Film featuring former governor of California is ‘wickedly funny’

By Rafael Abreu

A macho action film, with its tongue firmly in cheek, “Commando” is a cult classic starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix, a man who must rescue his daughter by any means necessary.

After a group of men kill men from his former unit, they go after him and take his daughter hostage and threaten to kill her unless he does what they ask. Needless to say, they messed with the wrong muscular tough guy.

At the forefront is the action, which there is more than plenty of. There’s explosions, car chases and more explosions, featuring excellent one liners from Arnold himself.

The film has a sense of humor, and it’s never lacking in the character of Matrix, a man who only has one goal in sight and will absolutely achieve it.

A big part of what makes “Commando” so enjoyable is the humor, which sometimes comes off as bordering on parody. Still, the action is excellent and reaches ridiculous upon ridiculous extremes during the climax.

The acting by the supporting cast is good too, even though this is clearly Arnold’s show. My only complaint with this whole movie is the casting of Rae Dawn Chong as Cindy, a woman who gets involved with Matrix on his quest. She just comes off as annoying, but becomes less so near the end of the film, where she actually proves to be useful.

The film’s plot is kept at a bare minimum, and this is pretty good, since the movie’s only goal is to be nothing but action.

The film’s score, by James Horner, is notable for not only selling out during its release, but for combining steel drums, giving the film an interesting atmosphere, as far as the music is concerned. It all comes together real well to give off a pretty serious vibe, which never goes against the film’s sense of fun.

It’s a thoroughly enjoyable film overall, never having dull moments and being entertaining throughout. The script includes fun lines and memorable characters, and over the top action that seems to be aware that it’s over the top.

Fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger have no doubt already seen this film, but anyone who’s a fan of these types of films should check it out if they haven’t already. Arnold alone would be the main reason to recommend this film, since it’s a prime example of him at his best. It’s also wickedly funny.