens, The Delta Force, Witness in the War Zone, The Impossible Spy, The Glory Boys, Hanna K. and The Little Drummer Girl.

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Goofs

The German terrorist who Wahl shoots mid-air on the ski slope suddenly doesn't have his skis on anymore when he lands.

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Connections

Referenced in Shakedown (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Fool Hearted Memory"
Written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis
Recorded by George Strait for MCA Records

User Reviews

Oh, those nasty Russians!

I seriously have to stop making up my own story lines before seeing the actual movies! Too often it happens that see an enticing poster/cover image and title and then subsequently begin to draw my own story concept. Like in the case of "(Code Name: )The Soldier"… With a title like that, and the dark silhouette of a man with a massive gun on the VHS cover, I quickly became convinced that this film was about a secretly developed military weapon – presumably an indestructible cyborg of some sort – that would singlehandedly exterminate an entire army of bad guys. Disappointment all around when it turns out the soldier is, in fact, just an ordinary human being without any special powers or superhuman strengths. He's simply a CIA-agent who gets appointed the toughest and riskiest jobs. Other than that, "The Soldier" pretty much lives up to all expectations and contemporary 80's clichés. This is a typical US movie released during the peak of the Cold War era, so basically it means that evil and stereotypically hideous Russian bastards are developing fiendish plans to undermine the prosperity of the poor and peaceful American citizens. Russian terrorists with bazookas manage to steal a significant amount of plutonium and threaten to destroy 50% of the world's oil supply, unless the Israelis retire from the West Bank. Yes that does sound like a lot of political gibberish, but don't let this scare you off! In between all the politic nonsense and anti-communistic propaganda, there are plentiful of wild explosions, violent gunfights, close range executions and cheesy dialogs. Whilst allegedly negotiating with the Israelis, the American President assigns the head of the CIA to do whatever possible to prevent the loss of oil. "The Soldier" stands for half-decent and brainless entertainment, even though James Glickenhaus' screenplay sometimes tries to be a little bit too ambitious and intelligent. The film is actually very incoherent and too often jumps from scene to scene without making sense. Glickenhaus puts a lot of effort in the action sequences (like the skiing chase) and detailed accuracy in some cool gimmick sequences (like the construction of a light bulb bomb), but the overall storyline is pretty dumb. Glickenhaus' previous film "The Exterminator", about an embittered Vietnam veteran going on a vigilante rampage is much more shocking and socially confronting. Oh, and Klaus Kinski's role is frustratingly petite! It's hardly even a cameo.