Soldiers of Fortune (2012 film)

Last updated

Soldiers of Fortune
Soldiers of Fortune (2012 film) poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byMaksim Korostyshevsky
Written byAlexandre Coscas
Robert Crombie
Joe Kelbley
Produced byRobert Crombie
Jeff Most
Richard Salvatore
Starring
CinematographyMasha Solovyova
Edited byTimothy Alverson
Igor Litoninskiy
Danny Saphire
Music by Joseph LoDuca
Michael Tavera
Production
company
Jeff Most Productions
Distributed by Roadside Attractions
Release date
  • August 3, 2012 (2012-08-03)(United States)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million
Box office$1,572,040

Soldiers of Fortune is a 2012 American action film directed by Maksim Korostyshevsky and starring Christian Slater, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Bean, James Cromwell and Ving Rhames. It was shot in Ukraine. [1]

Contents

Plot

As the film opens, Captains Craig McCenzie (Christian Slater) and Mike Reed (Freddy Rodriguez) are United States special forces soldiers on a mission to find Osama bin Laden in an unspecified location in the Middle East. Their mission quickly goes awry when CIA operative Carter Mason (Colm Meaney) turns up independently, but with Reed already having infiltrated the settlement he is unable to extract himself and his cover is quickly blown. Captured by the locals, he is interrogated briefly by Mason, who threatens to emasculate him if he does not disclose the full details of his operation, but he is swiftly freed by McCenzie, much to the displeasure of the agent.

Four years later, both McCenzie and Reed have been dishonorably discharged from the army due to the influence of Mason and are running a struggling private security firm back in the USA. When McCenzie attends a biker gang-run poker tournament to barter for a loan to keep the pair financially stable, he witnesses several other players draw guns on the dealer, before it is revealed that the entire game was simply set up as a test for him, to see whether he has retained his combat skill. When he is offered a well-paid job aiding freedom fighters on a tiny, dictator-controlled European island he initially turns the offer down, but when it is explained to him that Mason is on the island as head of the dictator's brutal military, he changes his mind and he and Reed leave for Europe.

On arriving at a base camp close to the island, the full extent of his job is finally explained to him. The freedom fighters are poorly funded, and thus are sourcing money via a war tourism adventure called Soldiers of Fortune that invites wealthy foreigners to pay to join their ranks for the thrills and experience of a fully tax deductible adventure. To prevent them from risk of death, however, McCenzie and Reed have been drafted in to act as their tour guides and bodyguards, offering them a realistic experience of army life while ensuring they stay out of harm's way. Their five charges (Roman St. John, Sam Haussmann, Grimaud Tourneur, Tommy Sin and Charles Herbert Vanderbeer) are for the most part all self-made millionaires who each believe themselves in one way or another to be up to the task of professional soldiery. As the two Captains give them a whistle-stop training, the recruits - with the notable exception of St. John (Sean Bean) - all reveal themselves to be hopeless, though they do all gain a basic understanding of weaponry.

In no time at all the five and their escorts are dispatched to their first mission, but they immediately come under attack, resulting in the death of Reed along with the rest of McCenzie's unit. As the Captain and the five manage to reach relative safety, McCenzie turns on his charges, accusing Tourneur (Ving Rhames) of arranging the ambush. Tourneur, a black market weapons dealer, counters by revealing his reason for taking up the holiday - he sold the dictator his arms but realised too late that his buyer had no intention of paying, leading him to crave revenge. Short of options, the group heads for the rebel base, where the tourists discuss their reasons for coming, Sin (Dominic Monaghan) revealing that his psychiatrist has suggested that his addiction to the violent video games he develops has left him disconnected with real life and in need of understanding the realities of warfare.

Further treachery leads to a morning attack on the encampment, and while the five tourists make it to safety, they are all finally exposed to the horrors of war. While McCenzie returns to the camp to save the life of Cecilia, the woman who originally recruited him, the tourists opt to snipe at the attacking troops, which draws attention to them and results in the apparent death of Vanderbeer (Charlie Bewley). As tourists and tour guide reunite and they flee the ambush, St. John directs them to a helipad attached to a mine complex, and his obvious knowledge of the terrain forces him to reveal that he is in fact a mineral trader and a native of the island and has only returned in order to arrange supply of the rare and valuable metal coltan. As McCenzie again separates from the group to converse privately with Cecilia, the remaining four again opt to launch an assault by themselves, this time resulting in their capture. In prison they are reunited with Vanderbeer, and though he initially plays innocent they rapidly realise that he is the traitor who informed Mason of the rebels' location; he reveals that he negotiated a deal with the dictator to sell the rebels out in exchange for money to replace his lost fortune, having lost all of his wealth in a stock market crash.

