Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (John Hyams)

[Rowland]

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659343/)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn52/drowland811/van-damme-691x1024.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

4 stars?

[number8]

I'm waiting to see this in theaters at the end of the month rather than renting it VOD.

The trailer was awesome, and the great reviews aren't helping with the wait.

[B-side]

Yeah, this is really good.

[Scar]

I rather enjoyed the previous entry, mostly because of Arlovski. Will definitely be checking this one out.

[megladon8]

I rather enjoyed the previous entry, mostly because of Arlovski. Will definitely be checking this one out.


Didn't I get you to watch this one?

Jen and I dug the hell out of it. Fantastic action, and Arlovski was a genuinely intimidating villain.

JCVD's one-man siege of the power plant for the last 20 minutes of the movie was one of the best extended action sequences in years.

[Scar]

Didn't I get you to watch this one?

Jen and I dug the hell out of it. Fantastic action, and Arlovski was a genuinely intimidating villain.

JCVD's one-man siege of the power plant for the last 20 minutes of the movie was one of the best extended action sequences in years.

I believe so, yes. Thank you.

I really didn't like when JCVD ran through the army out in the open, but once he engages the enemy in the buildings, I was back to loving it.

[Rowland]

You guys should really dig the action in this one as well, and it's much more ambitious in terms of storytelling, style, and subtext, so don't expect a rehash of Regeneration.

[kopello]

Possible dumb question, but do you have to see the previous 2 before seeing this, or does it hold up well on its own?

[Rowland]

Possible dumb question, but do you have to see the previous 2 before seeing this, or does it hold up well on its own?Both of Hyams' sequels are built to work on their own, though they are even better when considered with the previous entries, just to fully grasp how he toys with expectations through drastic shifts in tone and how the recurring actors are employed.

[B-side]

This is the only Universal Solider film I've seen, and I enjoyed it thoroughly on its own merits.

[Scar]

Forty minutes in. Definitely prefer Regeneration at this point.

[Scar]

Having Arlovski almost exclusively relying on weapons is quite the fucking killjoy.

[Scar]

I'll give it two stars for the action. Can't say I was impressed with this one. Regeneration was far more enjoyable.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm surprised this movie didn't give me a seizure.

Is the intent of this movie to create some new sub-genre? (horror/action)

[Scar]

I'm surprised this movie didn't give me a seizure.

Is the intent of this movie to create some new sub-genre? (horror/action)

I kept turning away during those sequences. Haven't had a migraine in ages, didn't want to find out if that's a trigger.

[Rowland]

Is the intent of this movie to create some new sub-genre? (horror/action)Action/Horror/Noir, with some Noe, Cronenberg, and Apocalypse Now in the mix for good measure.

[Irish]

The Undying Power of the 'Universal Soldier' Series (http://blogs.indiewire.com/criticwire/from-the-wire-the-undying-power-of-the-universal-soldier-series)


All the bizarre off-putting choices -- an incoherent plot, ploddingly deliberate pacing through the first and second acts -- felt more deliberate, and more in keeping with director John Hyams unsettlingly lysergic imagery (they also make a bit more sense once you know the film's twisty ending). I've heard people compare "Day of Reckoning" to David Lynch -- and how often can you say that about a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie?

[Irish]

How the Universal Soldier Series Became the Weirdest and Most Indestructible Film Franchise of Our Time (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8636151/how-universal-soldier-series-became-weirdest-most-indestructible-film-franchise-our-time) (Spoilers)

[plain]

just reviewed it for Sound on Sight: http://www.soundonsight.org/universal-soldier-day-of-reckoning-a-foreboding-and-delirious-genre-wonder/

[Rowland]

A fabulous review (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/notebook-reviews-john-hyams-universal-soldier-day-of-reckoning) by Hyams uber-fan Ignatiy Vishnevetsky.
just reviewed it for Sound on Sight: http://www.soundonsight.org/universal-soldier-day-of-reckoning-a-foreboding-and-delirious-genre-wonder/I dig it.

