Commando

Rating:
Summary: Cheezy!
Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Matrix, a retired commando living in the mountains with his daughter, Jenny, played by an extremely young Alyssa Milano. But John's peaceful rest is ruined one day, when his daughter is kidnapped by a former President of one of those crazy "other" countries. In order to get his daughter back, John must assassinate the NEW President within the next 11 hours. John has other plans though. He kills the thug who is chaperoning him on the plane, and gets off before it leaves the ground. While the bad guys think John is on his way to do the job, he's actually in hot pursuit of THEM. One by one, he picks them off throughout the city, working his way to the big boss and his spunky daughter.
I AM going to give this film some stars for fun action, but it's minimal. No, the action's not minimal, but the amount of pleasure I get from it is. But keep in mind that this is NOT my kind of movie. I never would have thought I'd be writing a review for this, but since I found myself watching it on TV the other day with nothing better to do, I figured I might as well write a review. Anyways, the thing that really ruins this movie is Rae Dawn Chong. She plays an airline pilot, or stewardess, or something, who gets pulled into the action and somehow STAYS involved. Many times in the film it seems the logical thing would be for Arnold (John) to just leave her behind, she's not part of the situation, just an innocent bystander that was only involved for a few minutes, but no, he won't let her go through the whole movie. Why is this such a problem, besides it just being silly? Well, bottom line, she is intensely annoying until she gets serious about helping out. She whines and kicks through half of her role. It is REALLY annoying. Another silly aspect of the film is the tough guy villain. Not the main one, the Australian guy who is the main thug, an ex friend of John's, and supposedly almost his physical equal. Arnold looks like the Incredible Hulk in this movie, while the Australian guy just looked like some doughy redneck dressed like a male prostitute. Not scary, and certainly no match for Arnold. There fight scene at the end was a bit on the unbelievable side.
Bottom Line, if this kind of movie is your bag, and your are simply entertained by killing, blowing things up, and one-liners that don't compare to a good Bruce Campbell movie by any means, than this is something you'll probably like. I suppose it IS classic Arnold, and exactly the sort of things his hardcore fans love. But I bet even you will find Rae Dawn Chong's role annoying. By the way, this review is nothing against Arnold in general, I actually do enjoy certain films of his: True Lies, Terminator 2, Jingle All the Way...

Rating:
Summary: good but...
Review: it is a good action flick but terrible story and dialogue. i am one who doesnt mind a little violence here and there, but let's have a better story. thankfully Arnold chose better stuff later on like Total Recall and T2.

plus you can see the low quality of this film. there is a scene where he is attacking that big fortress and launches a 'nade at some soldiers coming to kill him. if you take it slowly, you can see the platforms that launch the stuntmen in the air quite visibly.

Rating:
Summary: A Hero? NO! A Commando!
Review: Oh, testify! Arnold Schwarzenegger is the ultimate deity in this epic motion picture which has the star fight a militia of wannabe commandos and a fake Spanish mayor! After turning down an assassination plan, strange army dudes take John Matrix's daughter (Alyssa Milano), until he kills the man they want dead. Tension! Matrix says 'no' and goes rampant on all of the bad men. He chops a guy on an airplane, jumps off the airplane while it's taking off, fights rent-a-cops at a mall, rips out a telephone booth from a wall, lifts cars, meets Rae Dawn Chong and destroys a whole compound in an exotic location. I was truly blown away with this motion picture and Arnold's performance. Don't mess with that homey, he's got your numba! He also eats Green Berets for breakfast!

Rating:
Summary: Hey, Lady! Stop!
Review: ...It is almost the perfect "Action Movie". Arnold and Molano are perfect together. Half the time I was scared Arnie was going to accidentally break her arm, the other half I was scared he was going to try to touch her sexually.
Seriously though, Arnold's performance is classic. He's got several great horrible one-liners(the final "bad guy death" is unspeakably beautiful), he kills about 5,000 bad people, he says I'll be back, and his acting is really really unconvincing and great.
Nearly everything about this movie makes me want to watch it again. It is way way too funny.

Rating:
Summary: The Prequel to 'Saving Private Ryan!'
Review: Indeed, Commando is a fine movie. It is full of action, suspense, humor, and moments of sadness. Other war movies can only hope to match the ingeniuty and creativity that brought this epic to life! Unfortunately, some directors have gone too far in borrowing from this textbook film on military escapades!

I must confess, that my daily viewings of Schwarzeneggar's masterpiece have led me to conclude that Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' is thievery at its worse! Indeed, the plot of the two films is nearly identical!

To wit, I offer the following parallels:

1. Arnold's character is a military man.
*(Tom Hank's character in 'Ryan' is a military man).
2. Arnold's military mission in 'Commando' is to wrest his young daughter from the battlegrounds of an island infested with guerillas!
*(Hanks mission in 'Ryan' is to wrest a young man from the battlegrounds of France that are infested with Nazis!)
3. Arnold storms the beaches of the guerilla-infested island and annihilates every guerilla who foolishly dares to challenge him!
*(Hanks storms the beaches of France and annihilates every Nazi who foolishly dares to challenge him!)

The parallels do not end there, of course! When you watch this movie, carefully consider the scenes, the make up, the background music, and the dialogue, and you are certain to find that 'Ryan' is nothing more than the evil stepchild of this classic film!

With regard to the story itself, I am somewhat taken aback by the sad fact that Schwarzeneggar was denied yet again in his perennial bid to garner a 'best leading actor' award for himself! Arnold's range of emotions in this film are staggering, to say the least! His unforgetful character demonstrates boldness, fearlessness, and unrelenting determination in his bid to wrest his young daughter from the clutches of his enemies!

For example, in one scene, Arnold nearly reduces the audience to tears when he learns that his daughter has been kidnapped. His decisiveness and unwavering resolve to act quickly and lethally will move any who can sit through this tear-jerking scene. Instead of capitulating to the demands of his enemies, Arnold instead resorts to the sort of antics that Arnold fans have grown to love! He puts a slug through the temple of his arch enemy's messenger! He then proceeds to rush out of his lush mountain cabin to push and then maneuver his debilitated Bronco (no engine and no brakes) down the side of the steep mountain upon which his cabin sits. Indeed, one cannot help but be moved by Schwarzeneggar's great love for his child! To risk a horrific death for the mere pleasure of embracing his child just once more strikes at the conscience of us all. Would any parent's devotion to his child be so great that he would push his debilitated vehicle over a cliff? I think not!

Rent this movie! You are certain to do some much needed soul-searching after being exposed to this masterful work!

Rating:
Summary: An Fantasy but at times Funny Action-Thriller.
Review: John Martix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), an Ex-Commando Officer is now living in Peace with his young Daughter (Alyssa Milano) but when she is Kidnapped by a South American Dictator (Dan Hedaya) and a Ex-Soldier turned Mercenary (Vernon Wells), they want Martix to Kill a President from another Country to save his Daughter. But when Martix gets away from Killing one of the Bad-Guys and he has only 11 Hours to save his Daughter from Terrorist with the help of a Young Woman (Rae Dawn Chong).

Directed by Mark L. Lester (Class of 1984 and 1999) brings a well-made Actioner Film with a Sharp Sense of Humor, thanks to Steven E. De Souza Screenplay and Schwarzenegger is very funny with his brand of dialogue in a Perfect Comic Timing. A Box Office Hit in the Summer of 1985. Produced by Joel Silver (13 Ghosts, Die Hard, The Martix). The film only flaw is the Score from James Horner (Titanic) nearly re-used his Music from 48 Hrs but it`s still an Entertaining Film. Grade:B+.

Rating:
Summary: I remember you... SCUMBAG!
Review: You must always take the good with the bad, and, in my humble opinion, if you really want to savor the wonderful moments in a masterpiece like "Gone with the Wind," then you must learn to watch and appreciate pieces of absolute squirrel droppings like this movie... and I mean that in the most endearing way... really. Non-plotted excuse to get AHH-nold into as many action set pieces as possible that ends up with unintentionally, but innevitably, hilarious results. Schwarenegger plays uber-UBER-soldier John Matrix (nothing like a nice, macho name to get things started) who can carry tree trunks under one arm, dive out of moving airplanes, tear seats out of cars, scalp people with garden tools, rip entire phone booths off the ground, hold scum over a cliff upside down by one leg, bulldoze gun shops, and SMELL bad guys coming from a mile away, all without breaking a sweat. Cliched, contrived, and overly violent, the only way to enjoy this movie, is just to go with it, because by the time you get to the finale, where Matrix, in typical over-the-top action-mayhem style, kills everyone in sight without so much as a scratch to himself, you will have, hopefully, given up on any realism seeping into this movie from any source, and begun to realize what a farce it really is. But hey, even if you don't, the film delivers a marvelous anti-climax, where the previously unstoppable hero is suddenly in danger of being done in by an over-sized splinter in his gut, and he's forced to duke it out with a chubby, chainmail wearing Freddy Mercury look-alike, who doesn't look like he could out box Strom Thurmann on a good day. Relish in the absurd pond scum that is "Commando!"

Rating:
Summary: Pop it in, ice up a cold one, and watch the body count rise.
Review: For sheer, mindless mayhem, it's tough to beat "Commando." Just how many people does Ahnuld blow away...60? 70? 80? I lost count at 50.

Schwarzenegger plays Matrix (gotta love the name), an ex-Special Forces guy with a soft touch for his cute little kid (Alyssa Milano, before she hit puberty) and a way with weapons. Any weapons. Whether it's a rifle, knife, grenade, steam pipe, or common household tool (circular saw blades!!!), Matrix uses it to fell entire legions of men singlehandedly.

Just don't tell the LAPD he's back in town. They might want to talk to him about a couple of murders (one of which was witnessed!), carjacking, kidnapping, breaking and entering (with a Caterpillar tractor!!!), grand theft auto, about 100 counts of reckless driving, and, oh yes...using a rocket launcher to blow up a paddy wagon.

There's also the federal beefs, such as jumping off an airborne jumbo jet with no parachute. And the State Department might want to ask him why he decided to singlehandedly decimate the standing army of a foreign country.

But I digress...

It's all here...the classic Ahnuld one-liners ("Blow off some steam" is my favorite), entire armies of men who shoot millions of rounds at him (and all miss), and scenes of gratuitious muscle-flexing (don't think that rowboat scene happened by accident, folks).

What's not here, of course, is the intelligence, visual flair, and eye-popping special effects that made subsequent Schwarzenegger films like "Predator," "Total Recall," "Terminator 2," and "True Lies" something more than a mindless (but fun) moviegoing exercise.

But in its own way, "Commando," with its cheesy production values and continuity brain farts (the Porsche that fixed itself after being rolled comes to mind), plays far better than any of the bloated, by-the-numbers movies made after "True Lies."

The reason, of course, is Schwarzenegger himself. He's no Robert De Niro-we're talking about an actor whose best role was playing a robot-but few stars have his charisma. That's what separates "Commando" from competitors of its day (Chuck Norris movies like "Delta Force" come to mind), and makes it a winner 17 years later.

Rating:
Summary: Dead tired? Watch Commando and let off some steam
Review: Commando. The Arnie classic. One of the best films yanked out of the eighties, definitely one of the best action flicks ever.

This movie has everything - the B movie feel, some bad acting, muscle, lots of corny dialog. And while the namby pambys of the world may think of these as characteristics of a terrible movie, those with balls (and sometimes even those without) will tell you that this is exactly what makes for an excellent film that you will watch time and time again.

And you don't find me convincing enough, open Webster's dictionary and look under "greatest action movie actor". Nice Arnold pic eh?

Rating:
Summary: COMMANDO
Review: In COMMANDO, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays ex-military colonel John Matrix, who is spending time raising his only daughter. But when a group of renegade military terrorists kidnap his daughter, Matrix must arm himself for battle and he only has eleven hours to find his little girl before she is killed. There's plenty of action, humor, violence, and some great one-liners from Arnold. Action fans must check this movie out now!