Toy Soldiers (1991) User Reviews (83)

Watch it if you like action

[sveknu · 8/10 · 21 February 2010]

This came as a huge surprise for me. I had never heard of this movie when I first saw it, and the title really pointed towards something else than a great terrorist/hostage situation at a high school. Toy Soldiers has the best from it's time period of the early 90's, where action movies were light-hearted and very enjoyable. The action is good, the plot is interesting and way over the top, the bad guy is a one-dimensional hateful douchebag (which is great), Louis Gossett Jr. is in it, it's simply a feel-good movie which I thoroughly enjoyed.

You can't go wrong with this one if you like action. I give it a solid rating of 8/10.

A Very Good Movie and should deserve the same amount attention as Die Hard and Hostage!

[NCBoy1089 · 8/10 · 25 May 2006]

I first seen this movie like a year and a half ago and I loved it, I decided to get the DVD last year for my birthday.. It has the right amount of suspense, action and drama.. This movie is about prep school called The Regis School and its packed with rebellious kids, in which one kid William Tepper (Sean Astin) has a hard time adjusting due to prior rejections from other schools cause they couldn't control his rebellious act and now at The Regis School committing more acts of a rebellion there school gets taken over by terrorists on a random day and which the real reason is because the leader Luis Cali's (Andrew Divoff) father has been sent to prison,and the leader will do anything including killing the students, setting bombs and so forth in order to get his father back.

Along side William Tepper, is his rebellious friends at the Regis School, one in particular is Joey Trotta (Wil Wheaton) in which this guy holds a troubled past of living in a Mafia family and being sent to The Regis School because of hating his father for who he is and which now he must deal with these terrorists taking over the school, so William, Joey and there friends must band together to stop these terrorists from violent acts and hazardous tactics.

This movie was really awesome and I believe people should notice it more because when people think of a good hostage movie they would say "Die Hard" and even though I would have to agree with them, they need to recognize that Toy Soldiers was a good thriller, it sure had my heart beating because the students are my age and I would be scared to confront terrorists like these if they took over our school ... But overall this movie is really worth a good 112 minutes of your time and If I had a decision to rent or buy it... I WOULD BUY IT! I recommend it with a lot of hype! 8/10

Ridiculous but fun

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 15 October 2002]

Colombian terrorists hold hostage a military school in the U.S. until their demands are met. The students decide to fight back. Will they be able to do it?

Silly premise but the film actually works. The group of kids who fight were all up and coming when this film came out in 1991: Sean Astin (looking very cute); Wil Wheaton (looking miserable); Keith Coogan; George Perez (the token Latino who is very handsome, very muscular and is mostly shown in nothing but tight underwear); T.E. Russell (the token black guy) and Shawn Phelan. None of them are very good actors (except Astin), but who cares? This is a mindless action film. The only other good performances are from Denholm Elliott (having a ball as the headmaster) and Louis Gossett Jr. as the dean.

Other than that--there's lots of action, suspense, explosions and little brains. In other words---FUN!

Only complaint (and this is minor)--it's a bit too long (there are THREE endings) and there is LOTS of casual, bloody violence (the R rating was well-earned). Still, I enjoyed it a lot.

Pure Escapist Entertainment

[G-Man-25 · 21 May 2000]

I remember seeing this when it first came out in theatres and wondering why it wasn't a bigger hit at the time. Writer/director Daniel Petrie Jr. and his co-writer David Koepp have done an excellent job of taking a basically far-fetched comic-book plot and then getting us to go along for the ride. The acting is generally good all-around, with special kudos going to Andrew Divoff as the smooth, suave villain. Smart, fast paced, action-packed and exciting....a perfect popcorn picture.

Astin, Wheaton, et al bring the effort

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 6 November 2021]

At the outset, what promised to be a mere Die Hard clone (the '90s were lousy with them), Toy Soldiers is a solid thriller in its own right. Marketed to the teen crowd, it has a good cast, genuine suspense and a reassuring father figure (Louis Gossett Jr., in this case) in this boy's school setting. I can honestly say I didn't know how these kids would get out of this (sadly, not all of them) and I was engaged throughout.

Much better than advertised.

Fun Action-Thriller.

[Analog_Devotee · 7/10 · 6 September 2021]

Enjoyable little action-thriller which takes place on the campus of a boarding school. With a pretty basic plot, this film makes for an easy viewing experience for anyone in the mood for something that won't require them to pay too close attention.

still on the pots and pans.....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 6 November 2011]

Billy Tepper is the leader of a group of rebellious guys at The Regis School. He has already been expelled from three prominent private schools.

