Reviews (163)

Almost Great, But . . .
Most of "True Lies" is a wonderful combination of action, adventure, thriller, and comedy. Most of this movie could stand up against most James Bond movies.

However, I have one major concern. In the first third of the movie, when Arnold Schwarzenegger's character thinks his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is having an affair with a car salesman who pretends to be an international spy to attract women, his response is pretty sadistic. He uses his resources, as the international spy that Arnold's character actually is, to have his wife's phone tapped, have her followed, have her captured, have her interrogated, and have her coerced into becoming a spy. He's already gone too far, but he goes even further by having her first assignment be to pose as a prostitute in order to plant a miniature microphone in the hotel room of a sleazy stranger (played by Schwarzenegger, hiding in the dark, and using someone's tape-recorded voice). I find that entire sequence very distasteful and uncomfortable to watch.

My recommendation: watch the movie, but fast-forward through that entire sequence described above. It's cheap, sleazy, and distasteful.

True Lies - An extremely entertaining action/drama film!
"True Lies" is quite simply, one of the most entertaining, fast paced and hilarious films that Arnold Schwarzenegger has ever starred in. From the very first time I saw this movie in the theater to several viewings both in VHS and DVD format, I've found that the superior script and exceptional acting in this film entertains every time. I've read of and heard many lament over some aspects of this film and the best I could say to those is that quite often the movies that Hollywood produces are a sensationalism of real life events and ultimately a movie such as this one is for entertainment not making statements about any one group or individual and as a medium for entertainment, this film succeeds completely!

Performance wise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere and Art Malik all deserve great honors and the accolades they received for their respective parts in this film. "True Lies" was probably Arnold Schwarzenegger's best overall performance both in the action and the dramatic sense. Jamie Lee Curtis couldn't have been any better in this role and I can honestly say that I was impressed with Tom Arnold's performance in this movie whereas any other film or show I've seen him in I was not impressed. I believe the only other movie I've seen that Art Malik was in was "The Living Daylights" and in both that movie and this one his work has been exceptional.

Say what you may like about director James Cameron but you would definitely have to admit that prior to the current but most likely "temporary" culmination of his career as a director with the movie "Titanic" and heading off to run the "Dark Angel" television series, few directors could come close to matching his accomplishments. "True Lies" was James Cameron's fifth highly successful hit in a row and with this movie and "Titanic" one could definitely say that during this run of box office hits, he had the pulse of the fans as he wrote screenplays and directed these extraordinary films.

The Premise:

Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a high speed "spook" working for a highly secretive government agency that is a watch dog/operator spook agency that identifies and handles terrorist threats to the United States. Along with his handler Albert Gibson (Tom Arnold), they uncover a major terrorist operation which is bent on using nuclear warheads against the US to accomplish its goals. As Harry, Albert and their organization are working to uncover the terrorists plot; his family becomes heavily involved in the story which is where Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) comes in to play and some extremely hilarious scenes involving Simon (Bill Paxton). What follows from there is one of the most hilarious and exciting action/drama films to have come out of the nineties.

I highly recommend this film to any and all who are interested in seeing a great, fast paced, highly intriguing and hilarious action/drama movie and aren't interested in reading too much into the plot or the characters in the plot that are used as plot devices. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Original Theatrical Trailer

A lot of fun - over the top action with humor & drama
True Lies is an action romp with several story lines that flow into each other for the big climax. Harry (Arnold) and Helen (Jamie Lee) are in a stereotypical middle-class marriage where the husband is totally career focused and because he is "successful" he thinks all is well at home. Helen is bored and miserable because she feels invisible to her husband. Their daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku - Faith from Buffy) is alienated from them both and headed down a very bad path.

Harry has a secret life as a spy for a super secret government organization. His partner is Albert (Tom Arnold in his best role / performance anywhere) and they are closer to each other than to anyone else in their lives as they travel the world saving us all from the bad guys.

The terrorism they are battling could have been ripped from today's headlines. However, I doubt such a film could be made today because of political sensitivities. I was surprised how much of it held up.

But this film is about fun more than drama. The action is exciting, but preposterous and the scale of the action crescendos toward the final ridiculous aspect of Harry flying a Harrier jet while saving his daughter, fighting the big bad guy and fending off an attacking helicopter all at the same time. Another problem, a small one for this kind of action film, is the endless weapons fire focused at the heroes to no effect, while Helen can simply drop a machine pistol down the stairs and wipe out a platoon. It is a delightful seen, however. If you can suspend disbelief for this, the movie can be a lot of fun.

Many have called the film misogynistic, and I suppose you can see some of that in the film. But Bill Paxton's wonderful performance as the sleazebag Simon is easily the most despised person in the film and he is a male.

There are other find performances in the film. Faisal, played wonderfully by Grant Heslov (we should see more of him), is a terrific character who holds a lot of the story line together even though his role isn't that large. And Tia Carrere as the mercenary art dealer Juno is simply one of the best things in the movie. Art Malik is great as the villain Salim Abu Aziz. Mr. Malik provides the right kind of energy for such an over the top film. He provides the kind of passionate megalomania that makes all the fighting seem appropriate.

With all the sub-plots weaving in and out, the humor, and the fine performances, I think this is one of Arnold Schwartzenegger's best films. And I thought his pairing with Tom Arnold was great. Too bad we never saw them together again.

One of Arnold's best
Even Tom Arnold is good in this movie, and that's saying alot. Jamie Lee Curtis steals the show, but Arnold is great as the butt kicking spy. Amazingly they even have Middle Eastern terrorists as the bad guys...who would have ever thought of that? Most movies these days stay so far away from that subject they can get downright comical in their efforts to find a bad guy.

This is just a plain fun movie. Bad guys, stuff blowing up, hero dad saves the day. Great for a Saturday evening to get a few laughs and relax.

The best One of All
For sheer appeal and entertainment, "TRUE LIES" surpasses any of the Terminator Series, Twins or really any other Schwarzenegger film. It is about as perfect a movie as one could hope for - with all the action, humor, drama and sex appeal there is to offer. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely incredible as the plain Jane wife who becomes entrapped in a world of espionage and shadows. (The strip tease was one of the best scenes in filmdom ever.)

Tom Arnold was also perfect for his role as the patient buddy spy who is the perfect cover. Tia Carrere was also perfect as the evil villaness with a flair for the upscale. Whoever did the casting deserves a medal. Dialogue, action, plot - I loved it all! ... Read more

Description

After her family is murdered, a young woman becomes a master of the sword and seeks revenge on the evil queen responsible for the mayhem that has befallen her. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

So bad it is good
I just got finished watching this movie on the high definition HBO channel. I'd seen it before when I was much younger and like it then. Essentially part three of the Conan movies and directed by the same guy who did the second Conan movie. The Schwarzenegger character in this one isn't Conan though, he's some other barbarian who tells Red Sonja early in the movie "Danger is my business." This movie is so campy, so woodenly acted, and so fantasy movie cliche ridden it's hilarious. I'm a little torn. As an example of the art form, this is a dreadfully bad movie and worth one star. As Saturday morning entertainment, along the lines of watching cartoons, the movie is brilliant and worth five stars. The scenery in some of the outdoor shots can be pretty spectacular, especially in the scene where the gang was staring across a chasm to the place where the sun doesn't shine (I think that was the name of the evil queen's land). The special effects are cheesy. The dialog is...uh, well Arnold and Brigitte were the lead characters. The annoying brat should have fallen into the boiling mud early on. The queen's pet spider was a cute touch. If this ever does come out on DVD I'm getting it. It's both one of the funniest and worst movies ever made. Take some pain medication before watching though because this one can be painful to sit through.