[plain]

can't wait to read that MUBI review.

[kopello]

Decided to go ahead and watch the previous entries (I skipped Return, I heard it's pretty bad). The first one was pretty goofy, but I enjoyed it for what it was. I didn't realize Emmerich could make a film under 3 hours, good for him.

Regeneration on the other hand was fucking awesome. The sheer brutality of some of the fight scenes left me in awe, as well as Hyams exceptional direction (dat tracking shot of van damme with the knife). Surprised this went straight to DVD, it would've been a fantastic theater experience. Really looking forward to viewing Day of Reckoning here soon.

[Rowland]

D'Angelo kinda loved this, the only thing holding it back for him being the fact that it's a Universal Soldier movie, whereas I find that to be one of the chief sources of its thematic integrity, should one take the film and the evolution of the series on their own terms. In any case, his enthusiasm will hopefully result in more film fans giving this (and Regeneration) a fair chance.

[Boner M]

I like the idea of this more than the film itself, but the film ain't half bad either. As many have noted, it's definitely more in the lineage of meathead art cinema ala Noe and the Refn of Bronson/Valhalla Rising than the series it's a part of (FWIW I saw the first one at a sleepover in primary school but can't remember a lick of it). But rather than use its influences as window dressing, Hyams (who actually looks a bit like a bulkier Noe) somehow manages to prove how much more palatable those subjectivity-approximating moves are when applied to DTV schlock material. Could've done without the slo-to-reg-mo during the action scenes, but there's no denying the buzz of seeing tentative steps toward a new kind of late-franchise-kickstarter throughout the film.

[Stay Puft]

I like the idea of this more than the film itself, but the film ain't half bad either.

That's about where I'm at. I found the overall experience uneven (like that car chase was incredibly dull, but then the fight in the sports store right after is pretty good), and probably prefer Regeneration on its technical merits, but this is by far the most conceptually interesting of the Universal Soldier sequels, and I loved the ending.

[transmogrifier]

66/100


Violent to the nth degree, though everything is played so straight that it is brutal and punishing, rather than cathartic and enjoyable, which is how I guess it should be. But it does get wearing after a while, and you just wish they'd hurry up a little bit at the end. Still, the scene in the brothel (or whatever it was) is the best synthesis the film manages of its violence, directorial showmanship, and themes.


Only really has one idea (the grip that our memories have on us, and the fact that we will fight to the death to keep them) but sells it exceptionally well, and I loved the fact that this is essentially The Terminator as told from the Terminator's point of view.


Lundgren is a bit too lumbering now to be easily accepted as a formidable foe (and he is the centre of the film's one true awful scene, the rallying of the troops, which could have come out of Streetfighter or something), but it was a great idea to scale Van Damme right back to a shell of a man, fighting because that's all he knows what to do.

[Rowland]

A fabulous interview with Hyams over at Mubi (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/controlled-chaos-an-interview-with-john-hyams).

[number8]

Yeah, this was awesome. It really is basically a B-movie version of Bronson/Valhalla Rising. Hyams might be over-relying on tracking shots at this point, but he does it very well. Excellent car chase sequence.

Apparently he made another movie with Van Damme last year, Dragon Eyes. Anybody saw it?

[Rowland]

Apparently he made another movie with Van Damme last year, Dragon Eyes. Anybody saw it?It's okay (http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?4330-Dragon-Eyes-%28John-Hyams%29&highlight=Dragon+eyes), certainly superior to most DTV-fare while being a few notches below his Universal Soldier movies, worthwhile primarily for those interested in Hyams as a developing auteur. Van Damme is a Miyagi-type character who only appears in flashback, but he proves himself good for that type of role, whereas the stars are Cung Le and a very entertaining Peter Weller, who obviously doesn't give a fuck and hams the everliving shit out of his performance. This scene is one of the highlights:

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