Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business

Matt Battaglia is back as Luc Deveraux in “Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business,” released in 1998. He and reporter Veronica Roberts, reprised by Chandra West, are still running from the authorities and still wanting to uncover the mystery people behind the Universal Soldier program, which resurrects soldiers killed in combat.

Adam L said in his review, “Veronica and her ex-boyfriend, fellow investigative journalist Charles Clifton (Juan Chioran), are taken hostage at a cyberwealth conference by ransom-seeking villains. It's Die Hard in a Toronto convention centre!”

Luc Deveraux, or GR44, intrudes the hotel by taking a busboy’s uniform. (Adam said, “I'm pretty sure his line, "I'm just the busboy" was a callback to Under Siege and Steven Seagal's classic line, "I'm just a cook."”)

There’s a little more action in this movie than in the last, but it’s just as poorly executed. Also, all the action in this movie is set to terrible music. When Battaglia demolishes the hostage takers, it may be satisfying, but it can’t overcome the song playing while that’s going on. (Trash by Canadian group Merlin)

Adam admitted, “I couldn't find that song anywhere, but I did find this one, which appears later in the movie: "Dance with the Devil," by Canadian rap-metal group Raggadeath. Top comment on YouTube? "qui est ici en 2024!" Lol”

After the part of the movie where the hostages are taken ends, Luc and Veronica go back to Louisiana, where his parents live, and must deal with all the UniSols sent to kill them.

Jeff Wincott is back in a cameo. He actually does some martial arts in this film, but it’s shot so poorly it’s hard to tell if he’s doing anything beyond the most basic kicks. (Adam noted, “Wincott had a solid career in direct-to-video action movies in the early '90s and had great moves in most of them.”)

Adam admitted, “I mentioned in my review of Universal Soldier II that I have a high tolerance for CanCon and that probably carried me through some of the laggier moments in this movie. I live for scenes set in "Louisiana" with chilly gray skies and autumn leaves falling, and a gas station attendant making a phone call with his heavy Canadian accent with a Confederate flag on the wall behind him.”

The mysterious antagonist revealed at the end of “Universal Soldier II,” Burt Reynolds, is back in a larger role in this film, supposedly drunk on set every day. He plays the evil CIA Deputy Director who gave birth to the UniSol program.

The second and third movies were both produced for TV by SkyVision Entertainment, but a TV show never happened. Which leaves you thinking about the reveal in “Universal Soldier III” is there being “sleeper UniSols” across the continent, ready to be started, including President Bill Clinton.

As you might have guessed, these two made-for-television sequels are just terrible. Do not watch these sequels because you will not like them. This one is no exception. You will dread the day you saw these sequels.

Sadly, the torture doesn’t end here. Next week we’ll be looking at the next sequel in the franchise, and the first theatrically released in “Universal Soldier Month.”