After McCenzie and Cecilia effect a rescue, the group arm themselves before splitting up. McCenzie engages Mason, Sin and Tourneur ambush Vanderbeer, St. John flees the compound while Cecilia herself is cut off from the men and leaves on a jet-ski. Haussmann (James Cromwell) sacrifices his life to hold off the rest of the dictator's private army, thus fulfilling his own reason for coming to the island - to die heroically, thus preventing his wife from gaining half of his assets from a pending divorce settlement.

In a lightning-paced finale, Sin kills Vanderbeer, McCenzie avenges himself on Mason, Cecilia is chased down by the dictator's daughter but succeeds in eliminating her also while St. John opts to eschew an escape to turn around and save Cecilia from the floating wreckage. Tourneur wraps up the final loose end by killing the dictator with a well-aimed bazooka shot. As the island's inhabitants party into the night, the five survivors toast Haussmann's sacrifice.

Cast

Box office

The film was given a limited release on just 50 screens with minimal marketing in the United States. After 2 weeks it ended its cinema run with a box office result of $38,898. The film was more successful in the Russia-CIS market, where it was released on 500 screens and earned $1,542,287 at the box office and in the United Arab Emirates where it earned $203,101 at the box office. [2]

Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 14% approval rating with an average rating of 3.29/10, based on an aggregation of seven reviews. [3] On Metacritic, the film achieved an average score of 19 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, signifying "Overwhelming dislike". [4]

The Hollywood Reporter issued an extremely negative review, where on can read: "yet another B-movie that wastes the talents of an estimable cast. (...) this is a film so bad that not only was it not screened in advance for critics, its publicists wouldn’t even provide background information." [5]

Television series

A loose spin-off series, Professionals, starring Brendan Fraser, Tom Welling and Elena Anaya, was broadcast for 10 episodes, from November 23 – December 21, 2020 [6] [7] The series was created by Jeff Most and Michael Colleary. Each season is intended to star Tom Welling as Vincent Corbo protecting a new client, with the first season's client being Brendan Fraser as Peter Swann. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Cromwell</span> English military and political leader (1599–1658)

Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the British Isles. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and latterly as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of The Protectorate, he ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658. Cromwell remains a controversial figure due to his use of the army to acquire political power, and the brutality of his 1649 campaign in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ving Rhames</span> American actor (born 1959)

Irving Rameses Rhames is an American actor. He is known for his roles as IMF Agent Luther Stickell in all Mission: Impossible films (1996–present) and gang kingpin Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994).

<i>Dave</i> (film) 1993 film by Gary Ross

Dave is a 1993 American political comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman, written by Gary Ross, and starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. Frank Langella, Kevin Dunn, Laura Linney, Ving Rhames, Charles Grodin, and Ben Kingsley appear in supporting roles. Dave was a box office success, and was met with critical acclaim.

<i>Dark Blue</i> (film) 2002 film by Ron Shelton

Dark Blue is a 2002 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Ron Shelton and written by David Ayer, based on a story written for film by crime novelist James Ellroy and takes place during the days leading up to the Rodney King trial verdict. The film stars Kurt Russell, with Ving Rhames and Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles.

<i>Homicide</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by David Mamet

Homicide is a 1991 American crime drama film written and directed by David Mamet. The film's cast includes Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, and Ving Rhames. It was entered in the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Sins of the Father</i> (2002 film) 2002 American TV series or program

Sins of the Father is a 2002 American crime drama television film directed by Robert Dornhelm and written by John Pielmeier. It is based on an article by Pamela Colloff published in the April 2000 issue of Texas Monthly, chronicling the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, in which four young African-American girls were killed while attending Sunday school. The victims were Addie Mae Collins, 14 yrs old; Denise McNair, 11 yrs old; Carole Robertson, 14 yrs old; and Cynthia Welsley, 14 yrs old. It was believed that there were 5 girls together in the church basement on that fateful day, but only one survived: young Sarah Collins, Addie Mae's younger sister. The bombing was racially motivated and carried out by members of the Ku Klux Klan. The film was first aired on January 6, 2002 on FX.

<i>Day of the Dead</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Steve Miner

Day of the Dead is a 2008 American horror film directed by Steve Miner and written by Jeffrey Reddick. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1985 film of the same name, the third in Romero's Dead series, and it is the first of two remakes of the original 1985 film; the other is Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017). The film sees a virus outbreak that causes people to turn into violent zombie-like creatures. The project was principally shot in Bulgaria, with limited shooting in Los Angeles, California.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1934 film) 1934 film

Treasure Island is a 1934 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Nigel Bruce. It is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous 1883 novel of the same name. Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map and travels on a sailing ship to a remote island, but pirates led by Long John Silver threaten to take away the honest seafarers’ riches and lives.

