Universal Soldier (1992)

Flesh fans love a man in (and out of) uniform. No doubt, this explains the surge of skinematic soliders such as Peter Strauss in Soldier Blue (1970); Sean Astin and Louis Gossett Jr. in Toy Soldiers (1991); Kurt Russell in Soldier (1998); Dominic Purcell and Gabriel Hogan in Ice Soldiers (2013); Tom Hughes in I Am Soldier (2014); Rafael Amaya and Ricardo Chavira in Narco Soldiers (2019); and Jamie Foxx in Tin Soldier (2024). Of course, we can’t forget to give credit to Jean-Claude Van Damme in Universal Soldier (1992), not to be confused with Universal Soldier: The Return (1999). This R rated flick blends the military, science fiction and action genres into one kick-ass experience. The stirring story begins in 1969 when Luc Deveraux (Van Damme) goes head to head with his insane sergeant Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren) in Vietnam. With an immediate plot twist, the two kill each other. Then, in a bigger plot twist, they’re cryogenically frozen, classified as missing in action, and reanimated in the 1990s for a UniSol counter-terrorism program. But this doesn’t mean the two won’t still be enemies. Knowing some viewers come for the action and others just come to linger on his oiled-up body, Jean-Claude does his very best to please by touting his muscular guns, bare back, and awesome abs. Best of all, the skintastic stud shows off his buns of steel just 35 minutes into the movie. No wonder Mr. Man’s personal soldier is standing up to give Van Damme a salute!