Soldiers of Fortune (2012) User Reviews

All things considering, this movie really isn't anything too bad.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 5/10 · 25 July 2012]

Seriously, this movie could had been a lot worse. At least its not being one of those cheap looking B-action movie flicks. It actually is a technically pretty well made movie, with of course also one truly great cast in it.

Believe it or not but this movie actually stars Sean Bean, James Cromwell, Ving Rhames, Christian Slater and Dominic Monaghan all in one special soldiers of fortune team. A cast list every movie would and also should be jealous of. No idea why they did this movie but I guess they need a paycheck like this, every once and a while. it was also great to see Colm Meaney as in the villain in this movie. It's funny but I was wondering not too long ago what Colm Meaney was up to now days, since I hadn't seen him in anything for years now. And then boom! His face popped up in this movie, still looking the same as 20 years ago.

Storywise, the movie was really dropping the ball toward its end, which was a shame since I really was with the movie at first. It has a ridicules concept but at least it got presented convincingly enough, also thanks to its fine actors of course. After a while you'll start to realize the movie isn't going anywhere anymore with its story. It's as if half way through they threw away the script and decided to put in some simple action sequences instead. I truly think that this movie and its story had far more potential in it, so that's truly a big waste.

It's not a particularly spectacular or involving genre movie to watch but it at least isn't boring or offensively bad, in any way or form. It's definitely being a better movie than just the average B-genre movie attempt and I hope that director Maxim Korostyshevsky continues making movies and who knows, maybe one day he'll have his big breakthrough, which seriously isn't anything unlikely, since you can definitely tell the right skills and talent are there. All he needs now is a more decent script and a bigger budget to work with.

Not a great genre movie but a good guilty pleasure.

5/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

A silly, diverting B movie that's too bland to be truly "so bad it's good".

[krachtm · 5/10 · 11 July 2013]

The plot: two ex-special forces veterans take a group of rich playboys looking for adventure into the middle of an island's civil war.

At first, Soldiers of Fortune is a fun B movie that seems inspired by Verohoeven's campy, violent classics of the 80s. Like others have said, it quickly drops the camp and satire in favor of cheesy, low budget action sequences. I didn't really mind. If you're a fan of low budget action movies, it's likely that you've seen much worse. And you usually don't get such a great cast, either. Most of the actors are wasted, but it's always fun to see some good actors having fun, even if it's in a bad movie.

If you're looking for something that makes logical sense, has a good plot, and big budget special effects, I think you'll just hate this movie. On the other hand, if you enjoy inexplicable scenes that serve no purpose, a video game called Baby Killer ("I'm on the final level -- the maternity ward!"), and an arms dealer who refers to himself in third person as "The Grim Reaper"... maybe you'll find this amusing. There's enough silliness and camp to satisfy fans of B movies and enough action to keep you awake. However, it's never going to be anyone's favorite movie. Unless maybe you happen to be Christian Slater.

Not too shabby, but nothing great

[DYouKnowWhatIMean · 5/10 · 16 July 2012]

This film has a wonderful cast. The acting is fine even where the actual written dialogue fails to deliver. The plot is simple enough to follow and there are some spurts of humor coming from the "Soldiers of Fortune". I wouldn't say the concept is original, in fact the movie itself is highly clichéd in all fields. Even with all the negative aspects, it still has a bit of a shine that will keep you watching till the end. This film should not be taken seriously. I came in with low expectations and was surprised that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. With Christian Slater as the lead, one can expect the movie to be b quality, but this certainly is not his worst performance. I suggest this movie to anyone looking to pass the time and be entertained

Worse than Laughable

[phantomias33 · 1/10 · 22 June 2012]

This movie was horrible. Sean Bean is a good actor and there was some others in the movie that made my wife and I decide to give it a shot. It was REALLY bad. If the overall quality of the opening sequence wasn't enough to set the tone, the subsequent scene of Christian Slater playing cards should do the trick.

My only question is: surely actors have to know during the filming that this is a really, really poor movie, right? How could you not.