Old but but better than Scorpion King
If you like swords fights, Muscles,and warriors at it's best then you'll like to watch this film.<br /> <br /> If you're looking for more "acting kind of stuff" you can watch Bridget Jones Diary.<br /> <br /> Arnold can look like a robot or a Kindergarde teacher or a man from 2000 years if he wanted to, we all know that. this movie is from 1985 so it may not have the same effects that we see these days but It was meant to be an old flick anyway, IN the dvd version the sound It's terrific, a must have specially if you have kids or If you're an Arnold fan!!!<br /> the story is plain and simple but everyhting looks real and Arnold is in his own surroundigns unlike the Rock who was more like an showing off in Scorpion King.<br /> Everything looks real(from that era) if you get in to the story.<br /> Again you got to love those swords man they are real Briggitte did a good work also!!!<br />

Red Sonja on DVD
Red Sonja was Directed by Richard Fleischer(who also directed Conan the Destroyer). Admittedly, this was the worst film of the Conan style fantasy series, but it still has something to offer to loyal 80's fans. Excellent casting with the top action stars of the moment. This film has Arnold fresh off his Terminator hit, Brigitte Nielsen fresh off Rocky 4, and 80s karate star Ernie Reyes JR(star of the 80s TV series Sidekicks).

Red Sonja is fun, but it doesn't offer anything original. Just the same old save the world, good versus evil stuff.

If you couldn't get enough of the first 2 Conan movies and you need more, then pick up red Sonja. She isn't as pretty as Xena, but she and Arnold swing one hell of a sword! really excellent barbarian style sword fighting.

casting=4.5 stars
ending=4 stars
Directing and Editing=3.75 stars
plot & storyline=2.5 stars
replay value=3.5 stars

OVERALL= 3.65 TOTAL STARS

DVD FEATURES: Red Sonja has a very nice wide screen transfer, chapter selection and movie trailer.

Sadly after a long wait for this DVD, we didn't get any commentary from the director or Brigitte. That's pretty sad that they don't try to give a little more quality to the fans after a long wait. Brigitte Nielsen hasn't done a good film since Beverly Hills cop 2 in 1987, so it's not like she is too occupied. The DVD special features are pathetic. At least give us some filmographies or something...

Cheesey campy 80's classic
Arnold.
He is the reason this is watchable and without him this would be one of the worst movies ever.

Nielson has the acting talent of a cherry tree but plays the role well physically. The biggest joke of a scene was Bridgette mourning her dead sister. A true Oscar worthy performance!

And young Prince Tarn... ugh!!!
He is the reason this movie is 3 stars and not 5.
He is easily one of the most annoying characters to ever grace the silver screen and his servant, who has an IQ of a turnip, is almost as bad. His sidekick is not funny, overweight, and uses a giant bone for a weapon. Wow what a great mix!

This movie is enjoyable, but only if you were a young male growing up in the 80's and for nostalgic purposes. Without Arnold this would be unwatchable.

An Eighties Classic
I was raised on Conan and Red Sonja, so I can't help but highly recommend these movies. No, the acting isn't great, and there are homosexual connotations that I just didn't catch when I was six, but these movies have stood the test of time-- at least in my estimation. Wonderful adventures with unforgetable characters, and the swords are just darn cool. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A massively underrated action thriller that kept Arnold Schwarzenegger occupied between mid-'80s blockbusters, Commando may be one of the last shoot-out films ever to have real characters in it. Not, of course, that they're anything other than stereotypes, but they're painted with such detailed, positive strokes that it's impossible not to relate to them. Arnie plays a retired military special-ops officer whose daughter (played with an expert balance of cute/feisty by Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped by the baddest of bad guys, who'll only hand her back as and when he's assassinated a tiresome banana-republic president on their behalf. Needless to say, Arnie is deeply annoyed by this, rescues the moppet single-handed amid more bullets and explosions than you can shake a stuntman's pay cheque at, and... well, why spoil the fun by revealing any more? Co-star Rae Dawn Chong gets some nice one-liners as the innocent bystander who gets caught up in the mayhem.--Roger Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (112)

What a great movie!
"Commando" is one of the best action movies of all time. Other films try to create the illusion of a one-man army, but this pulls it off. Let off some steam, Bennett!

this film was just superb
If you in case ahve a dvd to give away, just mail it to me at?:

Byaruhanga Ernest P O Box 9104 Kampala Uganda East Africa

So you think this is a bad film right? WRONG!
Commando is, perhaps, the greatest action film of all star. It's plot is transparent, it's characters are practically one-dimensional, Arnold's character John Matrix is totally invincible and everybody around him is there to help or to get pulverised by him. It is totally unrealistic, filled with the best one liners in film history and gives 90 minutes of pure, high octane brainless action. There's no reason why anybody should not buy this, it is a classic part of motion picture production.

very good action movie
i bought this dvd recently. this is the third time i look into this movie based on dvd software. i have the VHS and VCD and compare the audio format/sound the dvd is much more better than the other two.

i have a comment here that, i'm dissappointed after i found that the dvd audio format is not the dolby digital 5.1 surround format such as the terminator 2.

hope to receive your comment why this dvd is not in 5.1 surround system.

if this movie is in the 5.1 surround format i think it will give more sound impact and the enjoyment to the end of this movie.

commando dvd review
commando is an excellent action movie for arnold fans however this dvd transfer is below par of some other fox titles. there is a significant amount of snow and digital messiness that can be quite distracting during some of the dark scenes and even in some of the daylight scenes. you might consider waiting for another version of commando to hit the dvd market due to the snow of the transfer. too bad, until then i will continue to watch my vhs version and keep my dvd version to trade at some store. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If you're going to submit yourself to a dazzling example of mainstream action, this thriller is as good a choice as any. Eraser is a live-action cartoon, the kind of movie in which Arnold Schwarzenegger can survive nail bombs, hails of bullets, an attack by voracious alligators ("You're luggage," he says, after killing one of the beasts), and still emerge from the mayhem relatively intact. Arnold plays an "eraser" from the Federal Witness Protection Program, so named because he can virtually erase the existence of anyone he's been assigned to protect. His latest beneficiary is an FBI employee (Vanessa Williams) who stumbled across a secret government group involved in the sale and export of an advanced weapon capable of shooting rounds at nearly the speed of light. Fantastic action sequences are handled with flair by director Charles Russell (The Mask), so it's easy to forgive the fact that this movie is almost completely ridiculous. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Eraser is one of of Arnold's best action films.
Eraser is Arnold's action spectuclar in years scene The terminator, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgement day and True lies. the story is about US Witsec officer John Kreuger (Arnold Schwarzengger) who protects, and takes out the ID's of federal witness's where he is recruited to protect witness Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams) who is trying to get evidence about a weapons company selling new deadly guns, where Lee is a target of the company's renegades, where John plans on helping her, as his Witsec friend Robert (James Cann ) is invovled with them as John goes to put a stop to the madness. The film features very good special effects featuring Arnold firing EM rail guns, beging attack by crocodiles and sky diving out of a plane, if your a Arnie fan buy this right now or rent it in you nearest video store END

ERASER??? More like TRUE LIES 2! A real Arnold thriller!!!
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER explodes to the TV screen as U.S. MARSHALL JOHN KRUGER of the WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM, assigned to protect LEE CULLEN (Vanessa Williams), a woman who is willing to testify against illegal weapon dealers. But, something goes wrong. A fellow Marshall and friend of JOHN's is working for the wrong team and trying to cover up the deadly plot to take out KRUGER's witness. Now, everyone at WITSEC is trying to kill KRUGER and CULLEN believing that they are the real enemies. Will ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER be able to prove his innosense and save the day in an explosive action thriller?!!!

Directed By: Charles Russell (The Mask, Bless the Child) and starring ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (End of Days, 6th Day, Predator), JAMES CAAN (Mickey Blue Eyes), VANESSA WILLIAMS, and DANNY NUCCI (Crimson Tide, The Rock, Titanic)- ERASER is an action rush of sheer explosive adventure!

MOVIE NOTE: This movie might as well be TRUE LIES 2. ARNOLD is back, he's a U.S. MARSHALL SPY-Like hero, He has big guns, he's protecting a woman against a vengeful nemisis, he has great one-liners, he battles terrorists, crocodiles, jumping out of a speeding plane- trying to catch his parachute, shooting huge EMP guns, breaking into a high security weapons building, and blowing up a house by making a trap that will light a fuse in the house! That is TRUE LIES 2 to me! Anyway, we'll have to see what TRUE LIES 2 has in store for us when it comes to theaters sometime within the next 5 years...

