Consummate 80s actioner

Rating: 7/10 (23 August 2017)

Plot; A mercenary team is tasked with a rescue mission that ends up as a fight for survival when they encounter an alien who hunts them for sport.
Predator is a film that actually has less fat than any of its chiseled stars. Always moving briskly forward with zero wasted motion, it executes its simple premise with textbook precision. With no time (or desire) for character development or arcs, what we get instead are skilled performers who each grab a little section of jungle and make it their own. This represents Arnold at the absolute zenith of his Arnoldness, but he's far from the only standout. Co-stars Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Carl Weathers and the late Sonny Landham all manage to take wafer thin characters and make them compelling, often upstaging the star.
The film looks great, with the Predator camouflage effects still impressive, and Stan Winston's work on the Predator itself outstanding. Following up with Die Hard, few directors have ever had a 1-2 punch quite like director John McTiernan. Composer Alan Silvestri completes this gourmet action meal with a big, bold score the equal of the film and the men who occupy it.