A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 6 nominations total
Steve Boyum
- Hostage Executed by the Russian
- (uncredited)
Franco Columbu
- Medic
- (uncredited)
Peter Cullen
- The Predator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Henry Kingi
- Guerilla Soldier Blown Up in Van
- (uncredited)
Sven-Ole Thorsen
- Russian Officer
- (uncredited)
Jack Verbois
- Guerilla Soldier Helicopter Pilot
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film provided a variety of hardships for the actors, such as leeches, snakes, stifling humidity, heat, and rough terrain. All of the night scenes were filmed during freezing cold temperatures, which was especially hard on Arnold Schwarzenegger during the latter half of the film, when the mud he had to wear (actually pottery clay) became cold and wet. He was warned it would take his body temperature down a few degrees, and he shivered non-stop, even when they tried to heat him with lamps (it just made the clay dry out). He tried drinking jagertee, a schnapps mixture, to warm him, but that just got him drunk.
- GoofsWhen Dutch and his team raid the guerrilla camp, they are still looking for hostages, as they only know for certain that one of the captives has been executed (the one shot by the Russian advisor). Yet during their assault, they virtually raze the camp with reckless abandon, blowing up entire buildings without ever bothering to check if the hostages might be inside. It isn't until after the firefight that Mac bothers to look for the men they are there to rescue.
This has been listed as a plot hole although whilst potentially a character mistake it isn't a plot hole. The plot of the movie isn't broken because of the way the team attack the camp. All the hostages were dead anyway (even though the team didn't know it at the time), so in the end it didn't matter.
- Crazy creditsAll the 7 main cast members re-appear in ascending order as their names are displayed to give a smile to the audience in appreciation.
- Alternate versionsIn a version commonly shown on American television for a 2-hours-with-commercials time slot, all shots of the Predator's naked face and all instances of the Predator mimicking human speech are removed. The corresponding scenes are *not* removed for Predator 2.
- ConnectionsEdited into Quantum Leap: The Leap Home: Part 2 (Vietnam) - April 7, 1970 (1990)
- SoundtracksLong, Tall Sally
Performed by Little Richard
Written by Little Richard (as R. Penniman), Enotris Johnson (as E. Johnson) and Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell (as R. Blackwell)
Courtesy of Specialty Records
Featured review
They just don't make them like this anymore
Predator is my favourite film, next to Rocky, and has always had a special place in my heart. Scaring me to death as a youngster, the film succeeds completely in merging different genres together. For the first part, a gung-ho action flick - for the second part, a nerve-jangling horror that develops into a tremendous adventure film.
The film feels like a real team effort, much like the heroes of the film itself. Everyone involved in the production has brought something creative, unique or memorable to the table and has made Predator become a hugely popular film and franchise.
Firstly, the scipt is chock-full of classic dialogue, making this one of the most quoted films in history, with so many cheesy one-liners that you've be forgiven for thinking the characters were being hunted by a hungry mouse. However, the script and the premise is genius - by simply pitting an alien hunter against Earth's finest prey, humans (commandos even), the situations write themselves; boy-scout traps, mud-camouflaged Arnie and the villain which imitates and toys with its prey. The sequel, which is OK but not a classic, managed to develop this idea even further with a wider arsenal and deeper understanding of the alien race, which gives this film a little something to separate it from other standard Alien-ripoffs.
Secondly, director John McTiernan keeps the film zooming along at a sensible pace. When there's any danger of actual character development, we move straight on to the next scene and dispense with said character lol. There's a tremendous atmosphere as the commandos enter the jungle - it's like another world and straight away the audience is thrown out of its seat with a shocking discovery up in the trees. In fact, the massive outbursts of violence in Predator are still very savage today and despite more violence now getting through censors, we don't get to see anything quite so shocking as skinned corpses and spinal cords being ripped out! Eventually, the tension is cranked up to breaking point as it's left to Arnie to "stick around" and avenge his team, Tarzan-style.
Next, the visual effects people should be congratulated. From amazing pyrotechnics to the legendary heat vision and camouflage which is part of Predator's unique quality. Even today, the image of a blurry silhouette running through the jungle gives me the shivers and when the final battle kicks in, sparks truly fly. The cameo-effect is one of the best special effects i've ever seen and feels like the discovery of bullet time or something just as classic.
Thank the lord for Stan Winston, who practically saved the film by ditching the original dopey design of the Predator and coming up with the masked humanoid with some nice dreadlocks. Most people prefer Giger's Alien design over this, but I always prefer the Predator, largely thanks to Kevin Peter Hall's performance. Instead of a guy in a suit, which Alien eventually seemed like at the end, we get a nasty looking alien under a mask. Never do we think that it's just a bloke under there. The Predator swings from to tree to tree like a monkey and bounds great distances like Frankenstein's monster on steroids. Instead of a clumsy, fake alien, we get something that really does act and look intelligent enough to hunt a team of crack commandos. The appearance itself is truly memorable and it's debatable whether the Pred looks cooler with or without his metal mask.
As I said before, it's a real ensemble effort and even the actors bring something to the film that stands out. We don't need character development for this type of film, we just need something that makes each guy different so that we know who's getting wasted - a problem which many monster flicks mess up by throwing in a bunch of blands. Here, every character is radically different; Dutch, the sensible team-leader (although Arnie doesn't exactly need to be distinguished), Dillon who has shades of Apollo Creed in trying to keep his cool and save face, Mac who starts off quite laid back and eventually goes mad, Blain who utters the best one-liners and carries a bleeding mini gun around(!), Billy the tracker who is just out-there and knows something's wrong from the off, Poncho who speaks Spanish and wields a grenade launcher and Hawkins who reads comics, works the radio and tells dirty jokes.
