Solo (1996 film)
Solo is a 1996 science fiction action film directed by Norberto Barba, and starring Mario Van Peebles, William Sadler, Adrien Brody, Barry Corbin, and Demián Bichir. The film was based on the 1989 novel Weapon by Robert Mason, and was adapted into a screenplay by David L. Corley for Columbia/TriStar Pictures.
| Solo | |
|---|---|
 Home video release poster | |
| Directed by | Norberto Barba |
| Produced by | Joseph Newton Cohen John Flock |
| Screenplay by | David L. Corley |
| Based on | Weapon by Robert Mason |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Christopher Franke |
| Cinematography | Christopher Walling |
| Edited by | Scott Conrad |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date | August 23, 1996 (United States) |
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19 million |
| Box office | $5,107,669 |
Plot
Solo (Van Peebles) is an android designed as a military killing machine. He is sent to Central America by General Haynes (Barry Corbin) to battle guerrilla insurgents, but a flaw develops in his programming and he develops a conscience and compassion. His developers try to take him back for deprogramming, but he flees to the jungle in a helicopter. His main energy supply was damaged during the first mission, forcing him to switch to his much less powerful secondary power.
He joins a small village community that is under constant threat from guerilla attackers, and he protects them in exchange for use of their electric generator (they previously used it to power a TV). There he learns to 'bluff' from a child that befriends him, Miguel.
Solo helps the villages drive off a local Warlord (Demián Bichir) and his small army, but the combat is detected by a military satellite. A black ops team is sent to recover or destroy Solo, while they ally with the Warlord. The black ops leader, Colonel Frank Madden (William Sadler) brings in Solo's creator (Adrien Brody) as a lure, leaving the man mortally wounded but Solo survives. Having occupied the village, the militiamen and black ops team attempt to kill Solo, but he is able to kill all of them.
The Warlord is betrayed by Madden, who tries to kill Solo with an automatic grenade launcher. Solo is able to fight Madden in hand-to-hand combat and non-fatally break his spine. Suddenly a helicopter delivers a more powerful version of the android (Sadler), which is armed with a multi-barreled gun and has Madden's face. The MkII kills Madden and proceeds to hunt down Solo. Solo is able to save the villagers and beat the MkII android, using his acquired bluffing skills. After the temple the two androids fought in collapses, causing the military to pull out believing both units are destroyed and unrecoverable, Miguel, Solo's companion, mourns Solo believing he was destroyed by cave-in, but Miguel starts to hear Solo, laughing, as he knows he has earned his freedom.
Cast
- Mario Van Peebles as Solo
- William Sadler as Colonel Frank Madden/Improved Solo
- Adrien Brody as Dr. Bill Stewart
- Barry Corbin as General Clyde Haynes
- Demián Bichir as Rio
- Jaime Gomez as Sgt. Lorenzo
- Seidy López as Agela
- Abraham Verduzco as Miguel
- Joaquín Garrido as Vasquez
Reception
The film has an 8% rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, based on 36 reviews, with the consensus stating: "Featuring hammy performances and bland characters, Solo is an all too straightforward actioner that's both predictable and instantly forgettable." [1]
References
External links
- Solo at IMDb
- Solo at Box Office Mojo
- Solo at Rotten Tomatoes