Commando

More than 30 years after its original theatrical release, Commando remains one of the best and most exciting action movies ever to come out of Hollywood – with the film’s myriad of thrilling sequences heightened by star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s magnetic, consistently engaging performance. The streamlined narrative follows Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix as he embarks on a mission to rescue his daughter (Alyssa Milano’s Jenny) after she’s kidnapped by a ruthless warlord (Dan Hedaya’s Arius), with the endeavor teaming Matrix up with a panicky stewardess (Rae Dawn Chong’s Cindy) and, eventually, pitting him against a former colleague (Vernon Wells’ Bennett) with a serious grudge. It’s quite remarkable, really, just how quickly director Mark L. Lester and scripter Steven E. de Souza kick the story into high gear, as Commando, after opening with a cute (yet undeniably cheesy) sequence establishing the relationship between Matrix and his daughter, progresses into a propulsive midsection revolving entirely around the central character’s unstoppable efforts to get back his child – with the mission bringing Matrix face-to-face with a number of now-indelible goons and bad guys (including David Patrick Kelly’s smarmy Sully and Bill Duke’s brutal Cooke). The film’s momentum continues to grow as it marches into its almost breathtakingly violent third act (in which Matrix singlehandedly takes on an entire army!), and there’s little doubt that the final showdown between Matrix and Bennett is as electrifying and satisfying as one might’ve hoped. The end result is an action classic that remains just as potent now as it surely did back in 1985, with the film’s proliferation of memorable one-liners (eg “don’t disturb my friend; he’s dead tired”) certainly the icing atop a very delicious cake.

**** out of ****