His best friend, Joey Trotta, is the son of the Head of the New York Mafia; Billy, all their friends and many other kids at the school have equally influential and prominent, if more law-abiding, parents.

When Luis Cali's father is put in jail, he heads for the Regis school to put the son of the judge in charge of the case under hostage, only to find he has been removed.

However, once he realises who the parents of the rest are, he decides the entire student body of the Regis school would be an even better bargaining chip.....

Easily the most insane of the Die Hard rip offs, toy soldiers is a good movie, very sadistic in some parts, but it suffers from one thing.....the main bad guy is one of the worst villains ever seen on screen.

he is too nice to his hostages, and the one person he lets go, because he is nice, ends up getting shot. Only when the whole plan goes awry, does he finally get nasty, but by then it's far too late.

But luckily the film concentrates on the then new wannabe Brat Pack, whom whilst not the most talented people out there, do hold their own against the seasoned actors featured.

The film mixes humour with the action, and while the film is very funny in places, one cannot help but notice the very dark aspects of the film, particularly the opening scene, which feels out of place in what is basically a high school movie.

It's clear in some scenes that the makers were trying to make big stars out of the cast, and while it's worked in respect for astin, sadly the others have faded into obscurity, which is a shame, because they all do a great job.

It's one of these long forgotten movies that doesn't deserve to be forgotten, as when it comes around every now and again, it's a right old treat to watch.

unreal but watchable thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 August 2015]

Colombian terrorist Luis Cali is ruthless in trying to rescue his drug lord father Enrique Cali but he's been secretly sent to America. His group infiltrates into the US to take over The Regis School for boys run by the Headmaster (Denholm Elliott). One of the kids is the son of the judge presiding over Cali's trial but he's been taken into protective custody. However the terrorists find other sons of powerful men. One of them is mobster's son Joey Trotta (Wil Wheaton). Dean Parker (Louis Gossett Jr.) is outside with the police. Billy Tepper (Sean Astin) is the lead delinquent in a school full of delinquents.

The terrorists release all the staff except the headmaster. Also they give the kids just enough freedom. All of it is aim to jerry-rig the situation where the kids make a plan to overcome the terrorists. I don't think any terrorist would just let their hostages walk around. It's a kiddie John McClane with a lot of unlikely twists and turns. The plot is unrealistic but it's still a watchable thriller.

Quite simply one of the most enjoyable b-movies from the 90's.

[Megn1 · 9/10 · 5 October 2005]

This is one of the best "Bloke" movies from the early 90's and whilst slightly dated, its one of those movies that would never get made today, which makes it very special! In fact, a very similar movie was made in the 90's called "Masterminds" and it was a PG variation on the same theme, but it was nowhere near as fun or realistic for that matter.

So what's so special about this film? It's the comradre between the main characters and the against all odds theme of the film. Sean Astin is very likable and has starred in some of the most memorable films of the 80/90's, particularly "The Goonies". He also went onto greater things with "Rudy" and "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, but "Encino Man" is a good trip down memory lane. Will Wheaton from "Stand by Me" lends nice support to the film and Andrew Divoff is a terrific villain. Louis Gossett Jr sleepwalks in his role, but he does add some brevity to the film, particularly his relationship with Astin's rebellious nature.

So how's the action? By today's standards, it's rather tedious and cheap looking, almost like a TV movie, but the production values are good and the violence is actually quite nasty for a film involving school students. However, the director makes up for the limited budget with some nicely suspenseful moments and well placed humor.

So park your brain at the door and enjoy this fondly remembered action flick, but don't expect Oscar material!

Die Hard in a prep school

[The-Sarkologist · 7/10 · 25 December 2013]

This movie is one of those Die Hard clones that I quite like. Other reviewers never really liked this movie, but I think that it is in fact a pretty enjoyable movie. It really has little in the way of themes, but there is a bit of action, and the shenanigans of the High School misfits are quite amusing, especially moving the principal's entire office outdoors.

Toy Soldiers is about a drug lord whose father has been arrested by the US and taken into custody. So he sends his henchmen to a prep school where the judge's son attends is only to find out that he has been moved out earlier. This doesn't stop them from taking the school hostage and rigging it up to explode.

The school is an exclusive prep school for kids who don't settle into other prep schools. I really didn't think there could really be such a school because the exclusive schools are simply that, exclusive, and it makes me wonder why anybody would go to the effort of making such a school like that.

Anyway, this is in America and I must admit that I really don't know as much as I think I know. It is not really a problem that it is a prep school for misfits, but rather that the school is taken by terrorists and that these kids use all their wits and intelligence to get out of it. These are both smart and gutsy kids, and not only manage to outwit the terrorists, but the FBI as well.

