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  John
  
Wright
Predator
USA, 1987
[John McTiernan]
Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke
Action / Sci-Fi / Horror
  
Arnie plays Dutch, leader of a crack commando team sent deep into the jungles of Latin America by his old friend Dillon (Weathers), to rescue a cabinet minister from the hands of guerrillas. Once there, they find their mission is not as straightforward as they thought, the cabinet minister is nowhere to be found, the team from the first rescue attempt is found upside down, skinned alive (yummy) and it seems that Dutch�s old pal has been telling him a few little white lies. But once their mission is completed, it�s a fight for survival to get out of the jungle before a ferocious unseen enemy, who is picking them off one by one using the rules of a hunter, wipes them all out before they reach their pick up point.

That�s all I�m going to tell you about the plot, otherwise I�d be tempted to tell you the entire thing from start to finish. While this sounds like a typical testosterone-filled, gun toting, �death by one-liners� mid eighties brainless Arnie movie. It works on so many other counts. Firstly, the story isn�t too complex, as you�d expect, this movie is all about excitement, tension, edge of the seat stuff. Who will make it? What is after them? That�s what your asking yourself, this invisible terror creeps slowly but surely into the film, adding mystery to the ever-increasing suspense, until it strikes with incredible pace and ferocity. Little by little, as in Alien you learn more and more about this enemy, until the final confrontation at the end.

The acting is a little hammy however, Weathers looks like he�s just risen from the grave of Apollo Creed in
Rocky 4, but his personality seems to fit. The supporting cast are a mish mash of the typical macho-types, bulging with muscle, unfortunately not charisma. Then there is Arnie, who turns out a great performance, despite his extreme physique, he fits the lead role perfectly and shares centre stage with the Predator itself, something that rarely happens in films like this, the creature feature stealing the show, not in this case. The special effects are top notch for its day, and the cinematography is lovely. Definitely a Saturday night movie for you and the friends to enjoy!
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