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Commando

Play trailer Poster for Commando R 1985 1h 30m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Retired Special Forces soldier John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lives with daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) in isolation, but his privacy is disturbed by former commander Franklin Kirby (James Olson), who warns him that his fellow soldiers are getting killed one by one. After Kirby leaves, Jenny is kidnapped by former Latin American dictator Arius (Dan Hedaya), who wants Matrix to restore him to power. Instead, Matrix sets out to take down the rogue leader and rescue his daughter.
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Commando

Commando

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The ultimate '80s Schwarzenegger movie, replete with a threadbare plot, outsized action, and endless one-liners.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 09/18/2007
Comic book stuff, helped out by the presence of Rae Dawn Chong as an airline stewardess whose sarcastic commentary adds some comic counterpoint to the deliberately overscaled action. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 09/18/2007
Chong lights up the film like a firefly, Schwarzenegger delivers a certain light touch of his own, [and] the result is palatable action comics. Go to Full Review Trevor Johnston Time Out 06/24/2006
Lots of machine-gunfire, explosions and disposable khaki-clad extras, as you'd expect. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Jun 9
4/5
...there’s no real surprises as to how John Matrix’s mission goes in Commando, but there’s are high-points for sure...what’s notable here apart from the slick action is the comedy, which replaced the toughness in the star’s later vehicles... Go to Full Review Don Shanahan Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast 11/16/2024
Editing in action movies is underrated and this one is some of best and tightest you'll find. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 07/06/2022
6/10
As an action film, it decently collects a handful of clichés for Schwarzenegger to do his thing by arming himself with machine guns and one-liners, but somehow the adrenaline decreases with each body count. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Christopher M. @ChristopherM1111 Nov 18 Loved it!!! Over the top action is my favorite See more Maksim S @MaksimusMovies Nov 2 Pure Cheese, Pure Arnold. Commando is unapologetically ridiculous — explosions, one-liners, and over-the-top action pile up in ways that defy logic. The plot makes little sense, the villains are cartoonish, and the scenarios are laughably unrealistic. Yet Arnold Schwarzenegger elevates the chaos with his unmatched charisma and sheer physical presence. Every cheesy line lands with conviction, and his relentless badassery makes it hard not to be entertained. Unrealistic? Absolutely. Fun? Undeniably. Commando is a guilty pleasure powered entirely by Arnold’s larger-than-life persona. See more Jerod S @jeroduptown Sep 20 Schwarz is retired but as buff as ever. Horrible one liners and really bad explosions and gun scenes make one big 80s blast. See more Jonathan N @Passtheacidtest Sep 11 Spoilers: go watch before you read this review. This movie is very cheesy. Even the dialogue and one-liners are eye-rollingly cheesy. I guess there is lots of "action" and if you like watching people really fakely getting shot en mass, then perhaps this is your jam. I generally found the pacing pretty good, but just the whole movie was not that entertaining to me. I guess you pretty well know what's going to happen at about the 10 minute mark. This movie does deliver exactly what you think is going to happen. I will file this under "mundane" and move on with my life. No, I don't recommend you waste your time watching this unless you like watching people get "shot" over and over again. See more Jason H Sep 6 It's cheesy, it knows it's cheesy, and it takes great pride in being cheesy. Arnold shoots, stabs, punches, scalps, blows up, and impales about 206 people in this movie. See more Stefano T @Giant_Lizard Sep 3 In its own genre (ignorant action movie packed with violence and Hollywood one-line jokes) it's absolutely one of the best movies ever. Also, there is Schwarzenegger at his peak physique. See more Read all reviews
Commando

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Mark L. Lester

Director

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Colonel John Matrix

Rae Dawn Chong

Cindy

Dan Hedaya

Arius

Vernon Wells

Bennett

David Patrick Kelly

Sully

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Commando

Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Matrix in Commando. Commando (1985) Commando (1985) Commando (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Retired Special Forces soldier John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) lives with daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) in isolation, but his privacy is disturbed by former commander Franklin Kirby (James Olson), who warns him that his fellow soldiers are getting killed one by one. After Kirby leaves, Jenny is kidnapped by former Latin American dictator Arius (Dan Hedaya), who wants Matrix to restore him to power. Instead, Matrix sets out to take down the rogue leader and rescue his daughter.
Director
Mark L. Lester
Producer
Joel Silver
Screenwriter
Matthew Weisman, Jeph Loeb, Steven E. de Souza, Steven E. de Souza
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Silver Pictures, SLM Production Group, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 4, 1985, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$34.9M
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby A, Dolby SR, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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