Surprise! Arnold Plays The Villain

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2006)

Here's another film from the '80s that is reaching "classic" status. Unlike some of the other popular movies of its day, this one had two sequels that both were successful, particularly the second. In retrospect, what makes this "Terminator" different is that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the villain, not the hero, as he was in the other Terminator movies.
Here, Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton are the "good guys." The now famous phrase by Arnold, "I'll be back." comes from this film. Hamilton, meanwhile, also was different, with a shapely figure and a fairly nice person, unlike the ultra-thin and coarse woman she was in the first sequel.
Played mostly for violence and special effects, the film is a bit rough and sleazy in parts but certainly was popular because, like most of Arnold's film, it flat-out entertains.