Character of Predator -- acting of Kevin Peter Hall -- make movie

Rating: Null/10 (2 February 2001)

This movie has a number of strong elements: great soundtrack, crisp editing, and solid visual and sound effects. What really makes this movie work for me, however, is the character of the Predator himself. A number of reviewers have commented on the creature suit but have failed to acknowledge the fine work of Kevin Peter Hall inside. Hall had to create the character of the Predator working only by gesture and body language and did so magnificently. In many ways, the Predator -- and Hall -- upstage Arny.
The action in the movie builds to a final confrontation that bears more than a passing resemblance to the various cinematic treatments of the classic short story, "The Most Dangerous Game" in which a big game hunter hunts humans (the most dangerous game) for sport. We are introduced to the Predator -- the extra-terrestrial big game hunter -- a piece at a time. We assemble these pieces -- sounds, POV shots, shots of the Predator tending a wound, and so on -- to begin to form an impression of who the Predator is. This way the movie reveals the Predator to us is nothing short of brilliant.
For instance, the Predator has a distinctive percussive, guttural trill sound that it makes periodically. If one is paying very close attention, this sound will be heard the first time in conjunction with the sounds of other jungle fauna. There is no suggestion that the Predator has anything to do with it. It is only later, when the sound is directly associated with the Predator, that you'll realize that the Predator was stalking the team from early in the action.
The Predator also has a refined aural mimicking ability -- think duck call. Early on we hear the Predator practising imitating the speech and even laughter of various members of the team. In particular, I direct your attention to Billy's laugh, which the Predator mimics. Listen closely for the number of times you hear Billy laugh, and then notice how often that he's not part of the group that is laughing.
(Spoiler)
At the end of the movie, Arny refrains from delivering the killing blow and says to himself, "What the hell are you?" The alien mimics Arny, repeating the same statement. Was it just the mindless duck call-like lure, or was the Predator acknowledging his adversary?