I personally think this is a pretty cool little movie, and something that I quite enjoy watching. It isn't as tight and well executed as Die Hard, but it is a clone so I wouldn't expect much more.

Toy Soldiers

[phubbs · 4/10 · 24 November 2013]

Ah the ever popular brat pack type casting line up, a selection of young Hollywood faces either on the edge of becoming major stars or falling into obscurity. In this forgotten action thriller its Gomez Addams son Sean Astin and Wil Wheaton who are the main rising stars, the rest of the youngsters have fallen by the way side. But unlike some other young gun lineups this film also includes various adult stars to add that bit of quality to the film.

Dare I say it? the plot is basically Die Hard in a boarding school? sure it is. Group of terrorists take over a posh school for kids of rich families. Their purpose is solely to see the release of the terrorist leaders father who is some kind of drug kingpin. So its up to this small band of plucky smart ass teens to take back control of their school from the nasty bad guys with automatic weapons.

The similarities to that certain Bruce Willis franchise are clear to see. If you take the basic premise of Die Hard and mix it with 'The Goonies' and 'The A-Team' you see what I mean. The teens in the story use their skills, knowledge of the school and cheekiness to somewhat outwit the bad guys and slightly disable them for the special ops guys to mop up. There is a very fine line between a happy go lucky boys own adventure flick and in your face bloody squibbed violence which is a bit odd actually.

Its difficult to know what the film is trying to be, an adult action film or a light hearted teen flick. The young cast are clearly enjoying themselves in their roles which gives off a vibe which clashes badly against the older actors. The bad guys and their leader played menacingly by Divoff are really going for broke and being damn ruthless gunning innocents down and chucking them out of helicopters etc...Problem is these two sides just don't gel too well together, seeing Astin playing an older version of 'Mouth' from 'The Goonies' and Denholm Elliot playing an old lovable professor set against Divoff's cold blooded killer feels uncomfortable (Divoff really relishing his gritty evil Colombian drug lord role). Its like two different films.

Yet despite the moments of bloodshed the action is so predictable and almost childish as it unravels. The special ops guys at the end come across as inept, plus there is like a whole army of them and it takes them some time to take out just two bad guys. There are only twelve bad guys and it really feels like there needed to be more to make the ending more exciting. The action and soundtrack was reaching such a crescendo in the finale...but because there are so few bad guys in the end it feels totally deflating. Also the way the special ops storm the school, they could of just done that straight away! apparently it would of made no difference.

I love how all the Colombian bad guys are dressed up as sweaty, dirty, vest wearing guerrilla fighters with headbands and lots of stubble. Not too stereotypical then. The very end is also terribly corny and unoriginal, surely Divoff could of gone out in a slightly more exciting way?. Oh yeah there's even a crawling in an air duct homage to 'Die Hard'.

This was one of those films that I enjoyed back in the day when I was much younger mainly because the young cast were appealing. I kinda looked up to them as I did with other similar brat pack flicks (wanted to be them) and I was around their age when I first saw it (or a bit younger). Looking back now the film isn't really too good, its actually really dumb, looks silly and has an even sillier title. It sounds predictable I know but it really does feel as if they wanted to make a 'Die Hard' for teens.

4.5/10

excellent

[nickwong62 · 10/10 · 21 July 2002]

This is really good. Original ideas in the film and a great terrorist action film. Only second to die hard and die hard with a vengeance, this film has suspense and a good plot. I would recommend it to anyone with a taste in films like mine; Action, terrorism and gangster/mafia.

Action galore

[safenoe · 6/10 · 29 December 2021]

Sean Astin was the lead star in Toy Soldiers. It's hard to believe it's 30 years old, and this was Sean kind of prepping himself before LOTR. Anyway, Toy Soldiers is worth seeing once, especially in the antics of the boarding school kids who save the school from terror. This was 10 years before the War on Terror, so kind of prescient I guess.

We all fall down like toy soldiers...

[fmarkland32 · 3/10 · 16 August 2006]

Wil Wheaton, Sean Astin, Keith Coogan star as uptight rich kids who's school is under assault when terrorists (Led by Andrew Divoff) take it over and demand that the government release the father of said terrorist. Of course the police are outside ready to negotiate while Louis Gossett Jr joins the SWAT in dispatching these goons. Toy Soldiers is thankfully not based on Martika' 1989 single of the same name. (Which was unfortunately sampled in Emeinem's worst song) However the movie is still an undecidedly unheroic and tedious actioner which doesn't know whether to be action or drama. For instance the climax is body-count action but in the beginning it is all build up, one that never generates any legit suspense as anyone who has seen Die Hard will have seen this and everything Toy Soldiers has to offer. Also Gossett's usually reliable screen presence is trumped for a role where he doesn't do anything but scold and complain. Once again this is very weak stuff and the talented cast deserve better.

