History Film / UniversalSoldier1992

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: Before he went rogue (and returned to his AxCrazy former persona), Scott was known as... [=GR13=].

The film begins in 1969, during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme) discovers that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Creator/DolphLundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. He then attacks Scott, and both men die in the ensuing fight. Their deaths are covered up, and their corpses are turned over to the secret "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers" – cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott.

A novel adaptation was made to promote the movie. It received a video game adaptation on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/GameBoy - although it was just a DolledUpInstallment of ''VideoGame/{{Turrican}} 2'' with a few levels taken out and the ''Universal Soldier'' license added on.

* ActionPrologue: Set in UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar.

* InnocentInnuendo: Deveraux and Veronica are hiding from the [=UniSols=] in a gas station. Van Damme promptly strips naked and asks her to "look for something ''hard''". No, not [[GagPenis that]] - he was talking about an implanted tracking device.

-->'''Perry''': Do you really think for one second those wimps at the Pentagon would allow the regeneration of dead soldiers, American soldiers?
* DinerBrawl: It featured an example in which the hero started the fight, although not intentionally. Luc has just rediscovered food and orders multiple plates without realizing that he has to pay for it. You can imagine [[CurbStompBattle where it goes from there]].

* BarrierBreakingBlow: Luc charges straight through the walls of at least three neighboring rooms in the hotel as if they were made of cardboard. [[SubvertedTrope Unfortunately, he can't repeat the feat with a concrete wall.]]

A novel adaptation was made to promote the movie.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Justified by mentioning that Deveraux's parents hail from France and spoke mostly french instead of english. It helped that Van Damme is actually fluent in French. The novelization also mentions that Deveraux grew up on the Louisiana bayou.

* BittersweetEnding: Now that the sequels have been retconned, we have to assume the worst for Devereaux and Veronica. At best, they will have to live on the run from now on; at worst, they come forward, but no one is going to believe them about super soldiers and government conspiracies, no matter what evidence they have, and they are going down for multiple murders. At ''very'' worst, they will inevitably be cornered and killed by government agents who want to keep the [=UniSol=] program (and this whole disaster) a secret.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Justified by mentioning that Deveraux's parents hail from France and spoke mostly french instead of english. The novelization also mentions that Deveraux grew up on the Louisiana bayou.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: The diner brawl begins with the chef accosting him, irate at Luc's inability to pay for his food. Luc informs the chef that [[YouHaveNoIdeaWhoYoureDealingWith he doesn't want to hurt him]]. This draws a bemused "You're going to hurt me?" response from the chef, who then decides to take a swing at Luc and is [[RealityEnsues KO'ed a few seconds later]]. That alone would be enough to qualify for this trope, but it crosses straight into TooDumbToLive territory when the diner's ''other'' toughs keep stepping up to attack Luc despite how effortlessly he can floor them, too.

* AmbiguousSyntax: When Scott thinks he's about to finish off Luc, he says "say goodnight, asshole". Luc then surreptitiously injects himself with Phlebotinum and says "goodnight, asshole" and kicks Scott's ass. Probably a ShoutOut to the apocryphal Creator/GeorgeBurns and Gracie Allen "Say goodnight, Gracie" bit.

The film begins in 1969, during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme) is finishing when he finds out that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Creator/DolphLundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. He then attacks Scott, and both men die in the ensuing fight. Their deaths are covered up, and their corpses are turned over to the secret "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers" – cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott.

* BittersweetEnding: Now that the sequels have been retconned, we have to assume the worst for Devereaux and Veronica. At best they are guilty of several crimes including arson and assualt; at worse no one is going to believe them about super soldiers and government conspiracies no matter what evidence they have and they are going down for multiple murders.

* ClockKing: The general is one of these, thanks to the superhuman abilities of the [=UniSols=], he can accurately predict how much time it takes for them to swim a mile and a half under four minutes, then comment that they're ''eight seconds behind schedule''.
* CreepySouvenir: Andrew Scott wears a necklace of human ears at the start. He wears another necklace (again) of human ears later on.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Except for Luc Devraux, cyborg conversions didn't go too well. He was able to overcome his programming and have a normal life. The villain, Andrew Scott, didn't, but [[AxCrazy he was pretty screwed up to begin with]]. In the latter's case, it's also subverted: when Luc visits the scientist who was involved in the original project before he resigned, the scientist points out that the bad guy still thinks he's in Vietnam. However, by the end Scott seems to have realized that the war is long over, and is only continuing to pursue Deveraux to destroy his life and kill his family out of spite.