<i>RFK</i> (film) 2002 American TV series or program

RFK is a 2002 American historical drama television film directed by Robert Dornhelm and written by Hank Steinberg. The film stars Linus Roache as Robert F. Kennedy. David Paymer, Martin Donovan, Jacob Vargas, Marnie McPhail, Sergio Di Zio, Sean Sullivan, Ving Rhames and James Cromwell also star. It premiered on the FX Network on August 25, 2002.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1920 film) 1920 film by Maurice Tourneur

Treasure Island is a 1920 silent film adaptation of the 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, directed by Maurice Tourneur, and released by Paramount Pictures. Lon Chaney played two different pirate roles in this production, "Blind Pew" and "Merry", and stills exist showing him in both makeups. Charles Ogle, who had played Frankenstein's Monster in the first filmed version of Frankenstein a decade earlier at Edison Studios, portrayed Long John Silver. Wallace Beery was supposed to play Israel Hands, but that role went to Joseph Singleton instead. The film was chosen as one of the Top Forty Pictures of the Year by the National Board of Review.

<i>Surrogates</i> 2009 American science fiction action film by Jonathan Mostow

Surrogates is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on the 2005–2006 comic book series The Surrogates. Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Bruce Willis as Tom Greer, an FBI agent who ventures out into the real world to investigate the murder of surrogates. It also stars Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe, Ving Rhames, and James Cromwell.

<i>Echelon Conspiracy</i> 2009 film by Greg Marcks

Echelon Conspiracy is a 2009 American action thriller film directed by Greg Marcks, from a screenplay by Michael Nitsberg and Kevin Alyn Elders. It stars Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce, Tamara Feldman, and Martin Sheen.

<i>Back in the Day</i> (2005 film) 2005 film

Back in the Day is a 2005 crime drama starring Ja Rule and Ving Rhames and directed by James Hunter. The film premiered on BET on May 13, 2005.

<i>The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard</i> 2009 American film

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Neal Brennan, produced by Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Kevin Messick and Chris Henchy, written by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson and starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms, Jordana Spiro and Craig Robinson. Originally titled The Goods: The Don Ready Story, the film was theatrically released on August 14, 2009 in the United States by Paramount Pictures and was released on DVD as a rental only with no special features November 17 and for sale December 15. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $15.3 million against a $10 million budget.

<i>Timbuktu</i> (1959 film) 1959 US adventure film by Jacques Tourneur

Timbuktu is a 1959 American black-and-white adventure film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Victor Mature and Yvonne De Carlo. It is set in Timbuktu (Africa), but was filmed in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Kanab, Utah.

The River Murders is a 2011 American psychological crime drama film directed by Rich Cowan and starring Ray Liotta, Ving Rhames, and Christian Slater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gennadi Vengerov</span>

Gennadi Aronovich Vengerov was a Soviet, Russian and German film and theatre actor, narrator and voice-over artist.

<i>Sin</i> (2003 film) 2003 film

Sin is a 2003 American crime thriller film directed by Michael Stevens. It stars Gary Oldman and Ving Rhames, with a supporting cast including Kerry Washington, Alicia Coppola and Chris Spencer. The film, which was released direct-to-video, has been censured by Oldman.

Deadly Whispers is a 1995 television film depicting a father with alleged dissociative identity disorder who murders his daughter. Based on Ted Schwarz's book of the same name, it is a fictionalized account of the murder of Kathy Bonney in 1987.

<i>Professionals</i> (TV series) 2020 action series

Professionals is an action series starring Tom Welling and Brendan Fraser. It is an international production and is based on the 2012 film Soldiers of Fortune. The first season was commissioned by Viaplay. A second season is planned, with the showrunners looking for a new network to pick up the show.

References

  1. ↑ O'Brien, Tim (December 10, 2012). "Soldiers of Fortune (2012)". Keeping It Reel. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Soldiers of Fortune". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Soldiers of Fortune". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Soldiers of Fortune". Metacritic . Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ T. H. R. Staff (August 3, 2012). "Soldiers of Fortune: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ DEADLINE: Brendan Fraser, Tom Welling & Elena Anaya To Star In TV Remake Of Action Feature ‘Soldiers Of Fortune’ For SVOD Viaplay
  7. ↑ White, Peter (May 31, 2019). "Brendan Fraser, Tom Welling & Elena Anaya To Star In TV Remake Of Action Feature Soldiers Of Fortune For SVOD Viaplay". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  8. ↑ Mittovich, Matt Webb (June 13, 2023). "Professionals Seeking New Home After CW Passes on Season 2 — Who Might Return? (Exclusive)". TVLine . Retrieved June 15, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.