MY REVIEW: This movie ROCKS! The special effects are great, the stunts and action sequences rule, the story, acting and directing are spectacular, and the humor is good too! THIS MAY NOT BE ARNOLD's BEST FILM EVER, BUT IT SURE MAKES HIS TOP 10 LIST!!!

Rent this movie or buy this movie today action fans!

ERASER is rated "R" for STRONG LANGUAGE and STRONG ACTION VIOLENCE THROUGHOUT. 1 hr 55 min.

Excellent action thriller!
Austrian accented "Terminator" actor Arnold Schwarzenegger hits another home run in his career in the 1996 action thriller entitled "Eraser" and let me tell you, this movie is truly unsettling and not to mention will make you angry as such acts could in fact happen in real life as we know it although the items are a bit far-fetched with today's technologies.

A special agent U.S. Marshall named John Kruger works for the Witness Protection Agency, an organization that takes witnesses of major crimes away, wipe out their identities, in order to shelter them from potential criminals who aim to kill those who witness their crimes. His latest mission is to protect a worker named Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams) who works for a corporation named Cyrez that produces top secret weapons but a massive scandal is brewing and Lee discovers what's really going on and aims to expose the scam to the FBI. However, high level government marshals who are crooks themselves aim to kill Lee and Kruger to attempt to stop the truth from coming out. The Cyrez corporation, under the leadership of a corrupt CEO, is involved in an illegal arms deal with a Russian Mafia hitman who has had a history of murder and terrorist acts against civilians. The arms deal involves trading extremely advanced weapons that don't use any conventional ammunition and instead use magnetic pulses to fire rounds of aluminum at nearly the speed of light and if the arms trade succeed it will bring forth a horrific new era of high-tech terrorism worldwide and John Kruger must stop the arms shipment before it's too late while also protecting lee from corrupt high-ranking officials participating the scam.

If Lee Cullen and John Kruger are killed, then the FBI will lose any leads and/or evidence to bring the Cyrez officials to trial and to expose the scandal to the public.

This movie sometimes makes me angry not because it is bad because it is a really great movie but it's the whole concept of high-ranking government officials actually being a part of the problem than as the people trying to fight the criminals committing these crimes. I sometimes wonder how one can be able to fight such acts of capitalist greed even if they're totally fictional events.

The special effects while limited are really well done especially with the way the bullets create those smoke trails when speed through the air at speeds nearly that of light plus the action sequences are really awesome especially towards the climax.

The high-tech weapons are really terrifying with not only the light-speed ammunition but also how they seemingly can scan through buildings and make out movements all around the immediate vicinity. One can't help but feel really paranoid when viewing the scenes where they scan the area when seeking their targets.

Once again Arnold Schwarzenegger hits another home run right out of the ballpart playing the U.S. Marshall John Kruger. Arnold's action sequences are once again in top form as he fights against the crooks aiming to eliminate both Kruger and Lee. If you loves his "I'll Be Back" and/or "You've just been terminated" lines from the "Terminator" movies, then he comes up with another brilliant line which is "You've just been erased". God I love it. Vanessa Williams is also very good playing Lee Cullen as she tries to escape the assassins pursuit of her while trying to deliver the evidence of the crime to the FBI. In all honesty, Vanessa is far better when she's acting in movies and singing and releasing albums as opposed to wasting her time on these numerous bland commercials and infomercials!!

My favorite though of the main characters was Star Trek actor James Caan. Man, his portrayal of the traitorous agent Degeurin is absolutely terrifying and truly vivid and brings the horrifically callous nature of the corrupt agent to 'life' on the movie. I just can't help but feel really sometimes ticked off at Deguerin because of his horrific acts against the country but I've got to admire Caan's incredible acting in this movie because he was perfect for the role of the bad guy and Deguerin is one of the greatest bad guys I had seen in many years at the time of this movie's release.

While only a minor role, James Cromwell's performance as the CEO of the Cyrez corporation was also compelling and sometimes really scary. While not as bad as let's say Deguerin, Cromwell's character in this movie is just enough to make you upset at his callous nature.

Other favorites are the late Joe Pastorelli as Johnny C. along with his mob crime family and some of the characters are really funny especially Johnny C. It's really sad that Pastorelli departed us so soon because he was a talented actor. I also thought that the late Joe Viterelli was phenomenal playing the pug-faced mafia gangster. :-(

This movie is really very well done and delivers incredible action sequences, not to mention an original plot idea. The DVD as of this writing offers little of anything in the way of bonus material but is a grand improvement on the VHS.

Really excellent action-thriller! 2 Thumbs up!
Austrian accented "Terminator" actor Arnold Schwarzenegger hits another home run in his career in the 1996 action thriller entitled "Eraser" and let me tell you, this movie is truly unsettling and not to mention will make you angry as such acts could in fact happen in real life as we know it although the items are a bit far-fetched with today's technologies.

A special agent U.S. Marshall named John Kruger works for the Witness Protection Agency, an organization that takes witnesses of major crimes away, wipe out their identities, in order to shelter them from potential criminals who aim to kill those who witness their crimes. His latest mission is to protect a worker named Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams) who works for a corporation named Cyrez that produces top secret weapons but a massive scandal is brewing and Lee discovers what's really going on and aims to expose the scam to the FBI. However, high level government marshals who are crooks themselves aim to kill Lee and Kruger to attempt to stop the truth from coming out. The Cyrez corporation, under the leadership of a corrupt CEO, is involved in an illegal arms deal with a Russian Mafia hitman who has had a history of murder and terrorist acts against civilians. The arms deal involves trading extremely advanced weapons that don't use any conventional ammunition and instead use magnetic pulses to fire rounds of aluminum at nearly the speed of light and if the arms trade succeed it will bring forth a horrific new era of high-tech terrorism worldwide and John Kruger must stop the arms shipment before it's too late while also protecting lee from corrupt high-ranking officials participating the scam.

If Lee Cullen and John Kruger are killed, then the FBI will lose any leads and/or evidence to bring the Cyrez officials to trial and to expose the scandal to the public.

This movie sometimes makes me angry not because it is bad because it is a really great movie but it's the whole concept of high-ranking government officials actually being a part of the problem than as the people trying to fight the criminals committing these crimes. I sometimes wonder how one can be able to fight such acts of capitalist greed even if they're totally fictional events.

The special effects while limited are really well done especially with the way the bullets create those smoke trails when speed through the air at speeds nearly that of light plus the action sequences are really awesome especially towards the climax.

The high-tech weapons are really terrifying with not only the light-speed ammunition but also how they seemingly can scan through buildings and make out movements all around the immediate vicinity. One can't help but feel really paranoid when viewing the scenes where they scan the area when seeking their targets.

Once again Arnold Schwarzenegger hits another home run right out of the ballpart playing the U.S. Marshall John Kruger. Arnold's action sequences are once again in top form as he fights against the crooks aiming to eliminate both Kruger and Lee. If you loves his "I'll Be Back" and/or "You've just been terminated" lines from the "Terminator" movies, then he comes up with another brilliant line which is "You've just been erased". God I love it. Vanessa Williams is also very good playing Lee Cullen as she tries to escape the assassins pursuit of her while trying to deliver the evidence of the crime to the FBI. In all honesty, Vanessa is far better when she's acting in movies and singing and releasing albums as opposed to wasting her time on these numerous bland commercials and infomercials!!

My favorite though of the main characters was Star Trek actor James Caan. Man, his portrayal of the traitorous agent Degeurin is absolutely terrifying and truly vivid and brings the horrifically callous nature of the corrupt agent to 'life' on the movie. I just can't help but feel really sometimes ticked off at Deguerin because of his horrific acts against the country!

Other favorites are the late Joe Pastorelli as Johnny C. along with his mob crime family and some of the characters are really funny especially Johnny C. It's really sad that Pastorelli departed us so soon. :-(

This movie is really very well done and delivers incredible action sequences, not to mention an original plot idea. The DVD as of this writing offers little of anything in the way of bonus material but is a grand improvement on the VHS.

