Classification: R
Duration: 94 minutes
Release Date: August 3, 2012
Directed by: Maxim Korostyshevsky
Genre: Action Adventure
“Soldiers of Fortune” begins with the line “Welcome to the Knights of Snake Island; they may never leave,” and viewers instantly know what to expect from the film. This is the kind of movie where star actors have no problem chewing on the stage and winking and winking at the audience.
The film introduces viewers to Captain Craig McCenzie (Christian Slater, “True Romance”), a man who recently retired from the military after a tour of Afghanistan. The movie even shows him meeting and playing with a group of young children while in the army before showing him decimating the village with his Special Forces group. When war threatens the border between Romania and Ukraine, a group of men hires him on a secret mission.
McCenzie must lead a group of men to Colonel Lupo’s secret hideout, steal supplies from him, and return them to the revolutionaries who hired him. The only problem is that none of the men on his team know the truth about the mission. The group is made up of wealthy entrepreneurs who paid large sums of money to enjoy a fun and extreme vacation in the jungle.
His squad consists of Roman (Sean Bean, “The Hitcher”), who made his fortune with precious metals, a mobile phone millionaire named Sam (James Cromwell, “The Artist”), the arms dealer Grimaud (Ving Rhames, “Mission Impossible”) and a game designer named Tommy (Dominic Monaghan, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”). Men think they will have a vacation of a lifetime, not realizing that everything they experience is real.
While “Soldiers of Fortune” lacks the thrill of a big-budget Hollywood movie, it does have some hilarious scenes that entertain audiences. Director Maxim Korostyshevsky is relatively new, but he makes it clear that he knows how to direct an action movie. He doesn’t skimp on the action scenes and at times he plunges right into the action, making viewers feel like they are in the middle of a battle scene. When you approach two women struggling in the water while riding jet skis, onlookers will be on the edge of their seats.
A common flaw of modern action movies is that directors spend too much time on the backstory of the main characters, but that’s not the case with this movie. The film opens with shots of McCenzie in Afghanistan, trying to save a partner. Reed (Freddy RodrÃguez, “Planet Terror”) is only moments away from being killed by a rogue CIA agent. The film then jumps into the present, spending little time on the circumstances that forced McCenzie to accept this job.
Action movies need more than blockbuster scenes, so “Soldiers of Fortune” features some lighthearted moments. The movie’s witty lines are so unforgettable that some viewers might find themselves quoting the movie for weeks to come. “The Grim Reaper always gets paid,” he said in a deadpan voice, and “We’re going to kill some bad guys” are just a few of those memorable lines.
Although the movie has some good moments, it also has its fair share of bad ones. Aside from the main cast, the acting is lacking at best, and some of the scenes are impossible to believe. The director does an admirable job of creating realistic action and battle scenes, but there’s a lot he can do on a budget. Sometimes it seems like you spent too much of your budget on one scene and had to cut back on the next scene, which draws the viewer into the movie.
Despite some issues, the film has great performances from Christian Slater, Bean, Monaghan, and Cromwell. Cromwell gives his character a realistic Texas accent, and he’s believable as a man who could take this kind of vacation. Monaghan brings a humorous element to the film, playing the man who realizes something is wrong but is too busy having fun to do anything about it.
Bean has an action movie history behind him, which sometimes weakens his character. When you show disbelief or surprise at the action around you, it can be hard for viewers to believe. However, the most prominent is Slater. While you have your fair share of direct-to-DVD movies on your record, you deliver an excellent performance that might lead some to wonder why you aren’t working harder.
“Soldiers of Fortune” can sometimes be played like a low-budget television or movie, but it does have its highlights. While it won’t be on any top list, it’s a fun way to spend 94 minutes.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars