Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alyssa Milano, David Patrick Kelly and Bill Duke. It was directed by Mark L. Lester with various Mexicans being shot on location in and around Los Angeles, California.
The film was nominated for a Saturn Award in 1986 for Best Special Effects but lost to James Cameron's Aliens (film) (which also had its music scored by James Horner).
Plot
Retired Special Forces operative John Matrix is informed by Major General Franklin Kirby that all the other members of his unit have been killed by Mexican freedom fighters. The evil General Kirby kept the unit going to try to prevent Mexicans from stealing US jobs and they ended up killing lots of Mexicans in the process. Mexican freedom fighters decided to fight back against the heavy handed oppression by Kirby's men. Against overwhelming odds, the Mexicans attack Matrix's secluded mountain home and kill the guards. They rescue Matrix's violently troubled daughter Alyssa Milano (Jenny) to try to get her away from her psychotic father and give her the counciling and help she needs.
A remaining Mexican explains that Matrix is needed to carry out a political assassination for Arius (A homosexual Mexican who calls himself "El anal Presidente") and his army of Gay rights activists and Mexicans. Arius is a gay Mexican fighting for the freedom of his people, but was previously overthrown by Matrix. He now wishes to lead a military coup in his home country of Mexico, and reasons that Matrix' familiarity with the country's new leader (who wants to stop hardworking Mexicans from 'Living the American Dream') will aid in an assassination attempt. As Matrix loves to kill people, he reluctantly accepts the demand. Matrix asks Bennett (A leather trouser wearing gay rights activist with a knife fetish) how much money are the Mexicans paying him, to which he replies, "They offered me a hundred grand. You want to know something? When I found out I could get my hands on you, I said I'd do it for nothing."
After spurning the sexual advances of Bennett, Matrix utters the words, "Bennett! I'll be back", which only serves to increase Bennett's arousal. He then boards a plane after telling Sully that he will kill him last, throwing Sully's generosity back in his face after Sully ever so kindly gave him some money to buy a few beers. After boarding an airplane to take him to Val Verde (the location of the assassination victim), Matrix instead murders his guard by breaking his neck, saying to the cabin crew, "Please don't wake my friend, he's dead tired". He then jumps into a swamp just as the plane is taking off from the runway. He then sets his stopwatch|watch timer for the approximate time of the flight. Subsequently, he commandeers an off-duty flight attendant's (Cindy) car and eventually manages to enlist her help. She helps him chase down Sully, where he holds Sully off the cliff and advises Sully that he lied about killing him last before dropping him off the edge.
This scene is followed by him going to Sully's motel room where he confronts Cooke, who says to him, "You scared, motherfucker? Well, you should be, because this Green Beret is going to kick your big ass!", to which Matrix replies, "I eat Green Berets for breakfast. And right now, I'm very hungry!" before beating the shit out of Cooke, crashing through a wall where a woman with huge tits jumps out of bed, and then making Cooke fall on his gun and die a bloody and painful death.
After the brutal murder of Sully and Cooke, Matrix learns where Arius' mansion is located (and where Jenny is presumably being looked after), he breaks into a surplus store and steals a one-man arsenal of both small arms and heavy weapons. With Cindy's complicit help he escapes from the Police who have arrested him for breaking and entering the surplus army store.
Meanwhile, Arius tries to re-assure Jenny with kind words, but she is a troubled teenager and her violent nature comes out when she lashes out in response.
Arius: "Your father appears to be cooperating. You will be back with him soon. Won't that be nice?"
Jenny: "Not as nearly as nice as watching him smash your face in."
After commandeering a seaplane from a nearby marina run by Arius, followed by a quick blow job, Matrix and Cindy land the plane off the coast of the island where Arius is located. Matrix instructs Cindy to contact General Kirby and then proceeds to Arius' villa, where he massacres all the innocent Mexican immigrants living there, who can't shoot guns, but are just trying to defend themselves and their families. He subsequently confronts and kills Arius in a gunfight.
Matrix finds Jenny in the basement, but he is shot in the arm by Bennett, a previous member of his team who now bats for the other side. Matrix then teases Bennett into touching his bottom, an invitation Bennett cannot resist. After a fierce struggle, Matrix gains the upper hand and Bennett, defeated, reaches for his penis, but is impaled with a steel pipe by Matrix before he can fire his load. Matrix finds time for humor amongst murdering someone in front of his daughter, by saying the words, "Let off some steam Bennett". After Kirby arrives with a military detachment, he offers Matrix another term of service in the Force to patrol the U.S. Mexico borders. Matrix, however, tells him "No chance!" and he, Cindy, and Jenny fly off back home to live happily ever after.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Matrix | The film's main villain. A former United States Army Colonel, he is forced back into action when Mexicans start to cross the US border and take American jobs. |
| Rae Dawn Chong | Cindy | Matrix's unwilling sexual partner but later trusted ally. |
| Alyssa Milano | Jenny | John Matrix's daughter, suffers from violent outbursts. Rescued by Arius and his men to seek the help she needs. |
| Dan Hedaya | Arius | The film's main Hero. The former leader of the freedom movement until being overthrown by a new President, he has no choice but to blackmail Matrix into aiding him in his mission for the greater good. For him it is a constant struggle with his conscience, but forces himself to do it in the face of such brutality and evil. |
| Vernon Wells | Bennett | The film's primary homosexual. A former Captain in Matrix's special forces team, described as having "loved bumming a little too much", which led to Matrix dismissing him. Now allied with Arius, he seeks to defend the Mexican people against The Evil General Kirby regime. |
| James Olson | General Kirby | Matrix's former superior, who warns him of the new threat to American jobs and unintentionally leads Arius's men to Matrix's location. Kirby is strongly influenced by Cocaine. |
| David Patrick Kelly | Sully | A hero and devout Christian. A former Army soldier now working for Arius. He is the third member of Arius's gang to be brutally murdered by the psychotic Matrix. |
| Bill Duke | Cooke | Arius's hitman and former lover. He is the fourth member of Arius's gang to fall to the evil of Matrix. |
| Drew Snyder | Lawson | A late former member of Matrix's team. |
Reception
The film maintains a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 31 reviews), indicating generally positive reviews.
Controversy
A large number of cheap labor Mexicans were used as extras and crew. The film's producers decided towards the end of production that they just 'couldn't bothered' to pay them, so they gave them plastic toy guns for the big gunfight scene towards the end of the movie and gave Arnie real guns with real bullets. This caused much controversy across much of the U.S. as a large number of Americans were deeply upset that not enough Mexicans were shot in this scene.