Action packed fun for the masses!
This movie is awesome!!! Starring Ahnold as an adventurous U.S. Marshall he is assigned to protect a female witness to an illegal arms deal between a U.S. business and Russian mafia terrorists and the witness and Ahnold are the targets for assassination by the corrupt federal marshalls taking part in the arms deal. The arms shoot rounds of aluminum near the speed of light. California's governor once again hits another home run with awesome acting and incredible special effects. Go and see this movie today!!! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Booklet Missing
In response to the last reviewer, I did not get anything in the lefthand sleeve either. I bought this set and there was no booklet in the lefthand side, though there was a sleeve for it. I brought it back for another one, and the replacement had no booklet either. Did the company producing this DVD change their minds about putting something in the sleeve, or did I get two bum copies in a row? The one star rating is because of the negligent packaging...the movies were fine.

Does it come with a booklet?
I have liked the movies since they came out, but I agree that the dvds could have been remastered with better sound and widescreening. I guess these will do for now given the decent bundled pricing. One quick question. Did anyone receive a booklet in the left sleeve of this set? There's an empty pocket in mine and it seemed weird. Is it just packaging or should I bother to return for a replacement? Thanks for any help from the Conan experts!

Classic Fantasy
Conan: The Barbarian is a classic fantasy film and probably the best fantasy film besides the LOTR series of movies. Sure the second Conan movie, Conan: The Destroyer, isn't as good as the first but who cares when you are getting both for only $15. Pick this DVD up just for the first one and you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you enjoy the second one too, after all it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

I can't wait for the new movie, Conan goes to Nease
This is an excellent example of American movie making and the general intellect of the country. We should be proud! Of course, with Arnold busy these days, the new movie, Conan Goes To Nease, will star Buff Biondom who really gives Arnold a run for his money... especially when he lifts an entire portable building (complete with a ramp for the disabled) and crushes a statue of Ponce DeLeon, four and a half miles away. Co starring Scott Bebe, as the dreaded nemesis, the Borester, whose very voice puts people into a coma. Sadly (or gladly), in the final scene, Conan 's daughter wipes out an entire herd of deer and KNF dies - pass the corn.

Mono sound?
Upon receipt and inspection of the package, it appears both of these movies are presented in 2.0 mono sound. WTF?

After researching (just now, between these two sentences) it would appear the new special edition of Barbarian is also in mono (someone said it was 1.0 mono)... hrm. That is too bad. You would think they would be able to make a decent sound package for this since they went through the trouble to fix up the visual clarity.

Anyway, I'm giving this 4 stars just because it is frickin Conan and Conan ROCKS! All it needs is an improved sound suite and it would be at 5 stars. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Immortal!
Arnold Schwarzenegger scores again with this under-rated action movie. Although, there are no other famous names in this film, Arnold carries it from start to finish. Intellect! Arnold is an F.B.I. agent that goes undercover as a mafia individual. This picture shows Arnold's true acting ability and he goes into the hideout at the end and obliterates his enemies. Annihilation! From the opening credits where Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving in the jeep chasing some clown. Splendid! Then Arnold combs his hair back and doesn't take any garbage from the mafia. How valiant! Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly my hero after I watched this bold action picture. The director was really thinking hard on this one and later on, made the epic "City of Industry".

The movie is a Raw Deal until the end!
RAW DEAL is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier performances, where he plays a 'cop', Kaminski. And basically, when Arnold plays a 'cop' in movies- and its an older action film, you can already tell the plot.

MY REVIEW:

"This elderly Arnold flick never really picks up until the end. I don't want to spoil it for you, but most of the film is boring until the action packed end! That's where the three stars come in! So fast forward those VCR/DVD players to the last fifteen minutes, and you'll be guaranteed an action packed, explosive ending sequence!"- MJV & the Movies.

"Resign or be prosecuted...".
In a time when the man with the biggest machine gun ruled the box office, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an unquestionable heavyweight amongst action stars. Following his success with the Conan films and "The Terminator", Ah-nuld signed on to do this crime thriller with director John Irvin. This one isn't one of his more well-known titles but is still "too cool for school". Not exactly one of the smartest action films ever released, what "Deal" lacks in brains, it makes up for in bullets.

Schwarzenegger is Mark Kaminsky, a former FBI big shot who is exiled to the role of local sheriff in a quiet Southern town. When an old friend's son is murdered by Mafia goons, Mark is called in to take down the bad guys in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. Faking his own death and re-emerging in Chicago under the assumed identity of an ex-con, Kaminsky infiltrates the mob organization and takes them down with an arsenal of awesome firepower. From taking down a mob foe in a car chase to driving a confiscated cement truck through an underground casino, Arnold gets to have plenty of fun while kicking his usual butt.

"Raw Deal" is a little bit longer than it should be and is overly talky at times but there are some solid moments to be had here. Any movie that has Arnold blasting his way through a gravel pit to the sounds of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" can't be all bad. The musical score was one of my favorites at the time that I saw it and the supporting cast including Darren McGavin, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, and Ed Lauter are all exceptionally talented and equally underrated. While far from a box office hit or even one of his most noteworthy flicks, "Raw Deal" is a bad-ass little movie that is actually very underrated in my opinion. It's never gonna get the kind of love as Arnie blockbusters like "The Terminator" and "Predator" but it's still worth the price of admission for any true action fan looking for some bullet-riddled fun on a Saturday night. Anyone looking to buy on VHS, may want to avoid the full-screen Video Treasures release as some copies contain the TV edit.

This Movie is BAD
Raw Deal is the perfect example of a action packed dud. I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but i have to say he is halarious when hes trying to be serious. This film is the weakest link out of Schwarzenegger's long list of films. Raw Deal is a really bad movie.

Not one of Arnold's better Efforts
Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earliest movies and it shows. He was particularly stiff and didn't seem entire comfortable or believable in his role as an Ex-FBI agent brought back in by his old boss (Darren McGavin) to take down a mob boss in Chicago.

Built from the same cookie cutter formula as Commando, Raw Deal is unapologetic brain-in-neutral action cheese. The acting is irrelevant; the dialogue is irrelevant... all that matters is the action, translated as the fact of a fistfight, chase sequence, and/or gun battle every few minutes. It doesn't even really matter why everyone's fighting, just as long as they do in fact fight and the audience is able to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Robert Davi plays the mob boss' second in command and as usual, brings a strong villianous edge to his role. He doesn't trust Arnold who is undercover as an up and coming Mob hood.

Schwarzenegger is truly in his element here, falling easily into the generic stereotype role that can best be described as "another muscular hero played by Arnold". He wears the part like a glove, and he's smart enough to know that the movie he's making is "B" grade cheese, a fact that he runs with when delivering his dialogue with an implied wink. One scene in particular comes to mind where he's about to drive a tow truck into a restaurant window, and he politely asks the people standing near the truck "Excuse me, but could you move to the side a little bit?" His method of delivery is dead on; it's plain to see that Arnold has a full grasp on the comedic elements afforded by the script and that he's having a good time. "You should not drink and bake" is another wonderfully delivered side-splitter, though nothing tops the tip o' the hat query of "Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"

All in all, pretty mindless, but harmless popcorn fun. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jack Slater is an action-film hero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. An old projectionist (Robert Prosky) hands a magic movie ticket to Jack's biggest preteen fan (Austin O'Brien), and the kid steps right inside the latest Jack Slater film, becoming the actor star's sidekick in gunfights and car chases. But when Jack's nemesis (Charles Dance) gets his hands on the ticket, the fight busts out into the real world and Jack (&agrave; la Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear) refuses to believe he's a fictional character. Director John McTiernan churns some nifty scenes out of this setup, although the fiction-to-reality shuffle is not as deft as in, say, Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, and the plot needs the kind of logic and discipline found in that classic when-worlds-collide film Back to the Future. Still, Schwarzenegger has moments of wit and smashing action, and we get a faux-movie trailer advertising an intriguing new shoot-'em-up: "Something's rotten in the State of Denmark--and Hamlet is taking out the trash!" ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Super fun action/fantasy...
If there was ever any movie that celebrated Arnold Schwarzenegger movies it's "Last Action Hero." Actually, this film celebrates action movies in general. Directed by action legend John McTiernan (Hunt for Red October, Die Hard), this fantasy film about a kid named Danny who goes inside a Schwarzenegger film is loaded with nonstop action, some good laughs, and tons of cameo appearences, including: Ian McKellan, Robert Patrick, Tina Turner, Chevy Chase, Jim Belushi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Little Richard, and Danny DeVito as an animated cat! This film brings in loads of fun, and the casting of Charles Dance as the villain is genius. Sure, this film isn't perfect, but if you're an Arnold fan it's plenty fun. Sometimes, the movie even works as a spoof of action, like in the car chase scene where literally every single car explodes. This film really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's actually one of my favorite Arnold films. I'd recommend this film to the child-at-heart; to the people who never really grew up. It's fun for the kid in all of us.

