Fantastic Action / Science-Fiction Classic Of Killer Android From The Future

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2010)

Sarah Connor is a young woman living in Los Angeles who is suddenly attacked by a mysterious man who seems to be impervious to bullets. Sarah is rescued by Kyle Reese, a soldier from the future who explains that she is being pursued by a Terminator, a cyborg assassin who will stop at nothing until it kills her
This gripping, eye-popping, fast paced action/sci-fi hybrid is one of the best thrillers of the eighties, with one of the most memorable villains in all cinema. It's a terrific story which slam-dunks the bewildered heroine into the middle of a fight for survival against a backdrop of nuclear apocalypse. Like all the best suspense pictures, it follows a straight minimalist route; Reese sets the action with a brilliant speech, "Listen, and understand. That Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead !". As this fearsome assassin, Big Arnie is simply perfect casting - his best role by a long chalk which suits his looks, his acting chops, everything. He cruises the city, a mean machine stalking his prey, and is a truly frightful fiend. Hamilton and Biehn are equally good; she is vulnerable and scared but not stupid and their resolve to outwit and survive near-impossible odds give the film a real dramatic core. The support cast are a lot of fun; Winfield and Henriksen do a nice Mutt and Jeff cop routine which is welcome light relief and there are funny bits by Miller as a gun shop clerk and Paxton as a street punk. The movie also has a terrific neo-noir atmosphere, thanks to Adam Greenberg's photography of L.A. at night, punctuated by hellish futuristic visions of irradiated rubble patrolled by nightmarish machines. Brad Fiedel's score, whilst occasionally a bit cheesy, has a great main theme and pumps everything along with pounding electronic percussion. The movie was written by Cameron and producer Gale Anne Hurd, and fans cite it as a pioneering story of time travel and machine dystopia, although in practice it has many antecedents - sci-fi author Harlan Ellison sued the film for it similarities to his 1957 short story Soldier From Tomorrow, but there are also very similar Dr Who yarns, not to mention the last half-hour of Michael Crichton's Westworld. All of this doesn't matter however - what the film has going for it is good characterisation, fabulous direction, and a great Bad Man. Produced by Helmdale Films, who made some great flicks in the late eighties (Salvador, A Breed Apart, Miracle Mile), it was made on a pretty tight six-million budget but it looks ten times that and is sensational entertainment from start to finish.