I'd be more comprehensive but this movie doesn't deserve any more of my time to be spent on it. Stay away. It's not even so bad that it's funny....it's worse than that.

Nasty

[fordonfood · 2/10 · 17 July 2012]

What a waste of time. How could Christian Slater have signed to this project? When did he become a tacky B Grade actor? And, I'm shocked that some of the other cast, who are usually high quality actors, also signed on to this movie.

The costumes and weapons are cheap and artificial looking. The sets and landscapes don't seem to fit the plot. The plot doesn't fit the plot. The special effects, and explosions are cheap, nasty and very badly executed. The acting is shallow, the score is bad, the script and dialog totally disengaging.

I painfully watched 2/3 of the movie and gave up. I joined IMDb specifically to write a review of this appalling movie.

I will hesitate to watch another Christian Slater movie in the future.I feel sick, disappointed and ripped off. Do not waste your time.

Amazingly strange and heroes with a big laugh.

[bie-6 · 3/10 · 16 July 2012]

With a somewhat good cast, actors with lot of experience - it is very difficult to watch this film as something other than surprisingly horrible.

It is filled with mistakes, uniforms, weapons, really bad effects and also the music seems more bought from a cheap sound library than made specifically for this movie...

SPOILER: Well no need to spoil anything, cause everything is way to obvious and nothing new here...

I feel kind a cheated for the actors input and also for not having more humor since all characters really plays it up...

The 3 stars given is because of the actors is in the movie, and sometimes some beautiful scenery and that I watched it (although I checked my mobile several times and went for more pops) I LOVE movies, but this one and stupid unnecessary violent horror movies is really waste of "going to the movies" and can only range as an amazingly strange B movie.

Heroes with a big laugh.

what can i say.....

[rightwingisevil · 16 July 2012]

this movie is so horrible that not only might have ruined several good actors' hard-earned good images but also might fatally ruined their market values and henceforth cast them into the B-level bad movies' official candidates. first of all, chose Christian slater to be the inevitable leader who would lead a bunch of thrill-seeking rich people to overturn a tyrant of a small island was a horrible casting job. in order to build this guy's credit, the first ten minutes were spent on his mission in the taliban country, saving his sidekick and blew up a taliban's hideout. but the whole episode was just such a joke, so false and so ridiculous that after this stupid part, the whole movie was doomed to be a ridiculous farce. i wouldn't waste more words to review this moronic film, because it won't worth a penny.

Some potential but not enough to cry when it is squandered.

[themonkey-4 · 3/10 · 18 July 2012]

There are a lot of grate actors in this movie, and even the ones who are not good are entertaining. However the movie is horrible! It would not surprise me if this was intended as Uwe Boll's sequel to his Far Cry movie.

There are no words to describe how bad the script is to this movie, it flips between "war is hell" to "video games cause evil" and then comments about how bad bankers are.

It feels like someone took the top 5 list of topics on Fox News and then asked some one to make a movie out of those in a world where guns work much like in the A-Team TV series.

I had my laughs.

[teutonfirst · 2/10 · 17 July 2012]

Well, first of all the scenario is so damn poor and lacks of credibility that makes me think it was written by a 7-8 years old kid. Island of Snakes is a property of Ukraina and has only 0.17 km2. Any person with access to Wikipedia can read that. It has 662 meters long. Hard to hide a rebellion there :). The General who took over, name is Lupe, really??? Lupe, a Latino name ? why not Ivan, Serghei Slav name or Nicolae, Vasile Romanian name. I won't pick on the acting of Christian Slater. The shootings are OK, so the special effects, but all that is killed by story. I gave it 2 stars for the laughs. I've made an account on IMDb specially for this.

