Soldier (1998 American film)

Lore & Background

The film was written by David Webb Peoples, who co-wrote Blade Runner. In 1998, Peoples stated he considers Soldier a 'spin-off sidequel' or spiritual successor to Blade Runner, seeing both films as existing in a shared fictional universe. The film obliquely refers to elements of Philip K. Dick's stories, and a Spinner from Blade Runner appears in the wreckage on the junk planet. Russell's character is shown to have fought in battles referenced in Roy Batty's dying monologue, including the Shoulder of Orion and Tannhäuser Gate. The script was 15 years old at the time of production. In a 2023 interview, Peoples stated he never initially conceived Soldier as a side-quel to Blade Runner, but wrote it after seeing The Terminator in 1984.

Reader's Guide

Soldier was released worldwide by Warner Bros. on October 23, 1998, and grossed $14.6 million worldwide against a $60 million production budget, making it a box-office failure. Critical reception was generally negative: Rotten Tomatoes reports 19% positive reviews from 54 critics, with the consensus calling it 'A boring genre film and a waste of a good set.' Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a B+. Some critics praised the action sequences and Russell's performance; Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave it 3.5 out of 5, calling it 'a potent comic-book-style action-adventure.' Lisa Alspector of the Chicago Reader found it enjoyable, calling Russell's performance 'persuasive.' Despite its financial failure, the film has become a cult film. Kurt Russell spoke only 104 words in the entire movie despite being in 85% of the scenes. During production, Russell broke his left ankle and then the top of his right foot, requiring the entire production schedule to be reshot.

Did You Know?

• Kurt Russell spoke only 104 words in the entire film despite appearing in 85% of the scenes.
• During the first week of shooting, Russell broke his left ankle, then the top of his right foot four days later, forcing a complete rescheduling of production.
• The film was written by David Webb Peoples, who co-wrote Blade Runner, and he considers Soldier a 'spin-off sidequel' set in the same fictional universe.
• A Spinner from Blade Runner can be seen in the wreckage on the junk planet in the film.