An intensity of purpose and a patient, suspenseful directing style make the B-movie “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning” superior to most of the big-budget action films I’ve seen lately.
Combining elements of “The Terminator” and “Total Recall” while mostly ignoring the plots of previous “Universal Soldier” films dating back to 1992 (three of them, plus two direct-to-video productions), this one stars a quietly appealing Scott Adkins as a man who is beaten nearly to death while being forced to watch his wife and daughter murdered by a masked home invader (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Gradually it emerges that both men are Terminator-like killing machines destined for a bloody showdown.
The director, John Hyams — whose father, Peter, made such films as “End of Days” and “Timecop” — shows unusual craftsmanship, recalling the spirit of early John Carpenter in the way he lets scenes build with long takes and slow-burning dread instead of frantic cutting. Moreover, the many fight scenes (including an especially good one in a sporting-goods store) are rousingly visceral, though the amazing level of gore may turn off some viewers. If the characters aren’t terribly well developed, the laconic English kickboxer Adkins shows real leading-man potential, and Van Damme’s lack of affect, which often reads as wooden acting, here makes him a scarily coldblooded villain.