Underrated Schwarzenegger romp
After his monumental success with Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger re-united with his Predator director John McTiernan for this action/fantasy farce. The storyline concerns a young boy (Austin O'Brien) who comes across a magic movie ticket which allows Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger), a movie character who is played by Arnie, to leave his film world and come to the real world. Get all that? Good. Schwarzenegger (who also served as executive producer) is great as he pokes fun at his action roles, his career, and himself. The cast is sharp (including Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Tom Noonan, Bridgette Wilson, and Ian McKellan) with plenty of cameos (including Jean Claude Van Damme, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Robert Patrick, and Arnie's wife Maria Shriver) and the action is nicely directed, but Last Action Hero comes close to wearing out it's welcome thanks to it's overly long running time and anti-climatic ending. Last Action Hero wasn't too well received by critics upon it's release, but it still stands as a fun Arnie romp.

Great under-appreciated movie, but gets a little too absurd.
You've probably read this film's plot description already, but let me sumerize it briefly just to comment on it: Austin O'Brian is a huge Swartzenagger fan. Arnie's latest films (acording to this film,) are the Jack Slater movies, which (presumably) came out right after Terminator 2. Danny idolizes the character Jack Slater, a fictional L.A. cop, in the same way that so many of us idolized Han Solo. Then one day Danny's personal friend Mick, an elderly theater projectionist, gives him a magic ticket that was given to him by Houdini, just before Danny gets to watch the latest Slater film all by himself, before anyone eles does. (Jack Slater 4). Danny watches as the film introduces the two bad guys, who've kidnapped Slaters cousin Frank. The scene shifts to two nameless cops (who of course are sure-fire dead meat) who come to Frank's house after getting a false call about a drug deal. Slater arrives and wonders why they're here, he goes in and finds Frank tied to a chair, Frank gives Slater one last message before dying, Slater sees a note that turns out to be a count down and gets out just before the house blows up, the two red shirt cops...well, need I even say? A car full of dynomite-weilding bad guys drive up, Slater gets in his car and the chase is on! Then something strange happens. A stick of dynomite comes out of the screen and lands in the theater! It blows up, and Danny finds himself in Slater's car, now a character in the film!

I couldn't understand why so many critics and audiences hated this. Naturally I was upset when it bombed in the theatre. It was the most origonal film to come along in quite some time. I mean, really, who hasn't fantasized about being able to actually go into the world of their favorite movie or T.V. show and interact with the characters? Thankfully I see most people on Amazon have given this between four and five stars, so I'm not alone. I loved the action, the humor, (which is basically making fun of typical action films and just how absurd they are, even the ones that are meant to be taken seriously) and the one-liners.

O.K., here's one thing I _didn't_ like: the animated cat. I mean, what the @#&%?! The film works when it spoofs typical action films and ridiculous they are, but not when it goes all the way into the realm of farce and becomes something like Airplane! or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Everything eles was fine, but the cartoon cat...well, when's the last time you saw a conventional action film with living cartoon characters? Really, what were they thinking?

Also, there was the bit where (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) we learn about half way through the film that Slater's son Andy was killed. This presumably happened at the end of Jack Slater 3. So Jack Slater 3, it would seem, ends with Slater shooting the Ripper (the bad guy from the last moive), and then the Ripper pulls Andy over with him. Would a typical Hollywood light-hearted action escapest film really have such a dark ending? Well, then again, I guess Lethal Weapon 2 had a simular ending.

Anyway, don't listen to anyone who's told you not to see this. This is not another dumb action movie, this is a film pokeing fun at dumb action films (including some of the ones Swartzenagger's made). Check it out for yourself.

"I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger."
After MUCH deliberation, this was deemed an appropriate DVD to watch - after turning down all my other suggestions. And it turned out to be quite good!

This was filmed before Austin O'Brien became truly cringeworthy, with a god-awful haircut in My Girl 2. He's exactly the same here, and there were times I wanted to take a pair of scissors to his hair! (I've just seen a more recent photo, and he looks totally different!)

Last Action Hero has an almost Willy Wonka quality to it. There was a golden ticket that Charlie Bucket had to find and Danny Mannigan also had to find one - or actually got handed it. I was so waiting for Oompa Loompa's to come out! Now that would have been cool.

The whole story climaxes in Arnie being brought out of the movie, and getting to see the 'real' world, which is a very interesting concept, as it could be seen as we're not the ones in control. (I totally believe that) So his whole life was one big lie, and controlled by someone else - not the big man upstairs, but a film director. Arnie basically takes the p*ss out of his whole on screen persona in this, including lots of his trademark sayings, including: "I'll be back!", "Trust me" and "Do it". There's also a very funny scene where Jack Slater meets Arnold Schwarzeneggar - make sense of that!

Also look out for a whole host of cameos in this movie - ones which are easy, to spot, some which aren't! Some of these include: Chevy Chase, MC Hammer, Sharon Stone, Little Richard, Maria Shriver, Robert Patrick, and Jean-Claude Van Damme!

There are some great lines in this. Some of these are:
Danny Madigan: You think you are funny, don't you?
Jack Slater: I know I am. I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger.
Danny Madigan: Schwarzenegger!
Jack Slater: Gesundheit.

Jack Slater: Kid! Who does the doctor treat?
Danny Madigan: Patients?
Jack Slater: Look at the elbow of my jacket. What is it doing?
Danny Madigan: Wearing thin?
Jack Slater: Bingo!

Benedict: Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot. Think of villains Jack. You want Dracula? Dra-cool-la? Hang on
[takes out the ticket]
Benedict: , I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get King Kong! We'll have a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, have a surprize party for Adolf Hitler, Hannibal Lecter can do the catering, and then we'll have christening for Rosemary's Baby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, the bad guys can win!

So if you're not keen on Austin O'Brien, see how many celebrities you can spot, and how much Arnie acts up in this movie! It's so funny!

The governator slams congress in this one!
Overall, this movie should've been about 30 minutes shorter. Other than that, in my opinion, it's probably the best Arnold flick made. Two moments in this movie are absolutely hilarious. One being his very burning remark about congress being crooks, and the other is when the 'movie' Arnold meets the 'real-life' Arnold and tells him " I don't really like you, you've caused me too much pain." That is the ultimate in comedic irony. Of course, my delivery is too dry. Arnold carries that one off beautifully. This movie was everything it was meant to be. Fast, fun, and full of dry and dark humor. Very good movie..... ... Read more

Reviews (95)

Not a good DVD, but a Good Arnold flick
The Running Man tells of a future world where convicted fellons are put on a game show "The Running Man" and are placed in arenas along with psychotic stalkers who are there to kill these guys in record time all for the entertainment of the American people.
The film is great but not perfect. I love the way the film portrays society, as basically a bunch of mindless and gullable media slaves. Which some would argue is true for our society today, where we believe everything served to us on television and radio, not considering that maybe the people behind these stories are money hungry, heartless liars. It was almost like a future version of the Roman Empire, where upper class Romans found the most violent and bloody sport with slaves getting butchered in an arena as pure entertainment. This film uses the likes of rich corporate adults as the shows mainstream audience loving fellons get butchered the same way.
The films special effects are ahead of its time, with believable gore and movie props like futuristic cars and buildings.
Richard Dawson is great as the gameshow's host, as a lovable teddy bear on screen, and a greedy, self-involved liar backstage. The remaining cast do thier jobs well, although they could have found more talented actors. Arnold is Arnold, without him, this movie wouldn't have the box-office appeal that it did, nor would it have the appeal on todays audience that it did. And even though his one liners after each death border on stupidity in this film (with a lot of the other dialogue), his Arnoldness simply makes up for it.
This movie was a great and unique idea and it was executed just fine, I own this dvd and like it a lot. Although, giving us simply a trailer as an extra simply sucks. I wouldve like to hear some commentary on it at least. Oh well...

