Commando

(this is just my thoughts on the regular version of the film.the
director's cut may be better or worse)this is a decent Arnold
Schwarzenegger movie,but it has less substance and
depth(i,know,substance in an Arnie movie?)than his usual fare.this is
pretty much mindless action.it seemed to me like a movie that should
have went direct to video.the story:a former commando's daughter is
kidnapped and he has limited time to get her back alive.there isn't to
much more than that.Arnie becomes a one man wrecking crew to get his
daughter back.lots of mind numbing action and some great one liners
from Arnie.of course you know how it will end up.but in case you
don't,i won't go into detail.suffice to say an entertaining,but
lacklustre effort,compared to say Predator. 3/5

Pure muscle action, appreciation of the body well made, good one liners, explosive music: a must if you want just action all the way without it being a brainer...a classic arnie that is difficult to beat in the flexing departement.

This movie is nearly twenty years old, but if you are a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger's action movies this one is a lot of fun. Arnold plays retired commando John Matrix who is seeking a life in the mountains as a single dad with his daughter. Some of his enemies kidnap his daughter in order to compel him to assassinate the leader of a small country. He only has eleven hours to find a way to avoid their trap and save his daughter.

Rae Dawn Chong, as flight attendant Cindy, finds herself pressed into the role of Matrix's sidekick and potential romantic interest. She has some comic lines commenting on the action along the way. She also happens to have the right car and the right skills to aid the plot at key points.

Vernon Wells as arch villain Bennet, Dan Hedaya as the leader of the bad guys, Arius, and David Patrick Kelly as Sully are all fine villains and each added a lot to this movie. I loved seeing Bill Duke as Cooke. He has a great fight seen in this movie and is one of the best things in Predator. Fine actor and powerful screen presence. The daughter, Jenny Matrix, is played very effectively by Alyssa Milano who has gone on to have an active career in show business. Good for her!

This isn't a great movie and many of the elements here are done better in "True Lies", but Arnold is young and strong here with lots of guns, explosions, and action. If you like that kind of thing, then this is a pretty fun time.

Great pacing, great script, straight forward plot, amazing one liners and action action action. This film should be considered one of Arnies best. He is great in this role, I would loved to have seen some sequels even. Don't miss this one. I give the films 3 1/2 stars, but this edition loses 1/2 a star because of no extras and average transfer. PLEASE BRING OUT A SPECIAL EDITION.

However, I'll be more than willing to up this review provided that it comes on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (w/ Joel Hodgson hosting, of course). It would blow away "Mitchell" w/ Joe Don Baker!!!