Commando

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, Alyssa Milano
Directed by: Mark L. Lester
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure
1985

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:An ex-commando (Arnold Schwarzenegger) goes to war once again when his daughter (Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped by a South American dictator (Dan Hedaya). He is determined to bring her back alive- no matter what.

Review:

Tim: This is one of those action movies that you have to be willing to suspend your disbelief if you're going to enjoy it. There are so many absurd, ridiculous moments throughout this film- and yet, none of that really mattered. This is a film that embraces those silly moments for the sake of entertainment, and I was more than willing to go along for the ride.

In recent years, there have been a number of successful films around a trained killer going to extreme lengths to save a younger female from death. Denzel Washington did it beautifully in the excellent Man on Fire, and Liam Neeson scored a hit doing the same thing in Taken. Arnold Schwarzenegger made that movie in the mid 80s, and it's every bit as entertaining. The plot is pretty ridiculous, and it's sole purpose is to set up a scenario where Schwarzenegger can just go on a bloody, deadly rampage.

And rampage he does- in this film, Schwarzenegger kills over 80 people. That's a stunningly high amount, considering the film is only 90 minutes. That is almost averaging one person killed a minute for the duration of the film. So many of these kills are absurd, but it doesn't matter. There is something so entertaining about watching a character go to extreme lengths to save someone close to him. Schwarzenegger was absolutely jacked in this film, and it's extremely entertaining watching him demolish the bad guys. He also has a number of his trademark one-liners. What more could you ask for?

Now, I am completely sympathetic to someone who hates this movie. I definitely understand it. At one point, Schwarzenegger leaps from the wheels of a flying airplane into a swamp, only to emerge unscathed. At another, he literally throws a massive pipe through someone's chest. At one point, he kills somewhere between 30-35 people with barely a scratch taken himself. It's absurd, ridiculous, and far-fetched. I can see how people would scoff at this film and call it terrible. On the other hand, I thought it was glorious.

Schwarzenegger does a good job in the lead role. While his acting has never been terrific, he brings a certainly level of charisma, which makes up for his delivery. He certainly looks the part, and is so good-natured about it that it's hard not to like his performance. The rest of the cast (Dan Hedaya, Alyssa Milano, others) are decent, but this movie is completely about Schwarzenegger. I did enjoy Rae Dawn Chong- she's charismatic and brought a level of normalcy to the film. She worked well with Schwarzenegger.

If people hate this movie, all I can say is that I understand, although I don't share that belief. This might be considered a guilty pleasure, but the movie is so incredibly entertaining. I enjoyed it very much, and consider it one of Schwarzenegger's better films.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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