There are some movies that are so damn iconic that you won’t be able to get them out of your head for the rest of your life. ‘Predator’ from 1987 is such a case. John McTiernan’s sci-fi actioner (“Die Hard”) is a great example of what can happen when a movie comes along at just the right time. Haven’t seen the crashing jungle ripper yet? Then you can now catch up with a Disney+ subscription.
That’s what ‘Predator’ is about
On behalf of the CIA, the tough mercenary Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his special operations team are sent into the South American jungle. The goal here is to free hostages held by guerrillas. Dutch and his men quickly declare the jungle a war zone and fire on all cylinders to complete their mission.
Little by little, however, the mercenary commando realizes that they are not only dealing with rebels. There is also an enemy lurking in the green hell that is not of this world. People are quickly alert because the beast that Dutch and Co. dealing with probably the most dangerous trophy hunter in the universe is…
Testosterone cinema at its best
“Predator” is primarily a very effective mercenary action film that was especially popular in the 1980s. Arnold Schwarzenegger is allowed to express his unique presence as an almost superhuman killing instrument on two legs and together with his men provide a booming pyrotechnic spectacle in the jungle that lacks neither violence nor beautifully quotable statements.
Although ‘Predator’ remains action-oriented thriller cinema, the film’s strength lies in its ability to harmonize different genres. Because what John McTiernan is actually dealing with here is a turning away from the logical, rational and tangible. When Dutch and his Hau-Drauf warriors face a completely unimaginable opponent, ‘Predator’ can score points as a sci-fi survival battle with rich horror elements, but it also has a double basis.
Because after the mercenaries have bombed everything here, the jungle strikes back with unprecedented violence – in the form of an alien hunter that becomes one with the green hell. As a result, the monster itself becomes a kind of manifestation of national trauma. The grueling battle against the Predator is also an exploration of the devastation of the Vietnam War. Not only with the obvious disappointment in the government, but also with the utter helplessness in the face of an ‘enemy’ who is completely superior in every way.
This underpinning makes ‘Predator’ smarter than it seems at first glance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t simply view the film as a low-key action flick in which two ruthless rivals meet and engage in a legendary battle to the death. To this day, John McTiernan’s classic has lost none of its iconic appeal – and remains one of the definitive, highly entertaining flagships of the genre.