Predator (1987) review

20. Predator (1987)

Directed by: John McTiernan

Produced by: Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver, John Davis

Screenplay by: Jim Thomas, John Thomas

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura

I’ve debated for a long time whether or not I should review this, because it seems to fit more into the action genre, especially since it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and is directed by John McTiernan, who went on to do “Die Hard,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “Last Action Hero.” But it does deal with an extra-terrestrial villain, and has spawned a franchise that crossed over with “Alien,” so what the hell; let’s talk about “Predator” already. This actually came from a joke following the release of “Rocky IV,” with the sentiment being that Rocky Balboa had now fought the strongest earthly opponent imaginable, so the next step would be something from outer space; screenwriters Jim and John Thomas said “Hold my beer,” churned out a screenplay, and the rest is history. Despite appearing more in the guise of a typical 1980s macho flick with one-liners, this is a solid exercise in tension and atmosphere.

Schwarzenegger plays Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, the leader of a Special Forces team tasked with a rescue mission in the jungles of Central America; they’re accompanied by CIA agent Al Dillon (Carl Weathers), Dutch’s Vietnam War buddy. However, after discovering the skinned corpses of three Green Berets, it turns out to be merely a search-and-destroy mission of a terrorist camp, which they achieve, taking local insurgent Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) along as a prisoner. But as they return to the extraction point, they’re followed by a creature with a cloaking device that starts picking them off one by one, seemingly for sport. Outgunned by a creature none of them have ever faced, Dutch must summon all his strength and ingenuity to survive this mythical life form.

Much like with the first two “Alien” movies, one of the things you love to see is the camaraderie among the characters. The way they banter and joke with each other, you really believe that they’re a team that’s been through just about everything over the course of a lot of years. And apparently, the filming itself was a hellish experience; they shot in Mexico, and the hotel they stayed at had bad water, which got the cast and crew sick, while the jungle was plagued by cold nights, hot days, rough terrain, snakes and leaches. So they all got ample opportunity to bond together, which translates into the film; misery loves company, after all. They’re memorable too; I like Blain (Jesse Ventura), who’s very proud of his artillery, Sergeant Mac (Bill Duke) gets a fair amount of depth, and Hawkins (Shane Black) spends a good chunk of screen time telling lewd jokes extremely poorly. Carl Weathers, meanwhile, is perfectly cast as Dillon; he’s charismatic and friendly, but he has an edge to him as well. Also, is it any coincidence that this was his first movie after Apollo Creed was killed off? I mean, Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone were pretty serious rivals back then, so who knows?

But now let’s talk about Schwarzenegger for a moment, because I find this one of his more layered performances. It would be easy to just call Dutch a typical Schwarzenegger action role, but let’s really look at where he was in his career. Most of the movies he had starred in were pretty shallow and mainly about racking up a body count of bad guys; and I know, who doesn’t love “Conan the Barbarian” or “Commando”? But here it’s more about stealth and survival, and for a man like Dutch used to machinery and brute force, it’s genuinely interesting watching him have to resort to more primal methods, like camouflaging himself in mud and fashioning a bow and arrow. So this is maybe the first time we see Schwarzenegger as a protagonist in a film that has real substance; that would carry over into the next few years with “Twins,” “Total Recall,” “Kindergarten Cop,” “True Lies,” etc.

While “Alien” was basically a slasher movie set on a space ship, you can call this a slasher movie set in the jungle; it’s about a monster who kills its victims in order until only one remains. The Predator creature was designed by Stan Winston, fresh off his first Oscar for “Aliens,” whose director James Cameron actually had a bit of input in the design. It’s a pretty outrageous-looking beast that uses thermal imaging to track the team and even slightly mimics their voices, while blending itself into the scenery. There’s something I find really fascinating about movie monsters like this whose motivations are basically glory; you could make some solid commentary on that. I also like the idea that the Predators have their own sort of lore in this culture; Anna fills them in a little on how she had witnessed one as a child, which is unfortunately one of the only significant things she does in the movie. The Predator suit is worn by 7’2” Kevin Peter Hall, who apparently couldn’t see inside it, and therefore accidentally hit Schwarzenegger during their hand-to-hand fight in the climax.

Speaking of the climax, I appreciate the fact that they don’t go straight for violence; there’s a lot of time spent on Dutch planning, gearing up and hiding from the Predator. There’s a good deal of suspense, and we relate to some of the characters’ paranoia as they wonder, “What’s out there?” The action itself is solid, although the special effects—admittedly impressive in some spots—are a little saturated and goofy at times. I’m also not sure how I feel about how the characters are set up; it’s this fake rescue mission that just happens to put them where that the Predator is. The Predator isn’t the reason they’re there; it’s just something they’re forced to deal with. I don’t know, couldn’t it have been the hidden motive for sending this team in? Also, as I alluded to, Anna has little to do outside of providing exposition of the Predator, yet is constantly around; they could’ve given her a gun to fight it, but no, Dutch doesn’t give her one because the Predator doesn’t attack unarmed individuals. Okay, interesting for the Predator, but lame for Anna; I like Elpidia Carrillo in this role, but the role itself is really lacking.

So even though there are problems that plague an otherwise solid story, “Predator” still earns its place as one of the action/science fiction staples of the decade. On its surface, it’s the ultimate “man” movie about kicking a monster’s ass in the wilderness while dropping cool catchphrases, but there’s much more to it than that. Specifically, there are enjoyable characters, effectively anxious set pieces, and an impressive musical score by Alan Silvestri, himself an up-and-comer following the success of “Back to the Future.” In the years since, there have been three sequels, as well as a fourth called “Skulls” scheduled for release next year, and as I mentioned earlier, two crossover films with the “Alien” franchise. Some are more entertaining than others, but none have touched the impact of the original; it has its flaws, but it is, without a doubt, not one ugly m*****f*****.

My rating: 8/10