Mediocre, but strangely likable and memorable 3.,5 stars
It's the future, and the world is in a violent, poverty-stricken mess. The biggest entertainment around is . . . a reality show. A very brutal reality show. Convicted criminals become contestants in a game-show where they either get killed as they run a gauntlet against a bunch of thugs, or they survive and get to move to Hawaii.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a man wrongly convicted of a crime and chosen as a contestant in the lovely game-show described above. Of course, Ahnold can't take that lying down, so he proceeds to not only survive, but try to break this ugly set-up. Richard Dawson plays the host of the show, which is broadcast everywhere, and hams up it to perfection, as the ultimate it's-all-about-ratings smarmy egotist-with-a-smile.

I didn't like the repetitiveness at times of the action scenes, nor the bad, cheap settings somewhat hidden by bad lighting. I did like the general sense of tension created, as well as Arnold's genuine good-guy versus Dawson's completely-fake bad-guy. Not a movie to rave about, but fun to watch if you don't have much else to do.

Perhaps more topical now
While in 1987 this may have been simply another action star for Governor-to-be Schwarzenegger, viewed today this film offers more layers of meaning.

"The Running Man" is a reality show in which criminals are forced to run from bounty hunter-types who are given WWF wrestling style introductions and use a myriad of weapons to kill their prey. The audience cheers and boos mercilessly as the real-life people meet tragic ends. Seen today in the era of "Survivor" and "Fear Factor," among other reality shows, this movie offers much in the way of questioning the direction of such television. Is this the direction reality TV is going? Also good for a look at mass media and people's belief in what is told to them.

The movie is what it is. Fist-pumping commando, guns and heavy artillery. Schwarzenegger is wrongly framed for a crime he didn't commit and made a criminal in this Orwellian society in which the mass media is everything. He's forced into The Running Man world. There's some throw-away jokey lines after disposing of the heavy villains, but the real treat is watching real-life game show host Richard Dawson playing the slimy, evil host of The Running Man - the real villain in this movie full of larger-than-life killers.

Read the book instead
I read the book by Stephen King and I loved it! This movie is NOTHING like the book. The basic plot (and I mean VERY basic) is the same, but the events that take place aren't even close. I'm sorry I wasted my time with this sad excuse for a movie. I was very disappointed and I recommend to everyone READ THE BOOK INSTEAD!

Another great piece of 80s Arnie action megacheese!
Although I don't consider 'The Running Man' to be one of Arnie's best bits of action fare, it does have more than its fair share of those silly cheeseball moments that I ofttimes crave. I especially enjoy the part where our hero and his fellow contestants/captors take out the first obstacle: Sub-Zero, a deadly blade-wielding hockey goalie who looks a lot like that Odd Job guy. His referring to the late SubZero as "Now, just PLAIN zero!" is a prime example of bad action one liners at their best (worst?)!

Then there's Richard Dawson as the main heavy: a futuristic game-show host with all of the fake glee and smarmy oiliness you can bear! He also gives the best rebuttal to our hero's famous "I'll be back!" here, so be on the lookout for it! And not to go off on a tangent, but does anybody out there imagine how 'The Running Man' would've looked like had present 'Family Feud' host Louie Anderson played Killian, or am I the only one? Um... anyone? A little help here...?

Oh yeah, let's not forget future Minny guv Jesse Ventura as one of the game announcer/enforcers. His raucous, obnoxious blather and uber-macho posturing really adds a pro-wrestling feel to the competition as it unfolds! You'll definitely be feeling Minnesota (or is it FLEEing Minnesota?) after watchin' "The Mind's" performance here!
All in all, 'The Running Man' is one enjoyable waste of an hour-and-a-half for all you testosterone-driven action megacheese buffs out there!

As for the Special Edition extra features: Along with the usual director/producer commentary tracks-- both of which I bailed out on after the first fifteen minutes because they were so inane and uninteresting-- and such are a couple documentaries dealing with the movie's subject matter. The first is a half-hour-long talk about Constitutional rights and freedoms following the 9/11 attacks and the passing of the Patriot Act, and the other dealing with reality TV shows. I found both reasonably informative, although the former show had some of creepiest-looking interviewees I've ever seen in a documentary. Both of these were included to reflect the movie's central "duel-to-the-death-game-show" premise and dystopian backdrop, as well as its 'prediction-of-the-future'-style prescience. Personally, I think they're giving this over-the-top actioner a bit too much credit in being a mind-opening mirror of modern society. I mean, let's face facts: since when has the term "high-concept" and Arnold Schwarzenegger gone together in a movie? Is that the smell of overheating brain matter from you pondering my question that I'm smelling, or is it just me?

'Late ... Read more

Reviews (269)

One of the Governator's best...
It sits perched in the trees, invisible to the naked eye. It watches them trek through the rainforest. It stalks them slowly, lunging forward when given the chance but never revealing itself. It follows their patterns and mimics their voices. The leader turns, sporting a serious expression of fear. It is Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger). "If it bleeds, we can kill it," he says, glancing down at the green liquid.

Terror comes in many forms, but so does action, and "Predator" successfully combines both. We already know the fate of our hero, but that does not matter, simply because we enjoy the ride. This is a smart action/horror/thriller that doesn't fall back on cliches, but pushes forward, aware that it may be following such films as "Alien" (1979) but yet only improving upon the presented material. The Predator is a work of genius--originally fitted for Jean-Claude Van Damme and shaped like a giant bug, it was later reworked by creature effects artist Stan Winston (with the help of James Cameron) after Van Damme was fired due to complaining too much about how hot and stuffy his suit was. The villain helps make this movie, and if there were ever a terrifying creature it is the Predator, which is not only visually haunting but an emphasis of how advanced life forms could hunt us like we hunt animal prey.

Kevin Peter Hall hadn't gotten much work then; a few stage performances but nothing serious. He was picked up by John McTiernan because he was taller than Arnold Schwarzenegger and, when placed in the alien suit, he not only looked fierce but he also looked like he could be the one and only true opponent to Arnold, a man who looks like he eats babies for breakfasts. (And perhaps grown humans for lunch.)

Not only is he the perfect opponent, he helps make the movie. A lot of the film's positive elements come from the lush Cambodian jungles, the haunting direction by McTiernan, the ultimate macho combat role by Arnold, the paranoia and startlingly effective idea of the remote settings. Much of it also comes from the fact that the alien, when finally revealed, looks real. It looks real, all right, and also pretty darn horrifying. (Who can forget when it drops its face mask and reveals its true self?)

Major Dutch Schaefer and his elite team of US Commandos are sent deep into the swampy depths of a Columbian jungle, trying to locate a downed chopper carrying a Cabinet Member. "Do your Cabinet Members always fly on the wrong side of the border?" Dutch quips before he and his men are loaded into their means of transportation.

They arrive in the jungle and soon find that a camouflaged creature is ritualistically stalking and murdering them. But this isn't just random slasher style--it picks off its prey on a whimsy, and only attacks fair game (e.g. those with weapons). Soon Dutch and his team realize that getting out of the jungle isn't going to be as easy as they thought.

For me, "Predator" is one of the best action films of all time. It has everything. It isn't messy and over-paced; it takes its time getting where it's going, building up the tension for the audience, and then unleashes a bombardment of action set pieces and visual effects. Another great thing is that it is sort of Hitchcockian in a way; it doesn't show us the killer, at least not at first. It again takes its time, building up the tension, getting us primed. When it finally does show us the creature, we're shocked.

Arnold Schwarzenegger fits the role like a glove; criticize him all you want, Dutch was made for him. Can you imagine Sly or Willis playing Dutch? Not me, either. This is his time to shine. Shine he does.

The series is getting a jumpstarted revival next year with "Alien vs. Predator" (2004). There are doubts as to whether or not it will live up to long-growing expectations, especially with Paul W.S. "Resident Evil" Anderson at the helm, but I remain the optimist as far as I can. The idea of the two species joining together for a feature film was hinted at in "Predator 2" (1990), then hinted at even further with a line of comic books, fan fiction, and great videogames. I, personally, cannot wait.