What the hell

[joerg-nezmeskal · 6/10 · 25 July 2012]

Seriously, to all those haters: what were you expecting from a recent dtv release starring ving rhames and Christian slater? If you were expecting anything else than an action packed B movie, than you, sir or madame, are a moron. But if you came in for a fun ride with a bunch of washed up actors doing their best to bring cardboard characters to live, a ridiculous plot, hammy jokes and some big bang for your buck, than you 're surely going to enjoy this one. The movie is fast paced, funny and incredibly well shot (it's always nice to see an action movie that's not shot in an Bulgarian backyard or an empty warehouse), there's plenty of action (some big explosions, shootouts with nasty guns, knife fights and even a jet ski chase) and those actionsetpieces are nicely shot, edited and lit that you can easily follow them and won't feel dizzy. It also helps that the cast is doing great and seems to be into the joke. The movie is a throwback to early 90's action flicks like Lundgren's "Men of War" or "Double Force" and it will surely satisfy the action fans till the big brother enter the theaters with "Expendables 2".

horrible!!!

[philipmonts · 1/10 · 17 July 2012]

this is one of the worst movies i have ever seen coming from such a talented cast. I can not comprehend why these actors would torture themselves with this piece of garbage, i mean it must have been like chewing razor blades acting out these revolting roles. some one should execute this films producer, script writer, director and all these actors need to shoot their agents as well. why anybody would pay to see this movie and not demand a refund is beyond me. this movie is nothing but a con, all it does is try to lure you in by flaunting its line up of solid cast members then when u bite it serves you a nauseating pile of garbage. nuff said.

An instant guilty pleasure.

[mr-cree · 9/10 · 16 July 2012]

This is by the definition a bad, bad movie. Almost nothing works, the villains are cardboard cutouts, the story is virtually non-existent and the special effects often fail. However i still enjoyed the hell out of this movie. The rag-tag team of money-loaded idiots was surprisingly likable, and i genuinely did not want any of them to get hurt.

Christian Slater is at his best, compared to some of his other roles his performance here is practically Oscar worthy. Sean Bean can give weight to anything he's given, and it shows. While his character was so obviously badly written, his performance camouflaged that as a mystery element which made him honestly the most interesting one of the bunch. Rest of the main cast deserves my props as well for being likable and making their underdeveloped characters as interesting as possible. Most of the jokes are hit and miss, but some were pure gold, that made me and my mates laugh out loud for the first time in a long while.

All in all from technical point of view this movie deserves a 2/10, but from the entertainment point of view it's a solid 9/10. And to me all movies are made for entertainment. If you have a few mates with you - grab some beer and watch this movie. Excellent way to spend an evening!

P.S. If you like old, goofy Schwarzenegger movies - this one is for you. It's absurdity is only matched by how friggin' enjoyable it is!

A bad made for TV movie that is made more legit by the casting. Surprisingly entertaining with great cast. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 7/10 · 28 July 2012]

"You and Ernesto are pimping out your revolution as some kind of tourist attraction for a bunch of millionaires and you expect me to be your guide." Iraq war vet Craig McCenzie (Slater) is living out his post war days in Montana playing poker and running a business out of his camper. He is recruited to become a "tour guide" to a group of millionaires who want to experience real warfare. What starts out as a "camp" soon takes a dangerous turn and a real battle takes place. I have to start by saying that even though the cast is very good and full of well known actors this is still a B movie. That said I actually enjoyed this. Normally not my kind of movie this one was entertaining enough to keep me watching and enjoying it. I didn't watch the trailer before viewing and when it got to the part where it revealed the plot point of being a reality-show type island I almost turned it off. The actors they picked to be the millionaires kept me watching and even though this is nothing but running around and shooting it is worth a watch. It also may have helped that I had no expectations about it going in. One of the better B movies that have come out it a while and Slater's best movie in a long time. Overall, an OK movie that is helped a lot by the casting. I surprisingly give it a B+.

Not to be taken seriously

[shalimar-4 · 4/10 · 20 July 2012]

As for most of the reviews.. really? You must have tried to actually take this movie seriously.

It's a half baked spoof of "action movies" in general. Yes the writing is horrible.. the effects lacking and laughable.

But that is the point. it's good for a LAUGH.

Think of most 80's action movies and make them even more silly.

An Oscar winner? Not an ice cube's chance in hell.

But I've seen infinitely worse movies to say the least that were trying to be serious.

It's much the same as "Piranah 3DD" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714203/) was never designed to be serious... so loosen up and have a laugh.

