Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The first must-see film of the year.

This movie has everything1 Busey! Battaglia! Reynolds! Now it's safe to say that I'm a pretty big Busey enthusiast, but I also know a great movie when I see one. The martial arts used in this film are extraordinary, even better than the karate used in Ghost Rock, another Busey classic!The choice of Matt Battaglia to play Luc Devereaux is one of the finest acting decisions of all time! He is unbelievable! His performance is up there with the all time greats of Brando as Terry Malloy, Olivier as Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Busey as Chet Stedman. The plot speaks for itself. If Busey, Battaglia, and the great Burt Reynolds agreed to shoot it, then you shouldn't worry about it. Only three words can describe this film...Busetastic! Busetastic! Busetastic!

I personally find this movie excellent. This movie is not for anyone, its only for people who can understand the story. The idea of using dead soldiers is genius and makes a great idea. The actors in this film are decent and one must remember that these are only TV actors. These are not really film actors. Matt was a guest on friends and most of these actors are usually guests so their acting ability is limited to their limited roles. Still I say the movie is excellent. The music in this movie is also great for people who can appreciate it. Most people would not like this movie as they don't understand the concept but I must say this movie is excellent, the acting is good, the story is good and the music is good.

.... And this TVM proves it BROTHERS IN ARMS . That`s a song by Dire Straits isn`t it ? Yes it is and how very ironic that a film title by Dire Straits turns out to be so utterly DIRE . That`s the only word used to describe this TVM - It`s dire with a capital D - I - R and E , but I guess the producers of this turkey understand irony as much as they understand an intelligent and decent actors. Right from the opening sequence we`re treated to an awful example of over directing from Jeff Wolnough as a couple of soldiers are introduced with a totally ridiculous soundtrack of Spirit In The Sky . What the context of the song is I have no idea and wouldn`t Brothers In Arms have been a better opening track ? It says something when you wish you were watching a movie that had Jean Claude Vann Damme in it instead of Gary Busey Do I have to carry on tell you how bad this movie is ?

[Just in case you don't know, this is an 'un-official' sequel to Universal Soldier. The 'proper' sequel is Universal Soldier: The Return.]To make a decent, or semi-decent action film, a budget is somewhat obligatory. With Universal Soldier II, someone clearly forgot this rule or squandered the whole thing on getting Gary Busey, Jeff Wincott and Burt Reynolds to humiliate themselves. (The lack-of-budget theory is backed up by the end credits which say 'sponsored by Canada' or something equally silly.)To be fair on the film, some people do look like they're trying. Matt Battaglia looks desperate to pretend he's acting, and the woman has a good go at delivering her dodgy lines. The director appears to have made the most effort by using numerous camera gimmicks to liven up the non-action. Sadly, these gimmicks are off-putting, look stupid and just highlight the boredom of the boring bits (i.e. 90% of the film).The most enjoyable aspects of the film, were a) Gary Busey (who seems to be developing a very strange vocal problem) acting badly and b) Burt Reynolds (unseen most of the time) putting on the WORST irish accent of all time and also acting very badly.Seen as a double-bill with Universal Soldier III, and with a healthy dose of alcohol, this could be a good evening's entertainment, but only in a so-bad-it's-actually-bad-but-funny way.Perhaps a triple-pack of Universal Soldier II, III and 'The Return' could be marketed as some sort of torture weapon.