Predator Preys On Your Sense of Adventure
"The Most Dangerous Game," to which Predator bears a remarkable resemblance is a literary classic and mandatory reading in most ninth grade English classes. So the question arises, why is that story held in such high esteem when this picture is cast aside as mindless tripe? I suppose having Arnold Schwarzenegger's name above the title and Joel Silver's in the producing credits doesn't help, but don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting this movie should have been showered with praise from critics, or awards from Academy members. But a pat on the back for one of the finest action directors working today (John McTiernan of Die Hard fame) might be nice, especially considering this film isn't nearly as dumb as people would have you to believe.

Schwarzenegger stars as the leader of an elite commando force sent into Central America to retrieve U.S. hostages being held in guerrilla hands. Little does he or anybody in his team know (with the exception of Carl Weather's character) that they're actually being manipulated into assassinating a group of Communist dissidents and thorns in the thorns in the side of the C.I.A. This is the only the first back-stabbing and leads to a quite harrowing and action packed combat sequence that wouldn't have looked out of place in Platoon or Saving Private Ryan.

While all this is going on, comsuming more than a half hour of briskly paced screen time, we still have yet to see the alien. McTiernan utilizes a clever tactic orginated (or at least to the best of my knowledge) by Steven Speilberg in Jaws by shooting from the predator's point of view. By doing this we only get glimpses of the monster, as he has the ability to turn himself invisable at will, which makes the final confrontation all the more terrifying. Also noteworthy is Kevin Peter Hall as the villainous creature who is a constant menace and manages to make a very impressive impression even though we never see his face.

For about the last hour of the movie he stalks Arnie and his rebel company, picking them off one by one as is customary in these kinds of films. To me the parrallels to "Dangerous Game" are quite obvious, simply substitute an alien in place of the hunter who preys on humans. The symbolism of the book and the movie is quite clear, or at least in my mind, and is that hunting for sport is inherently wrong. But even the predator has a code of conduct that human hunters have yet to adopt, he doesn't take advantage of another species inferiority or good nature. To me, being as I'm such an animal lover, I'd root for the alien a lot sooner than I would Ted Nugget or his band of ignorant rednecks.

Now I'm willing to concede that maybe I'm so intent on justifying my appreciateion for this film that I might be imposing onto it hidden meanings that aren't really there, but even if that is the case it does little to depreciate my enjoyment of one of the most exciting science fiction movies that I've ever seen. Sure the acting is merely adequate and the writing could use some sprucing up, especially in fleshing out the characters a little more, but the directing is superb and the finished product is about as good as anything you have the right to expect considering the genre.

And that's not to mention the special effects. Done by Stan Winston, who won recognition as being the best in his field after his work creating the digital dinosaurs in Speilberg's Jurassic Park, he does an equally impressive job here. The "creature features" never get too corny and at the same time aren't so good as to distract from the rest of the film. It's a fine line to walk and I can't think of anybody who does it any better.

This is the second four star review I've given a Schwarzenegger movie in as many months (the other being for True Lies) and I'm quietly coming back around to being a big fan of his early work for the first time since I was thirteen.

the best alien action film out there
when I first saw the first Predator film,I was happy to see the strong male role running for his life. Yet I do think why this editions for the Alien and Predator films are coming out so close to each other is for the summers next cross over. Alien vs Predator. But to the film, the first predator was by far the best. Sending in comandos into a rain forest and each one being killed off is truly a scary sight and yet the movie is full of action. Predator is by far one of my favorit films and I will go by this film when it comes out three days before the opeaning of AVP.

great Sci Fi film
This has got to be one of the coolest monster movies ever made! The cast is great and the creature is THE coolest (technologically advanced) alien ever! Don't listen to the 2 bad reviews. One of those guys can't even spell a simple word like "cigar", I doubt he has much taste in movies if he can't pass high school english. It's ironic that all of the low scores (besides the two drop-outs) are given not because of the movie, but because of the poor DVD treatment Fox has given it so far. I can only hope that the upcoming Alien Vs Predator will be as good as it looks. It's been a long time coming and they had better not screw it up. Anyway, get this movie. Just make sure you wait for the spec. edition coming out July 23rd! Go Yautja!

Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie
Predator is the Arnold Schwarzeneggers greatest movie ever.A very good sample to sci-fiction in early 80's.South american terorists has captured a small group of americans and CIA is not going to send special forces to rescuing them only one man can do this job dutch and his team.Very famous actors played in this movie Arnold Schwarzenegger,Carl Weathers,Bill Duke,Jesse Ventura. if you love this movie than you must watch another great movies of schwarzenegger which is the commando,terminator ... Read more

Amazon.com

After a two-year hiatus that included recovery from heart surgery, Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to the big screen in November 1999 with End of Days, a Thanksgiving turkey if ever there was one. Overcooked and bloated with stuffing, this ludicrous thriller attached itself to the end-of-the-millennium furor that kicked in a year too early. A prologue begins in 1979 with panic in the Vatican when a comet signals the birth of a child who will, 20&nbsp;years later, become the chosen bride of Satan, destined to conceive the devil's spawn between 11&nbsp;p.m. and midnight on December&nbsp;31,1999. It's hard to decide who has the more thankless role--Robin Tunney as Satan's would-be bride, or Schwarzenegger as Jericho Cane, the burned-out alcoholic bodyguard assigned to protect the girl from Satan,billed as "The Man" and played with cheesy menace (and an inconsistent variety of metaphysical manifestations) by Gabriel Byrne.

With kitschy character names like Jericho and Chicago (Arnie's partner, played by Kevin Pollack) and lapses in logic that any 5-year-old could spot, End of Days is a loud, aggravating movie that would be entertaining if it were intended as comedy. But Schwarzenegger and director Peter Hyams approach the story as an earnest tale of redemption and tested faith, delivering a ridiculous climax full of special effects and devoid of dramatic impact. You're left instead to savor the verbal and physical sparring between Satan and Jericho, resulting in the most thorough pummeling Schwarzenegger's ever endured onscreen. Of course he eventually gets his payback, just in time for New Year's Eve. Perhaps he was touched by an angel. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (297)

BEAT THE DEVIL
Though a huge fan of Schwarzenegger's movies, I put off seeing this one for a long time due to all the negative feedback it gets from both critics and the viewing public, including many of my fellow Amazon reviewers. Fortunately, I recently gave it a try anyway--and am I glad I did.

Admittedly, the plot is not particularly original and draws heavily from both the Bible's Book of Revelation and the milennial hysteria surrounding the advent of the year 2000. Loosed from hell at the end of the thousand years, Satan (Gabriel Byrne)runs amok in New York in search of a young woman literally born to be his bride, the beautiful but naive Christine York (Robin Tunney). After a bizarre assassination attempt by a rogue Catholic priest, troubled security man Jericho Cane slowly unlocks the mystery of the Devil's plan to claim York, impregnate her with the Antichrist, and bring about the mythical "End of Days." Breakneck action ensues, as Jericho pulls out all the stops to keep Satan from getting his hands on York, leading up to a moving, powerful climax.

As an action flick, "End of Days" definitely delivers. The stunts and FX are fun and exciting, and there's never a dull moment as Cane and York breathlessly try out outrun and outfight their diabolic pursuer. The atmosphere and set design is predominately dark and claustrophobic, drawing the viewer into the private duel between Good and Evil that goes unnoticed by the New Year celebrators all around the combatants. The soundtrack is appropriately eerie and somber and definitely sets an evocative mood.

The acting, despite what many reviewers state, is quite good. Byrne is a brutal but darkly charismatic Devil, and Tunny is exceptionally attractive and charming as the former's destined mate. Schwarzenegger himself plays a rather more human and vulnerable character than his normal action role. Jericho is as tough and resourceful as any other Schwarzenegger hero, but is far more fragile mentally and emotionally and on the edge of a total psychological implosion. Schwarzenegger captures Jericho's soul perfectly, and makes the haunted, disturbed Jericho's trek from despair and hopelessness to newfound faith more than believable. I fear many who pan Schwarzenegger's performance in this flick are merely blinded by their own stereotypical view of what an "Arnold" film should be and so can't bring themselves to appreciate this acting job for what it is. Two scenes, an early one where Jericho is on the brink of suicide and the aforementioned final showdown, are particularly strong.