*1/2 out of 4-(Poor)

Exciting, tense

[vchimpanzee · 22 August 2021]

We are kept on edge in many scenes as there is genuine danger if something doesn't happen just the right way. And this isn't one of those movies where everything is guaranteed to turn out all right, though the violence is not excessive or graphic. Innocent people die, though that' mainly in Colombia. There is a chance someone you care about might not make it.

At the same time, it is interesting to watch the teenage boys figuring out how to get out of their situation. And quite exciting when their plans turn into action.

This movie is not entirely without comedy. In fact, it is a comedy in the first scenes at the school, before the terrorists arrive. There are a few more funny moments after that.

Louis Gossett Jr. Shows why he he has won at least one Oscar. Although he could surely have been the man in charge, he was perfectly suited for the role of the strict but patient and caring Dean Parker.

Sean Astin does a good job too. Although not the smartest in some ways, he certainly comes across as the leader and the one who can figure things out.

It is to be expected that this movie's target audience was teenage boys, and even back then, the music boys liked wasn't what I would call music. But there wasn't too much of that. The background music was good, and I was almost certain I heard a few notes of a certain Martika song. Even though that song had the same title as the movie, her recording was not used.

Was this family friendly? Once cleaned up for TV, this had a TV-PG with a V when I saw it. I guess that was appropriate, though it does have this one funny scene where a telephone sex worker wants to take off her clothes. There were obvious substitutions of cleaner words. And I mentioned the violence wasn't graphic, though innocent people do die. That's more implied than anything else.

Formula? Maybe. I like the formula.

Put reality on hold before watching - 7.5

[welhof1 · 7/10 · 23 January 2021]

This was a decent movie. I was entertained the whole time but there were so many scenes you kind of roll your eyes at and think no way the kids would behave like that. No way the police would do that. No way the military would act like that. If you put reality on hold before watching it's actually a pretty fun entertaining movie! I really liked the main villain too.

This film is amazing!

[nickkonzothomas · 7/10 · 14 March 2021]

It had been a few years since I saw this movie and it still holds up to this day. What a crazy concept and I love the realness that it encapsulates. And this was I think the first time that I saw bad stuff happen to the main good guys to this capacity. Sean Astin is awesome in this film.

Kids step up to the front line

[stebird · 6/10 · 20 November 2017]

Not necessarily a bad film, but "Toy Soldiers" comes across as reasonably underwhelming..., basically it's premise is to be a top quality action flick but drowns in its own childishness.

The cast of kids is fearful, you can see the anxiety seeping through in every character, instead of taking back the school and disposing of the terrorists, it looks as though all they want is their mommy's; fair dues they put a semi-confident effort in and eventually the terrorists do get their comeuppance, but the whole story comes across as a little flat.

Wil Wheaton is particularly terrible as the wannabe 'Rambo' Joey Trotta, the guy suffers from an inability to act, even as he aged and got older, his acting hasn't improved and sadly he's been cast aside, being labelled as another Hollywood failure.

Sean Astin fared little better, but he was in fact better, his character Billy Tepper has more about him and at least has a level of credibility, something that Wheaton's character sadly lacks..., he's clearly the 'bad-boy' of the school and seems to have grasped the idea of being cool.

The remaining cast played their roles suitably but none of them managed to put that extra something into their performance, a simple case of going through the motions and getting the job done rather than taking pride in their work and making their characters stand out; any emotional attachment to any of the characters was missing and this made emphasising with anyone an impossible task.

Something of a cult classic these days, "Toy Soldiers" isn't a particularly great film by any means, but anyone you speak to seems to have watched it so it must have indeed garnered a reputation somewhere along the line, making this an incredibly overrated film.

It smacks of 1980's, even though the film was released in 1991, giving the impression that the filmmakers hadn't moved on with the rapidly moving times.

A disappointment to the nth degree, how it's lasted this long and how it's still chugging along is a mystery, but it does and will continue to do so, obviously someone can see something in it that I can't, so fair play to them they must be brighter than I.

Boys Gone Wild!!!!

