Arnie takes on one ugly youknowwhat.
An elite Special Forces Unit lead by Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent on a rescue mission into the hot jungle of Central America. Their mission turns into a raid which soon becomes an all out gun battle with some well equipped guerrillas. After accomplishing the mission and taking one hostage named Anna (Elpidia Carrillo), they trek through the jungle to rendezvous with their pick up chopper. During the movement, they're hit by an unseen and deadly force. -summary
Arnie was no doubt my favorite action star of the 80's when I was growing up. Ever since the original Terminator film, I became an instant fan who had to see every flick he was in blasting away. One of my favorite action films featuring the hulking action superstar happens to be 1987's Predator directed by John McTiernan. Predator pretty much follows the blueprint for your basic action flick blast away, with plenty of cool explosions, special effects, and well, lots of action. However, I feel Predator even up to this day stands pretty high above most action films from its own era as well as many now. The film features cool sci-fi elements, but I mainly appreciate its use of the light horror elements, as well as the role reversal by turning the hunter into the hunted. Normally, it's man in the jungle hunting the animals with weapons that are highly sophisticated to them, which puts the animals in a situation where they can't even fight back, and are shot dead by unseen projectiles for the sake of sport. I enjoy watching man going through the exact same predicament, thus for once, becoming the prey to a more sophisticated and deadlier force for the sake of sport.
The action is the films selling point for sure. It doesn't take too long to get to the action, as the first act features a rather large and fast paced shoot out. The special unit are very well equipped, and they're carrying weapons consisting of M-16/203, a regular grenade launcher, and even a mini-gun. The viewer is treated to all of these weapons in the heat of battle, but when looking back at this film. I really do have to question the presence of a mini-gun during an operation like that. I can't imagine someone surviving long with that type of weapon. This battle is taken way out of the realm of realism; in any case, I still have a whole lot of fun watching it. The film happens to slow down with the action shortly and the action scenes are pretty well dispersed. Some folks actually have an issue with this change in pacing. Fortunately, it won't really bother those whom are into the new story taking place.
The initial story quickly becomes an after-thought, as the unit are forced into a battle against the unknown, and the plot mainly takes place with this group accepting the fact that they are being hunted, and now they have to fight back and win, or else there will be no one making it to the chopper. I enjoyed the direction by McTiernan here, because he allows the situation to tell the story through the characters dialogue, and brief altercations with what is revealed to be some type of monster that clearly has them out classed. This elite unit is no doubt in deep trouble, and they do begin to exhibit different emotions such as disbelief, fear, and even paranoia.
The setting also couldn't have been a better choice, as the jungle environment also heavily plays into the themes and character emotions giving it a genuine feel. Despite the many things that the film does well, I always thought that the plot was its one weakness in a way. It's very predictable and there's no question who's going to make it.
Surprisingly for an action film, Predator is quite gory with some graphic deaths, and the scenes add a rather twisted element to the action. The action fan along with the gore hound will get their cash worth in this area. I don't have an issue with the acting, but I always did find Bill Duke to be the most believable. I enjoy his performance the absolute most.
In closing, Predator is considered an action sci-fi classic to many. It can no doubt make a top ten action film list of mine. I highly recommend this to hard core action fans. The film has 107 minute run time.
Pros: Action, gore, well use of setting
Cons: Pacing can bother some, predictable