But I won't deny "End of Days" has some real weaknesses. Most of these stem from the rather unfortunate script, which is not only rather derivative but often terribly illogical. Also, this is another movie where the Catholic Church is portrayed as the only Christian Church in the know, but the scenes inside the Vatican are probably the least convincing and authoritative in the whole film. If the Pope and his advisors know what's coming, why don't they do more about it? The film does have a tendency to oversimplify and gloss over important details that might get in the way of the story.

Still, this is a much better film than I had been led to believe, a movie that works as both runaway action flick and a study of human faith in the face of awesome adversity. Perhaps Schwarenegger's best performance to date, "End of Days" is definitely a film I recommend either to those who have yet to take a look at it, or even to those who have seen it before--if you hated it the first time, it's worth a second look. Maybe this time you'll appreciate it for the stellar depiction of Good Vs. Evil that it is.

Satan gets blowed up real good
Comparing the Exorcist to this movie is like comparing Laurence Olivier's Hamlet to Godzilla versus Mechagodzilla. Interesting that so many people applauded Gabriel Byrne's portrayal of Satan. How would they know? Perhaps this movie appeals to satanists. One particularily disturbing scene has Satan apparently urinating on the streets of New York. This would explain a lot if you've ever been there. Two stars for some mildly amusing special effects

Not for the light-hearted.
Typical Arnie fans will probably love this. He lays his same sort of character, but he seems a bit more edgy in this film and he's lost his sense-of-humour, like he usually has in his other films. But this isn't a bad film. It's all about Satan himself coming to New York, seeking a paticular woman who he wants her to be the mothyer anerchist. Arnie plays an ex-cop, he has lost his wife and daughter and is ready to kill himself. But he soon gets stuck when he has to protect the girl. Let's get one thing straight, this isn't a film were you see a big red monster (Satan) walking around the streets of New York. Satan takes a normal guy's (Gabriel Burn) body and uses that body to walk around.
The film can be very sick at points, and I wouldn't let any light-hearted people watch it. You see sick things like a snake getting cut open, a man being set on fire etc etc. The film does have some odd but very good special effects, you see Satan as he usually is at the end, but it may dissapoint you 'cause he isn't in it for long. The film can be a bit suspenseful at times and can keep you guessing. It isn't all scary, but it might give you a couple of jumps maybe.
I don't have anything else to say really, apart from: Arnie fans will love, see it if want any horror film. Oh, and the flashback scene with his wife and daughter is BRILLIANT!

sooooo much potential lost.
End of Days stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jericho Cane and Gabriel Byrne as satan and is an end of the world apocolyptic thriller. Well, that's what the cover infers anyway.

The premise of the story is that a baby will be born to satan which will bring about the end of the world, it's up to Arnie to save the day, again! This film had real potential, I think Gabriel Byrne is a fine actor and a blockbuster movie based on Revelation and the end of time sounded like a great idea but this one way missed the mark. The main problem was the screenwriting. The story just was not interesting. The acting was good, even Arnie showed some range and Gabriel Byrnes' satan was menacing but it really suffered in the story department.

Unfortuantly, every time hollywood wants to make a movie about satan or the anti-christ they seem always have to involve the catholic church in one way or another. Hollywood have a real problem differentiating between christianity and catholosism, they are not the same thing. Catholic priests are not the experts of satan and the demonic realms, there beliefs in this are and the way they do exorcisms for instance is more superstition than what we see in scripture, i.e. using the crucifix, holy water, (are they exorcists or vampire hunters???)Now a movie based on the bible version of revelation directed by say Stephen Spielberg with a monster budget would be something to behold. The left behind movies, whilst being entertaining, lack the finances to really show what happens at the end of the world.

Now I'm a real seeker for a supernatural end of the world apocolypic thriller, boy was I let down by this one! What a waste of talent and opportunity.

End of Days - A fairly decent film!
Until recently I was unaware that this particular film was billed as Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback film in 1999 after having heart surgery the year prior. As a comeback film I would have to say that this particular film wasn't a completely triumphant one for everybody's favorite super action film star. I remember walking out of the theater when this one was released thinking that Arnold really should've given this one further thought before taking the role and until only quite recently made the decision to purchase the DVD. As I find myself doing often, I felt that this film deserved a second look and in part, I'm glad I did. I wouldn't go so far as many others have in saying that this is a horrible, highly predictable film, but I would say that, upon watching it a second time, the film does have some good merits in showing Arnold's acting skills despite the poorly scripted plot. Ultimately, this is one of those fair to midland type films that most could take or leave although it does have some very interesting plot aspects insomuch as to the whole "End of Days" aspect and the play upon Catholicism and the anti-Christ.

Performance wise, Arnold Schwarzenegger is at his best in films of this type where his strengths are displayed at their best to include the actions scenes and his myriad of one liners that continue to bring about a chuckle. The one true oddity of the film for him is that he takes a beating in this film like no other but hey, what can one expect when Hollywood's crowned king of action films is up against the devil himself. Gabrielle Byrne gives an impressive performance in this film, in a role that is just a few notches up of his normal roles. This is the only film that I've ever watched that had Robin Tunney in it and I would have to say that she's a fairly capable actress but unfortunately not one that stands out.

Director Peter Hyams who is probably best known for some of Hollywood's best marginal films such as "The Presidio," "Outland" and "2010" does a fairly respectable job with the film considering the script available to him.

The Premise:

Here is where the film takes much of its beatings as Schwarzenegger plays Jericho, a former cop turned body guard who has lost his wife and child to criminals and now finds solace in the bottle; a theme that has been done more or less to death in a great many films in this genre. Discounting that particularly overly done theme, the film is based upon the "End of Days" theme, just before the dawn of the millennium in which twenty years prior a girl is born with the mark of the devil and those who follow the devil take up important positions in this girl's life. Coming back to 1999, the devil himself shows up and in order to get his wish of domination, he must mate with this woman, Christine York (Robin Tunney) between 11 pm and 12 am on New Year's Eve...

What follows from there is a movie that is at times over clichéd but does have some well played action sequences and a somewhat intriguing plot that does create a level of intensity towards the films somewhat "comic" conclusion...

Overall, I'd recommend this film to fans of Arnold's and those who like somewhat good action flicks that have a half way decent script. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Spotlight on Location
-Feature Commentary with Director Peter Hyams
-Special Effects: The Devil's Playground
-Soundtrack Presentation featuring:
*Never before seen Everlast music video
*Rob Zombie's rarely seen music video
-Book of Revelation
-Theatrical Trailer
-Universal Showcase
-Special DVD-Rom Features ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great stuff...sort of
I'm a big fan of action films and in this pack are two of the all time great action films: Predator and Total Recall. those films are classics. though total recall completely changed Phillip Dick's short story into a bloodfest, the story was still kept rather complex. in the end you still don't know if he was dreaming it or not. and predator is the best jungle film ever made, with some wonderful music creating a creepy atmosphere.

on the other hand, the other two films in this pack are weak and contrived.

Commando is a poorly done film that is just too violent. you can also see how small the budget was in this film when you can see the spring boards launching stunt actors during some bomb scenes.

and i have not been a fan of the Running Man movie at all. i used to like it, but that was before i read the book by Stephen King. Boy what a difference! the book actually felt exciting and full of suspense. boy if someone could make a film out of that, following the book closer, that would be a wonderful film. howerver the arnold version just felt contrived and very weak in both story line and acting.

You know you want them all
You can look up the individual reviews. Of course some individual titles will go out of stock. Others may not be your favorite. However you will have friends and relatives that will want to compare Arnold(s). A single case makes the movies easier to keep track of and look better on your video storage wall. Being DVDs this is a one-time investment. With the advent of multiple DVD changers you will be able to keep Arnold ready at a moments notice. Buying them individually can add up in shipping and handling. So bite the bullet and buy the collection.

Buy them i