The film that made Schwarzenegger an action star! Sure he had starred in “Conan the Barbarian” (1982), “Conan the Destroyer” (1984) and “The Terminator” (1984) before this, but it was “Commando” that allowed him to be the true action hero. In this film, Arnold was just a super commando, not a villainous robot killer or the cartoony barbarian warrior.
Über producer Joel Silver (the “Lethal Weapon” series, the “Die Hard” series, “Predator 1 & 2”) and director Mark L. Lester (“Class of 1984” & “Firestarter”) have put together a very simple premise, bad guys attempt to blackmail ex-commando super soldier John Matrix into into killing a foreign leader or they will kill his daughter. Bad move, as Matrix isn’t one to be bullied and he sets about killing everyone in his path as he tries to get his daughter back.
Funny one liners and elaborate deaths are scattered liberally throughout the film and as long as you don’t think too hard about any of this macho nonsense you will have a great time.
The film, as a film, is no masterpiece. Bad acting from almost everyone, but Rae Dawn Chong and Vernon Wells are particularly awful. Terrible continuity, scattershot direction and a silly script are only saved by Arnold’s muscles and the momentum of the film. It starts fast and doesn’t stop until the credits roll. You don’t really get a chance to notice how bad the film is because you are having too much fun.
James Horner’s stock standard, pulse pounding 80’s style action score moves the film along. He was famous for this kind of score back then and uses very similar riffs in several movies of the same era, including “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan”, “48hrs” and “Red Heat”.
I personally love this film and I have seen it many times, this time I watched it on Blu-Ray and the film looks and sounds great. Grab some popcorn, sit back and just let the nonsense take you for a ride. To quote John Matrix, “Let’s party!”
Originally published on My Year With Movies
