Joshua Reviews Ralph Nelson’s Soldier In The Rain [Warner Archive DVD Review]

When one thinks of Steve McQueen, the last thing that pops into that person’s mind is the iconic actor acting like a loveable oaf, opposite someone like Jackie Gleason.   However, that’s exactly the case when it comes to the underrated gem of a comedy, Soldier In The Rain.

A 1963 film produced by Pink Panther helmer and comedy giant Blake Edwwards, Soldier stars Gleason and McQueen, and is based on the William Goldman novel of the same name.   Helmed by Ralph Nelson (best known for films like Requiem For A Heavyweight, also starring Gleason), the film itself is arguably better known for being released during the same week as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but it’s also an absolutely wonderful comedy, that still garners laugh after laugh to this day.

Seeing a proper DVD release thanks to the Warner Archive, Soldier in the Rain follows the friendship between a young sergeant and an aging Master Sergeant, played by the aforementioned McQueen and Gleason, respectively.   We first meet Steve McQueen’s Eustis Clay.   A peacetime soldier from a country town, Eustis is a dimwitted, but insanely loveable soldier who befriends the military lifer, Maxwell Slaughter, played by Gleason.   The pair become friends, and ultimately have their relationship tested by women, jailtime, and even the death of a canine friend which alters Eustis and Maxwell’s lives forever.

Relying on the two lead performances primarily, both are absolutely top notch.   McQueen oozes this great sense of charisma and charm that keeps you absolutely glued to your seat.   The performance does seem out of step of most of McQueen’s canon, but it’s also one that proves just how strong of an actor the action icon truly was.

Gleason is equally as strong here as Slaughter, the ‘fat narcissist’ and Master Sergeant residing over Eustis’ troupe.   Both he and McQueen have their emotionally charged moments, particularly as the film’s conclusion begins, however, it’s Gleason that is truly the film’s emotional core, a turn that one isn’t quite all that used to when it comes to the actor.   Gleason plays up the comedic moments with a touch that proves just how genius the man was at comedy and comedic timing, and really shines in the film’s later portions.

And while there aren’t many to speak of, the supporting cast is just as strong.   Tuesday Weld is revelatory here as Bobbi Jo Pepperdine, the livewire free spirit who becomes the main romantic interest for Gleason’s Maxwell.   She plays off the otherwise calm, cool and collected Gleason with such great energy that their moments together really hold up well.   Their interchanges are arguably the film’s strongest aspect, as are the interchanges between McQueen and Tony Bill, who plays Jerry Meltzer.   Tom Poston steals a pair of scenes that he’s in, and Ed Nelson takes on the role of Priest, the closest thing the film has to a villain.   Even Adam West, yes that Adam West, has a few brief moments here.   It’s a star studded cast, and one that lives up to the potential it brings.

Ralph Nelson directs the film, and while it may not be as well remembered as something like his take on Rod Serling’s Requiem For A Heavyweight (the TV version of which is available on Criterion’s Golden Age Of Television collection), it’s very much a great piece of filmmaking.   When the film asks for a bit more action, particularly during a latter bar scene, it’s well shot and choreographed, and Nelson allows for the emotionally charged aspects of the film’s narrative to really breath and seep into the film as a whole.   He blends the film’s comedy and drama with such an assured hand, that while it may seem rather melancholic in many ways, it still retains the narrative’s strong heart and sense of appreciation for these characters.   It’s a friendship story at its core, and one that is both comedic and very much dramatic.   Nelson’s great direction is ultimately what makes this blend work so perfectly.

With a script penned by Blake Edwards and Martin Richlin, Soldier in the Rain is a wonderfully moving study of friendship between two people from different walks of life, and what their friendship can withstand.   Featuring amazing performances from both stars Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen, Soldier is a film that is both emotionally resonant, and absolutely hilarious. From its direction to its supporting performances this is a film that doesn’t get its due, and will hopefully find a new life thanks to the geniuses over at the Warner Archive, and their superbly remastered release.  An absolute must-own.