Commando (1985) 20th Century Fox/Action RT: 90 minutes Rated R (language, strong abundant violence, brief nudity) Director: Mark L. Lester Screenplay: Steven E. de Souza Music: James Horner Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti Release date: October 4, 1985 (US) Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, James Olson, David Patrick Kelly, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Drew Snyder, Sharon Wyatt, Michael DeLano, Bob Minor, Mike Adams, (Gary) Carlos Cervantes, Chelsea Field, Branscombe Richmond, Bill Paxton. Box Office: $35.1M/$57.4M (US) Body Count: 87
Rating: ****
If I was inclined towards verbal brevity, I’d restrict my review of the Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Commando to the three-word comment exclaimed by a teen in the audience: “That was INTENSE!” It encapsulates the movie perfectly. Directed by Mark L. Lester (Class of 1984), Commando is non-stop action from the moment the bad guys make the fatal mistake of pissing off Schwarzenegger’s character, retired Special Forces colonel John Matrix, by kidnapping his daughter. From that point on, he becomes a single-minded, unstoppable killing machine determined to make the responsible parties pay for their transgressions in blood, lots of it.
In his first time out as a contemporary action hero, the actor formerly known as Conan shows his softer side (albeit briefly) as the loving father of preteen daughter Jenny (Milano, Charmed). They live together in a secluded mountain house where they take care of each other. Their peaceful existence is shattered with the arrival of Matrix’s former CO (Olson, Amityville II: The Possession) who’s come to inform him that members of his old unit have been murdered by persons unknown and he might be next on the hit list. Shortly thereafter, armed men show up and make off with Jenny. Matrix puts up a hell of a fight, but they manage to subdue and abduct him.
The leader apparent is Bennett (Wells, The Road Warrior), a former member of the unit who was kicked out because he enjoyed killing people too much. He’s now a mercenary currently in the employ of Arius (Hedaya, Blood Simple), the former dictator of the fictional South American country of Val Verde. What they want is simple. They want Matrix to go in and kill the current leader, the one he helped put in power, so Arius can reclaim his old position. If he does this, they will release his daughter unharmed. If not, they’re both dead.
Deciding he can’t comply with their terms, Matrix manages to get away after killing his guard and jumping from a plane as it ascends. He has roughly 11 hours to find out where they’re holding Jenny before they find out he’s on the loose. He “enlists” the aid of flight attendant Cindy (Chong, Quest for Fire) to drive him around Los Angeles while he works his way through the network of scumbags involved in the assassination plot. Once he has a location, he heads to the scene with a huge arsenal of weaponry and explosives. IT’S PAYBACK TIME!
In case you’re unclear about what to expect next, let me put it in the form of a mathematical formula: Schwarzenegger + a crapload of guns + an R rating = a high body count. It’s that easy. I won’t lie, Commando is simple-minded and simplistic. There’s nothing complex about it. It’s not remotely believable, not even for a second. It’s violent as hell. It’s also a whole lot of fun! These are the things 80s action flicks are about, right?
Commando delivers 100% on its tacit promise of wall-to-wall action, but what about the rest of it? The acting is as cartoonish as you’d expect. Ah-nuld plays it broadly as an indestructible action hero strong enough to rip a phone booth out of the floor, hold it over his head and throw it like it’s nothing while taking on a dozen mall cops. He gets off many great lines including his trademark “I’ll be back.” and a funny turn on one of his signature Terminator lines, “F*** you, a**hole!”. It goes without saying Commando contains a lot of goofy macho dialogue, a point Chong’s character comments on while witnessing Matrix and a baddie go at it in a motel room. It goes down like this:
Bad Guy: “This Green Beret is going to kick your big ass.”
Matrix: “I eat Green Berets for breakfast.”
Cindy: “I can’t believe this macho BS.”
Chong makes an interesting female sidekick. It doesn’t take long for her to go from unwilling hostage to active participant. Nobody fires a rocket launcher like she does. It helps that she’s studying for her pilot license. Somebody has to fly the seaplane they steal. Wells, a most formidable opponent, is great as the bad guy with a personal grudge to settle with the hero. Hedaya does little more than sneer and threaten as the bitter deposed dictator. Other bad guys are played by cool supporting players like Bill Duke (Predator), David Patrick Kelly (48 Hrs.) and Bob Minor (Action Jackson). Milano is perfectly feisty as the chip off the old block kid who boldly tells her captors she can’t wait to see her father smash their faces in.
James Horner’s score contains echoes of his work in 48 Hrs, especially with the steel drum cadence that folds over itself and specialty instruments like the shakuhachi (a Japanese flute). It’s an unusual instrumental arrangement that effectively drives the relentless action. This is NOT an exaggeration. Commando barely slows down long enough to catch its breath. Lester packs more action in 90 minutes than other films with longer running times. It doesn’t waste time on non-essentials like character exposition or plot development. It gives its protagonist an objective and turns him loose. It’s dumb, but FREAKING GREAT! I love Commando just as much now as when I was a teen. It’s still intense!
NOTE TO READERS: I recently acquired a copy of the unrated Director’s Cut. It’s a minute longer than the theatrical version. It has two added scenes of conversation between Matrix and Cindy including one where he talks about Jenny’s late mother and his regrets about his past deeds. Much to my delight, the tool shed scene contains additional shots of graphic violence- e.g. the saw blade cutting a neck, a bad guy’s arm being cut off. Thank you. Mr. Lester!