Finally, the score needs mentioning as this is one of the most atmospheric soundtracks ever and adds to the films pounding tension. As soon as we enter the jungle, the music spells doom for all with subtle tones that soon explode to life. Considering how much hiking through jungle there is (and yeah, the locations people should be noted as well because this is some truly bad-ass bush), it's surprising we don't feel it because the whole time Alan Silvestri keeps us entertained with the film's classic theme tune.
Spawning a decent sequel and countless other media, it goes to show the power of Predator. It all started here, when it was just considered an alien-ripoff but has since shrugged off those roots and claimed it's own slice of history. Everyone involved in the film has contributed something - it's as though their careers have all peaked at the same time and met up on this film. The result is just quality; remarkable, memorable and exhilarating.
The film feels like a real team effort, much like the heroes of the film itself. Everyone involved in the production has brought something creative, unique or memorable to the table and has made Predator become a hugely popular film and franchise.
Firstly, the scipt is chock-full of classic dialogue, making this one of the most quoted films in history, with so many cheesy one-liners that you've be forgiven for thinking the characters were being hunted by a hungry mouse. However, the script and the premise is genius - by simply pitting an alien hunter against Earth's finest prey, humans (commandos even), the situations write themselves; boy-scout traps, mud-camouflaged Arnie and the villain which imitates and toys with its prey. The sequel, which is OK but not a classic, managed to develop this idea even further with a wider arsenal and deeper understanding of the alien race, which gives this film a little something to separate it from other standard Alien-ripoffs.
Secondly, director John McTiernan keeps the film zooming along at a sensible pace. When there's any danger of actual character development, we move straight on to the next scene and dispense with said character lol. There's a tremendous atmosphere as the commandos enter the jungle - it's like another world and straight away the audience is thrown out of its seat with a shocking discovery up in the trees. In fact, the massive outbursts of violence in Predator are still very savage today and despite more violence now getting through censors, we don't get to see anything quite so shocking as skinned corpses and spinal cords being ripped out! Eventually, the tension is cranked up to breaking point as it's left to Arnie to "stick around" and avenge his team, Tarzan-style.
Next, the visual effects people should be congratulated. From amazing pyrotechnics to the legendary heat vision and camouflage which is part of Predator's unique quality. Even today, the image of a blurry silhouette running through the jungle gives me the shivers and when the final battle kicks in, sparks truly fly. The cameo-effect is one of the best special effects i've ever seen and feels like the discovery of bullet time or something just as classic.
Thank the lord for Stan Winston, who practically saved the film by ditching the original dopey design of the Predator and coming up with the masked humanoid with some nice dreadlocks. Most people prefer Giger's Alien design over this, but I always prefer the Predator, largely thanks to Kevin Peter Hall's performance. Instead of a guy in a suit, which Alien eventually seemed like at the end, we get a nasty looking alien under a mask. Never do we think that it's just a bloke under there. The Predator swings from to tree to tree like a monkey and bounds great distances like Frankenstein's monster on steroids. Instead of a clumsy, fake alien, we get something that really does act and look intelligent enough to hunt a team of crack commandos. The appearance itself is truly memorable and it's debatable whether the Pred looks cooler with or without his metal mask.
As I said before, it's a real ensemble effort and even the actors bring something to the film that stands out. We don't need character development for this type of film, we just need something that makes each guy different so that we know who's getting wasted - a problem which many monster flicks mess up by throwing in a bunch of blands. Here, every character is radically different; Dutch, the sensible team-leader (although Arnie doesn't exactly need to be distinguished), Dillon who has shades of Apollo Creed in trying to keep his cool and save face, Mac who starts off quite laid back and eventually goes mad, Blain who utters the best one-liners and carries a bleeding mini gun around(!), Billy the tracker who is just out-there and knows something's wrong from the off, Poncho who speaks Spanish and wields a grenade launcher and Hawkins who reads comics, works the radio and tells dirty jokes.
Finally, the score needs mentioning as this is one of the most atmospheric soundtracks ever and adds to the films pounding tension. As soon as we enter the jungle, the music spells doom for all with subtle tones that soon explode to life. Considering how much hiking through jungle there is (and yeah, the locations people should be noted as well because this is some truly bad-ass bush), it's surprising we don't feel it because the whole time Alan Silvestri keeps us entertained with the film's classic theme tune.
Spawning a decent sequel and countless other media, it goes to show the power of Predator. It all started here, when it was just considered an alien-ripoff but has since shrugged off those roots and claimed it's own slice of history. Everyone involved in the film has contributed something - it's as though their careers have all peaked at the same time and met up on this film. The result is just quality; remarkable, memorable and exhilarating.
helpful•455
- mjscarface
- Apr 19, 2007
The Amazing Arnold
The Amazing Arnold
Whether he's bodybuilding in the gym or obliterating baddies on screen, Arnold Schwarzenegger has been delighting audiences for decades. Take a look at some of the amazing moments in his career so far.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Alien Hunter
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $15,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $59,735,548
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $12,031,638
- Jun 14, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $98,268,458
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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