Predator

Film number 2 of 'Schwarzenegger Month', and this time Arnold takes his passion and talent for over-the-top violence to the jungles of Central America. This is Predator.

Directed by Action Movie veteran John McTiernan (Die Hard, The Hunt For Red October), and released in 1987 (during Arnold's 'Golden Age'), Predator stars Carl Weathers and Kevin Peter Hall alongside Mr S. It follows a group of Special Forces soldiers sent into the jungle on a daring rescue mission. We have guns, explosions, muscles, and baddies getting their asses handed to them by our brawny hero. So let's get on board with Predator.

In the opening scene, we see an escape pod falling to Earth after being jettisoned from an alien spacecraft. With no idea of whats in the pod, why it was was jettisoned, or where it came from, we cut to our hero, a former Green Beret dubbed Dutch (Schwarzenegger), receiving a high-priority mission from Dillon (Weathers), a former colleague of Dutch's, now working for the CIA. They are sent into the jungles of Central America to rescue a Presidential Candidate abducted by guerrilla forces. Yeah, heard that plot line haven't we?

So Dutch sets out with his elite group of specialist soldiers: Mac, Blain, Billy, Poncho, and Rick, with Dillon serving as a liaison. After choppering into the jungle, they set out on their mission. They soon come across a downed helicopter, and the bodies of several Special Forces members, including some who have been skinned alive. Dutch is unsure as to why they would be there, but Dillion claims he has no idea.

Eventually the group comes across an enemy base, and, in typical Arnold style, they load up and rain down havoc and destruction upon it, eliminating all the bad guys with a shower of bullets, a few bombs and a couple of Schwarzenegger one-liners.

With all the random rebels eliminated, Dutch is rather unhappy to discover that they are not, in fact, there to rescue any politicians. Dillion simply utilized their 'skills' to take out the encampment and it's inhabitants.

While they are preparing to leave the jungle, they are unknowingly being followed by the creature from the escape pod, which has thermal vision and a cloaking device which renders it invisible to human beings.

From then on the creature, the eponymous Predator (Hall), beings to stalk the team, killing them off one by one for sport. The soldiers are clearly outclassed, and as it comes down to just Dutch, we get a one-on-one fight of interstellar proportions, literally. The battle that Arnold has with the Predator is one of the best fights ever seen on film. Despite his incredible physical strength, Arnold is still no match for the creature, forcing him to improvise with whatever he can lay his hands on.

The main problem most critics had with this movie is with the thin plot. It's not very strong, even by Arnold standards. You know whats going to happen, you know who's going to die, and hows it's going to end. But aside from that the movie is pretty solid. The characters all have distinct personalities, the choreography is excellent, the action scenes, some of Arnold's greatest. Despite it's innate predictability, it's still a tonne of fun to watch. You don't care that you know what's going to happen, you just enjoy the build-up and the payoff. Another terrific movie in Schwarzenegger repertoire.