I Am Soldier is a 2014 action flick, which follows one man’s attempt to join the Special Air Service, which is United Kingdom’s best training and most feared Special Forces Regiment. Mickey Tomlinson (Tom Hughes, The Game) passes himself off as a weak chef to the other candidates, but it is fairly obvious he is hiding some type of military experience. During his attempt to join the SAS, he meets up with comrade, JJ (George Russo), who is attempting the test for the second time. Since you’re only allowed two attempts, this will be his last.

Along the way, the pair are grilled, pushed and encouraged through the intent test by an experienced SAS leader, Carter (Noel Clarke). They also encounter Dawn (Alex Reid), who happens to be a female member of the elite operations unit. Throughout their test, they face physical challenges, which would leave a normal civilian moaning and crying. Of course, the mental test is even more trying. Only a handful of the candidates will make it to the final portion of the test, The Escape and Evasion, which requires candidates to journey out into the snowy wilderness and escape their would-be captors. If they’re caught….when they’re caught, they’ll be dragged inside, tortured and questioned. This grueling process will test the willpower of each.

When the test has met its conclusion, only a handful of souls will pass the Tactical Questioning finale and be offered a spot within the SAS. Will Mickey, the military chef, be able to muster up the courage and strength to overcome his challenges? Will his buddy JJ make the team?

Review


I Am Soldier is definitely an action movie, but if you look close enough, you will find a clever storyline and interesting insight into the process of becoming a member of the SAS. Although the movie received negative reviews from critics and fans alike, I felt the performances from Tom Hughes and George Russo were strong enough to carry the film. During the training portion, it felt authentic and resembled a documentary, at times.

While the script was somewhat lacking, there were a few emotional moments. On the other hand, the ending was abrupt, but I did sense a bit of an uplifting moment, while watching. All in all, the movie is definitely better than the scores it has received. Although the editing could’ve been planned more carefully, the move deserves a 7 out of 10.