Oh and for anyone wanting a really horrible movie check out "revenge of the ninja"... then come on back to this one.

garbage that never should have been wasted $8mill on.

[kevintempel · 2/10 · 17 July 2012]

THIS FILM IS JUST GARBAGE!

wish that was all I had to write in this review. But according to the rules I have to write more. I am sorry to say I can't believe Christian Slater or Sean Bean can be that broke, that they agrees to such a film, it makes even B-movies look good. They'll only get extra parts in any films after this horror of a so called film. It was like seeing a bad TV show from the 80's or 90's. No story what so ever. How could it be possible to use $8000 000 on this piece of s...., couldn't that money been used for a better film, or a much better story. It's a joke, it's not a movie at all, it is just a piece of garbage and people shouldn't spend money on renting it, because it is not ever worth it.

Not a bad B-movie action film

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 12 January 2017]

SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE is a decent enough action B-movie made as a collaboration between America and Russia. The ensemble cast is enough to keep you watching this one, even though the story isn't up to much. The tale sees a bunch of rich thrill-seekers going on a pretend mission in which they dress up as soldiers and engage in mock battles, only to discover that they're soon fighting for their lives.

This film suffers from the usual trappings of the B-movie genre. There's plentiful action here but it can feel a bit repetitive and not particularly well staged; the cheapness always comes through. This is where the cast comes in. Christian Slater seems to have been re-invented as an action hero lately and has a shirtless scene here in which he shows off his muscular chest. Sean Bean fits his role like a glove and is typically great. Dominic Monaghan is loud, brash, and has a heart (no stretch, then). James Cromwell is old timer bizarrely wheeled out one last time, and Ving Rhames is a delight as the African arms smuggler. Colm Meaney's villain is all ham but there you go; when watching this film, just remember it could be (and often is) a lot, lot worse.

Simply Horrible

[guarano · 1/10 · 19 July 2012]

To put it mildly, this smells of eastern European money trying to grab a market share in the west. The story of this movie is completely horrible, horrendous, even. One would think, that with this many acclaimed actors, it would not be possible to create such gut-wrenching crap. It is, however.

As I am writing this, the score on IMDb is 5.6, which is what persuaded me to go watch this film. Had I only known the truth, I would have saved 10 £. Instead, I feel completely abused by the movies director.

So take my two cents and listen, please: DO NOT WATCH THIS PIECE OF ****!

really bad movie for the cast!

[nomadbilly · 3/10 · 18 July 2012]

really poor movie,dialogue,acting,directing, the lot.overall i can't believe that the cast are seasoned 'A' list professional actors and why they would get involved in such a howler. obviously made by real amateurs who managed to acquire an 8million budget ,but for sure one movie the entire 'well known' cast will want to erase from their C.V and not want to hear of ever again!there has not been many times when i've wanted to stop the movie half way through with such a cast like that in it but i thought i better see it through til the end and ultimately it actually got 'worse'.will no doubt be up for a 'raspberry but ridicule for sure.times must be tough in the recession for them!!

Is their less than one?

[natepincombe · 1/10 · 16 July 2012]

I have never written a review but this movie was so bad that I had to. One would think that for 8M you would get something better that less than one. I wonder if these actors realize that the might have signed their death sentence as actors with this movie. Don't wait your time if you must see this movie wait for it on DVD and watch it in fast-forward.

As for the props, costumes, and other effects in the movie you could find the costumes and effects as good if not better during halloween in your local neighborhood.

There are only a handful of movies that I would rate this bad...

Not as bad as expected...

[Husofant23 · 7/10 · 17 July 2012]

I seriously don't understand why some people actually think while watching this movie. Do they expect to see awesome acting, with awesome effects and a mind breaking story? It's a solid action flick with many actors from other B-movies or television series. The effects are OK, the action is solid, actors do their job. I see it as a homage on other action movies some scenes kinda reminded me of "The Expendables". I have no clue with what kind of expectations some people watched this... If you can enjoy movies like "The Tournament", you wont regret watching this movie. Just don't expect to see a 50 Mil. dollar budget movie. If you don't enjoy B-movies don't watch them...

