Predator ***** (1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Kevin Peter Hall) – Classic Movie Review 561

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1987 sci-fi action thriller film Predator has a masterly build-up and then explodes half way with a nerve-shredding all-out attack that lasts the entire rest of the movie.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Rambo-versus-the-monster sci-fi fantasy action adventure thriller film Predator has a masterly long, tense, suspenseful build-up. But when the action comes at the halfway point, it explodes with a nerve-shredding all-out attack that lasts the rest of the movie. It’s one long incredible climax.

Schwarzenegger is on cracking form as Major ‘Dutch’ Schaefer, the leader of a US special ops commando unit sent to the Central American rainforest jungle to assist his former Vietnam War buddy, Al Dillon (Carl Weathers), now a CIA operative, on a rescue mission for potential survivors of a downed helicopter. The unit soon find they have been sent in under false pretences.

Soon enough, an alien crab-like humanoid monster (Kevin Peter Hall) starts hunting them methodically and killing them one by one. Schwarzenegger, though, thinks he has the measure of the monster, and gets into full jungle camouflage to take him on in a battle of wills to the death.

On the craftsmanship front, there are technically brilliant, eye-catching Oscar-nominated visual effects by Stan Winston, Joel Hynek, Richard Greenberg and Robert M Greenberg, a striking score by Alan Silvestri, and a great, really creepy chameleon monster, who optically merges into the jungle background and whose sight we get to share via the eerie and satisfying ‘thermal sight’ visual trick work.

Predator is directed with immense intensity and pounding brio by John McTiernan, and it is clever of him, writers Jim Thomas and John Thomas, and star Schwarzenegger to make something this fantastical so believable and this derivative so fresh. As well as echoes of Rambo, it is kind of Alien in the jungle, isn’t it?

With an original 18 rating, the TV version cuts some of the strong language (disreputably including the word ‘faggot’ unfortunately) and gory, grisly violence.

The character of the Predator went through many development stages, including one version that was set up for Jean-Claude Van Damme to play a martial-arts fighting Predator.

Jim Thomas and John Thomas wrote Predator in 1984 with a working title of Hunter. Filming took place from March to June 1986 with creature effects devised by Stan Winston and a budget estimated between $15 million and $18 million. It was released on 12 June 1987 in the US by 20th Century Fox, and went on to gross $98 million worldwide and eventually achieve status as a 1980s action sci-fi classic.

It runs a taut and compact 107 minutes, thanks to sharp editing by John F Link and Mark Helfrich.

In a tough call, Predator lost out to Innerspace for for Best Special Effects at the 1987 Oscars.

Incidentally, though Wings was presented with a plaque for Best Engineering Effects at the inaugural dinner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929, no film was officially recognised for its special effects by the Academy until 1938, when a Special Achievement Award for Special Effects was given to Spawn of the North. Best Special Effects first became an actual category the following year, won by The Rains Came, with The Thief of Bagdad winning in 1940.

Three sequels and one prequel followed: Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), and Prey (2022). A mix with the Alien franchise produced Alien vs Predator (2004) and Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007).

Predator cinema release poster.

The cast are Arnold Schwarzenegger as Major Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer, Carl Weathers as CIA operative Al Dillon, Elpidia Carrillo as insurgent Anna Gonsalves, Bill Duke as machine gunner Master Sergeant Mac Eliot, Richard Chaves as explosives expert Staff Sergeant Jorge “Poncho” Ramírez, Jesse Ventura as heavy-gunner Sergeant 1st Class Blain Cooper, Sonny Landham as tracker and scout Sergeant 1st Class Billy Sole, Shane Black as radio operator Sergeant Rick Hawkins, R G Armstrong as Major General Homer Philips, Kevin Peter Hall as The Predator / Helicopter Pilot, Peter Cullen as the Predator’s voice, and Sven-Ole Thorsen as Soviet Military Adviser

Hall was in a major car accident in Los Angeles. During surgery for his critical wounds, he received a contaminated blood transfusion. He died of AIDS on April 10 1991, aged only 35. He also plays the helicopter pilot at the end of the film. He referred to his non-speaking monster parts as grunt roles. He said in 1985: ‘The problem is there aren’t many calls for 7’4″ black actors.’

Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024).

Carl Weathers died peacefully in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on February 1, 2024, aged 76.

Carl Weathers (January 14, 1948 – February 1, 2024) played Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films (1976–1985), Colonel Al Dillon in Predator (1987), and Combat Carl in the Toy Story franchise.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 561

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