[ivyfairy23 · 6/10 · 31 May 2004]

Quite honestly when I first saw Toy Soldiers I was 12 years old, so I was gaga over the boys. Now when I watch it I think it was one of the few teen thrillers that was well made. It didn't degrade them or exploit them. The cast was stunning, the plot was good. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, not even close. It did keep me on my toes!!!! It's one of those movies that you can watch over and over again, and never get tired of it!!!! What is it about this movie that makes it so addicting? Somebody tell me, please. I'll give it 3 stars. A big one just for Sean Astin. I love ya Sean! I recommend Toy Soldiers for a Girl's night movie. Eat your popcorn and drool.

Another good underratd movie

[ADOZER200 · 9/10 · 4 April 2002]

This is one of those movies that are very underrated. Again i am voting for an underrated movie. This movie has a good story line, maybe a bit farfetched but it could happen. Sean Astin(one of my favorite actors) again shows us a good performance. The guy does a great job in acting but never gets recognized for his roles. He has done well since the goonies. Not only him but Louis Gosset JR. does a swell job. I thought maybe this movie would have made more money in theaters but who cares about money anyways. All around this is a good movie that will have you at the edge of your seat at times and the plot will keep the movie moving itself. I enjoyed this movie and hopefully the rest of you will as well.

Surprising Amount of US Special Forces Accuracy

[fact275-1 · 7/10 · 14 September 2006]

Toy Soldiers is an okay action movie but what really stands out is the amount of effort that the scriptwriters and director put into portraying American counter-terrorist forces accurately. Just check out the end credits--there are more than a dozen US military officers and officials listed. The movie accurately portrays the FBI as having control of the hostage situation but turning it over the US Army's Delta Force (who are unnamed in the movie as the Pentagon was still denying their existence at this time) once the President waived the Posse Commitatus Act of US Code. The US Army forces at the end are accurately dressed and armed for the time. And even the use of an AH-64 Apache for air support--which might seem a bit over the top, is not terribly unrealistic. Far more expensive and frankly better movies have portrayed American counter-terrorist forces with far less accuracy.

Trite

[yorkie-75664 · 1/10 · 24 May 2019]

Oh, Lordie, this was bad. I'm tempted to look up the reviewers who liked it-- bet they're all young male malcontents. Everything about the story was ridiculous. What was the sense of Denholm Eliot, Lou Gossett & Jerry Orbach bring in it, except a paycheck. WORST part was the overly-dramatic soundtrack. Don't waste your time.

comments on movie

[groovychick7 · 9/10 · 5 May 2005]

I think that Toy Soldiers is an excellent movie. It's one of the only movies that, aside from some well known actors, has an unknown cast that can actually act. In my opinion, the plot is captivating. It keeps your attention without having an outrageous story that couldn't possibly happen in real life. I think that everyone would enjoy this movie. Sean Astin always seems to pick the perfect movies to be in that showcase his talent. He's very underrated and doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. Other movies that he has been in other actors have been in the spotlight but this movie and Rudy really showcase him because he is the main character in both. I hope that he someday gets the accolades he deserves for his acting. If you want to see a great movie you need to check this one out and if you are a Sean Astin fan you will definitely like this movie.

Check it out!

[vertigo_14 · 7/10 · 6 July 2004]

'Toy Soldiers' is the story of five misfits boys (most noteably being Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Kieth Coogan) attempt to save their school from a terrorist invasion after the American government imprisons the leader's father. Lou Gosset Jr. plays the headmaster of the school, a headstrong guy who tries to instill in his students a sense of discipline.

'Toy Soldiers' is a funny and pretty cool action, and certainly the better of hostage-crisis-at-school movies. I think most of the appeal comes from the teen cast, but also, the terrorists don't come off as completely useless whereas in some movies, they never seem to be quite the intimidating group that they should. Trapped inside the boarding school, and threatened to be killed if the military or police interferes, this is a very formidable challenge for these group of guys who plan to save the school. They're actually pretty clever about it, too.

I was surprised that it was a pretty good movie. It keeps a steady pace and doesn't get ridiculously sentimental or anything like that. Astin and Gosset Jr. give good performances.

I, too, agree that this is an underrated action movie.

Whatever You Do, Don't Think

[RestlessRust · 5/10 · 26 July 2001]

That was the mistake I made. I started asking questions like, why is the terrorist leader so patient? Answer: otherwise, the kids wouldn't have enough time to carry out their plans. Or, am I really supposed to believe that a bunch of spoiled rich kids could thwart a group of highly trained, armed terrorists?

This movie isn't terrible, but it is so riddled with cliches that it barely rises to the level of mediocre. A "Die Hard" clone obviously aimed at teenagers, that makes it all the easier for me to blast this film for being so much less than it could have been. There's no reason you can't make a smart action film adults will love as well as teenagers. After all, that's what "Die Hard" was.