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Predator opens with Major Dutch Schaefer (Arnold) going on what seems to be a routine mission as leader of a military rescue unit. The group's goal? To locate men kidnapped by a band of terrorists and held captive in the South American jungle. Schaefer is tough, and the men in his unit are formidable in their own right. There's Dillon (Carl Weathers), Schaefer's old combat buddy who has become a CIA operative; Mac (Bill nuke), whose sanity hangs by a fragile thread; the tobacco-chewing Blain (Jesse Ventura); and Billy (Sonny Landham), an Indian tracker. When the unit spots and destroys a guerilla camp, it becomes clear that the men they hoped to save have already been executed, and in a most horrible manner: They've been skinned and hung from trees like sides of beef. As Schaefer leads his unit and a captured guerilla named Anna (Elpidia Carrillo) back to civilization, something terrifying and inexplicable begins to happen. She men are killed, one by one, by an unknown, invisible predator (Kevin Peter Hall) from another world.
With the unit reversing roles - the hunters are now the hunted - the men (and woman) join forces against the enemy who blends into the jungle and manifests powers that far exceed any human's. It is ultimately up to Schaefer, who is insufficiently equipped to handle his opponent, to combine brains and brawn - not only to survive but to destroy the creature he has come to loathe.
Shot in the steamy Mexican jungle, Predator blends sci-fy, horror, and action. In order to convincingly push across that last ingredient Arnold and his co-stars attended a sort of "boot camp." Activities included running, climbing trees, rappeling down ropes, and intensive practice with weapon handling. After eight hours of camp every day, the actors went into rehearsal of their scenes.
Predator was slickly directed by John McTiernan, who would later helm Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October. Critical reaction to Predator was generally favorable; reviewers liked the breathtaking pace and nonstop action, although they didn't fail to mention implausibilities of the plot. For example, Koger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times, "The action moves so quickly that we overlook questions such as 1) Why would an alien species go to all the effort to send a creature to earth, just so that it could swing from trees and skin American soldiers? Or, 2) Why would a creature so technologically advanced need to bother with hand-to-hand combat, when it could just zap Arnold with a ray gun?"
But Predator, which was described by many moviegoers as a cross between Ramho and Alien, was considered absorbing enough to make such questions academic. High on the list of the film's strong points is the title creature, a special-effects triumph designed by Stan Winston. Humanoid but sporting physical features that look alternately reptilian and crustacean, the Predator "sees" with intriguing infy-ared vision. This notion, expressed via clever polarization effects, allowed for interesting shots from the monster's point of view.
Carl Weathers, memorable as boxer Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, brought his formidable physique and a sharp edge to his role as Dillon, while professional wrestler Jesse Ventura gave a lively performance as Blain.
With the script's emphasis on danger and flashy action sequences, Predator doesn't contain too much mirth. But, as People writer Ralph Novak noted, Arnold, who's "considerably slimmed down ... manages to be likable even though there's little overt humor [because] he never seems to take things too seriously". Which means that, by this point in his career, the actor had developed a screen persona complex enough to compensate even for scripts that may not ha\ie been perfectly tailored to him.
In many ways, though, Predator is a typical Schwarzenegger vehicle, and one that satisfied his fans. It grossed a mammoth $70 million and marked a new turning point in the movie industry's perception of the Austrian muscleman. Arnold was evolving info a superstar.
And the star himself was pleased with his character and the final product. "I play a character who is always in control of the situation", he said, "but all of a sudden, this unknown comes in, something I've never dealt with before in my life - then it becomes scary. And I become very vulnerable.
"I enjoyed playing a character who's part of a team", he continued, "a commander surrounded by men who are equally powerful, equally well trained. It's much more realistic to have a group of guys working together than to rely entirely on yourself".
Finally, Arnold is likely to recall Predator with special fondness, since it was during the film's shoot that he tied the knot with Maria Shriver.
"I must admit I'm terrified of injury when I get into dangerous situations ... but it doesn't prevent me from doing anything. A.S.