* DinerBrawl: It featured an example in which the hero started the fight, although not intentionally. Luc has just discovered food and orders multiple plates without realizing that he has to pay for it. You can imagine [[CurbStompBattle where it goes from there]].

* HeroicRROD: [=UniSols=] have superhuman [[SuperStrength strength]], [[MadeOfIron endurance]] and [[HealingFactor heal much faster from their wounds]]... [[PowerAtAPrice At the cost]] of being unable to control their bodily temperature, meaning they'll overheat and die if they're not put into cold storage between missions.
* InnocentInnuendo: Deveraux and Veronica are hiding from the [=UniSols=] in a gas station. Van Damme promptly strips naked and asks her to "look for something ''hard''". No, not [[GagPenis that]], he was talking about an implanted tracking device.

* MadeOfIron: Deveraux uses this ability to smash through walls, along with ignoring a gunshot wound before cauterizing it with a cigarette lighter. He also endured having the black box surgically removed from his thigh without flinching. Scott himself also qualifies, having survived being ejected head first out of a car during a collision, not to mention surviving the Unisol Mobile Base crashing into a canyon floor and exploding.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: The diner brawl begins with the chef accosting him, irate at Luc's inability to pay for his food. Luc informs the chef that [[YouHaveNoIdeaWhoYoureDealingWith he doesn't want to hurt him]]. This draws a bemused response from the chef, who decides to take a swing at Luc and is [[CurbStompBattle on the floor a few seconds later]]. That alone would be enough to qualify for this trope, but it crosses straight into TooDumbToLive territory when the diner's other toughs keep stepping up to attack Luc despite how effortlessly he can floor them, too.

The film begins in 1969, during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme) is finishing when he finds out that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Creator/DolphLundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. Deveraux then attacks the Sergeant, and the two men kill each other. Their deaths are covered up, and they are entered into the "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers"–cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott.

* DinerBrawl: It featured an example in which the hero started the fight, although not intentionally. Luc has just discovered food and orders multiple plates without realizing that he has to pay for it. You can imagine where it goes from there.

* {{Fanservice}}: Yes, we get to see Van Damme's naked butt in this film.

* MadeOfIron: Deveraux uses this ability to smash through walls, along with ignoring a gunshot wound before cauterizing it with a cigarette lighter. He also ignored having the black box surgically removed from his thigh without flinching. Scott himself used this to survive being ejected head first out of a car during a collison, and to survive the Unisol Mobile Base crashing into a canyon floor and exploding.

* ClockKing: The general is one of these, thanks to the superhuman abilities of the UniSols, he can accurately predict how much time it takes for them to swim a mile and a half under four minutes, then comment that they're ''eight seconds behind schedule''.

* BittersweetEnding: Now that the sequels have been retconned, we have to assume the worse for Devereaux and Veronica. At best they are guilty of several crimes including arson and assualt; at worse no one is going to believe them about super soldiers and government conspiracies no matter what evidence they have and they are going down for multiple murders.

The film begins in 1969, during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar. Private Luc Deveraux (Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme) is finishing when he finds out that his sergeant, Andrew Scott (Creator/Dolph Lundgren), has killed his entire platoon and taken hostages. Deveraux confronts Scott and attempts to talk him down, only to fail, resulting in the deaths of the hostages. Deveraux then attacks the Sergeant, and the two men kill each other. Their deaths are covered up, and they are entered into the "[=UniSol=]" program. Twenty-three years later, Deveraux and Scott are "universal soldiers"–cybernetic SuperSoldiers. After a successful mission and an encounter with a reporter named Veronica Roberts (Ally Walker), Deveraux begins to have flashbacks to Vietnam and remembers fragments of his past life ... but so does Scott.