The Director & Editor of this movie should be shot on sight

[thehitcher_2000 · 1/10 · 8 August 2012]

Absolute rubbish editing & direction of a very weak script..(if there was any).

The Music was awful & not in sync with movie. Good actors & scenery wasted by stupid camera angles & with no coordination.

& i mean.. who hired the ugly leading lady... really a let down from that prospect as well.. or perhaps she was the financier to this stupidity

My good people..its a waste of good 1 & half hour of your precious life. stay away guys. go out for a walk .. go doodle some girls somewhere just don't waste your time on this piece of junk

underrated

[kristian-hotpolice-433-4262 · 10/10 · 26 July 2012]

com'on guys? really i have seen some bad reviews of this movie and frankly i can't see whats wrong with it? the movie's fun really. it's not supposed to be serious it's just a light movie you can watch with your friends a Friday evening and have a laugh. i loved the guy who plays Charlie in lost in this one.. it's stupid yes i know but a lat of great movies are extremely stupid like the men who stare at goats for an example. so if you are expecting a plot like shawksank redemption or the bucket list you are gonna have a bad time but if you are expecting something like the men who stare at goats or team America you are in for the win ;)

Enjoyable

[holysimon · 6/10 · 15 July 2012]

For me, a 6 is not bad.

This may not be great, but it's not bad.

It didn't start well but somewhere, around a fourth of the movie, when the main actors have come together, the director sort of got a feel of how to do his job.

Unless another director came in to save the furniture or some producer said "enough guys".

So, at some point, the chemistry kicked in with the satire.

Not going to spoil it for you, but the job descriptions of the "clients" cast a welcomed entertaining and humorist light on the whole exercise.

This surely isn't the Guns of Navarone, but it was nice and innocent fun as the backdrop of the story gave it a definite iconoclastic taste.

Stop letting your children make films

[Extraneus92 · 1/10 · 28 August 2013]

You know what; at least I knew Jurassic Shark would be terrible, it didn't make me feel that it would be anything but terrible. This on the other hand masquerades itself as a film you might like to see with Christian Slater and Sean Bean heavily involved. This film is like a man eating plant; it's beautiful from the outside (the film looks like it could be good) but then when you get close it swallows you whole (or in this case sucks your soul dry). In a way it made me reassess my life a little bit, it made me want to call people that I haven't spoken to in a while and just get back in touch with them, because when I watched this monstrosity my blood pressure had risen to extreme levels. This film touched me, but not in a good way, more in an if it was a person we'd be recounting this in a courtroom sort of way.

If you want my honest opinion don't watch this film, the props even look fake, in fact most of the budget looks like it was spent on the opening credits. Furthermore, the directing is dreadful and it's painfully written; nothing really makes that much sense. There's a card playing scene which is acted so poorly I thought that I was on YouTube watching fan made films. Don't waste your time with this.

A ludicrously silly (bad) movie

[p-jonsson · 3/10 · 28 September 2013]

This is one ludicrously silly movie and not really in a good way. The basic story is rather silly to start with. A bunch of rich people with zero combat experience and huge egos gets themselves inserted into a combat situation for thrills. The "company" providing the service is actually a bunch of rebels trying to fund their operations. As I said rather silly. As an action comedy it could have worked though.

Unfortunately the implementation is equally ridiculous. It is obvious that the director is as null on actual military operations as the rich thrill-seekers in the movie. Already the first action sequences were the, supposedly skilled captain McCenzie is introduced, are downright laughable with the captain running around like a monkey shooting people left right and center.

The film, unfortunately, continues very much in this style. There is not a shred of realism or meaningful story in the entire movie. There are some fun or otherwise enjoyable scenes which saved my movie evening and saved this movie from getting a one-star rating but that is just barely. One of the reasons I decided to watch this movie was due to actors like Sean Bean and sure enough, they perform as well as can be expected with the rather louse material that they are given to work with.

Not a movie that I would recommend to anyone.