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“He’s tougher, smarter, bigger and meaner. For this larger-than-life hero, a whole array of villains is barely enough.”
- PrimeTime Magazine, September 1986

Fresh from the box office and critical success of The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Colonel John Matrix, a retired commando who is forced to undertake the most desperate mission of his life. Years ago, Matrix’s unit ousted the vicious dictator of the South American country of Val Verde and replaced him with a democratically-elected president. Now the deposed dictator, General Arius, aided by one of Matrix’s former men, has tracked the retired commando down and kidnapped his daughter. To get her back, Matrix must use all his skills to wage war against Arius’ thugs and rescue her from the clutches of a madman. They don’t make them any tougher than Colonel John Matrix. Intelligent, cool under pressure, physically imposing, an expert in martial arts and the use of firearms and combat weaponry. Matrix made a career with these extraordinary talents…a commando without peer.*

Commando was released by 20th Century Fox to anxious crowds on Oct. 4, 1985. It made $7,700,000 in its opening weekend, opening on 1,495 screens in the United States. This film solidified Schwarzenegger’s place as a box-office star. It went on to gross $35 million in the U.S. and $57 million worldwide. It is considered by most to be Schwarzenegger’s purest action film. There is less character development than in later roles, and a greater emphasis is placed on action. The film had a huge impact on the genre and has remained Schwarzenegger’s most beloved cult film. Steven E. de Souza wrote the screenplay for Commando. His other writing credits include 48 Hrs, Another 48 Hrs, The Running Man, Die Hard, and Die Hard 2.

“In the beginning of this film, I play a loving gentle and understanding father to my daughter Jenny. I educate her and protect her; it’s 180 degrees from the life I used to lead. Then she’s kidnapped and I have to immediately snap back into the personality many associate with The Terminator and the Conan films. I become a fighting machine that will not stop until my objective is completed. The relationship with Cindy works as comic relief, and it adds another dimension to the character of Matrix. I did a lot of my own stunts in Commando, which I don’t mind. I owe it to my fans because it’s me they’re coming to see. Maybe now, with computers, they can just add me in. But I don’t think they have a big enough computer yet. What is it, a gigabyte? With these muscles, you’re going to need a lot of those.”

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

* From the Commando Press Kit, courtesy of The Vigilante.

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