My Cultural Diet

Commando has everything you could possibly want from a mid-’80s Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick. Cheesy one-liners? Check. Ridiculous displays of strength? Check and check. Over-the-top violence with oodles of explosions and bloody squibs? Check, check, and check. Schwarzenegger’s John Matrix is a former Green Beret who just wants to retire to his mountain cabin and spend time eating ice cream and feeding deer with his daughter (Alyssa Milano). But when she’s kidnapped by mercenaries led by The Road Warrior’s Vernon Wells in all of his scene-chewing glory, Matrix goes on a bullet-filled rampage with the help of Rae Dawn Chong’s hapless stewardess. Commando constantly verges on self-parody, and never more so than when Matrix raids the enemy compound and takes out a small army of the most inept marksmen who ever laced up combat boots. That said, it’s kind of amazing just how good this film still looks in 2024; kudos to director Mark L. Lester and cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention James Horner’s steel drum-infused soundtrack, which only adds to the movie’s frivolity.

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