Predator

### Produced by

John DavisLawrence GordonJoel SilverLaurence P. Pereira (executive)Jim Thomas (executive)

## Movie Overview

***Predator*** is a 1987 science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R. G. Armstrong, and Kevin Peter Hall. The first movie in the *Predator* franchise, the film follows an elite team of mercenaries (who we can assume is Delta Force) on a mission to rescue hostages from a guerrilla group in Guatemala on the Val Verde border. However, once there, the team finds themselves being hunted by a highly evolved extraterrestrial life form that kills for sport.

Stephen E. De Souza, the writer of Commando, the 48 Hours movies, Die Hard 1 and 2, and Ricochet, believes that the first scenes of Predator are set in Val Verde. De Souza worked closely with producer Joel Silver on several movies together including Commando, Die Hard 1 and 2, and Ricochet.

Predator (1987P) acts as a prequel to Commando (1988P) in the Val Verde Cinematic Universe. When we flip the movies' order, we can watch Commando in a different light. John Matrix was retired in the mountains after his battle with the Predator and he is alerted to danger when "choppers" land on his property. Matrix was Colonel in Predator and was a higher ranking Major in Commando and Matrix had experience with Delta Force in Val Verde previous to his time in Commando. Finally, Mac's death in Predator gives Cooke's character in Commando more depth, if in fact Cooke put the blame on Matrix for the death of his brother in Predator.

## Val Verde Cinematic Universe Connections

Predator takes place in the Prime timeline in the Val Verde Cinematic Universe in 1998P.

##### Definitive Connections

1. The Republic of Val Verde appears in Commando and Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
2. Anna Gonsalves appears in Predator 2.
3. Billy Bear played by Sonny Landham is the reincarnation of Taabe from Prey.
4. The Predator Yautja Species appear in the Predator franchise.
5. Predator spawned several direct sequels and prequels, including Predator 2 and Prey.

##### Strong Connections

1. John "Dutch" Matrix played by Arnold Schwarzenegger also appears in Commando.
2. Sergeant Mac Cooke's twin brother Bill Cooke played by Bill Duke appears in Commando.
3. Billy Bear played by Sonny Landham appears in 48 Hrs.
4. Al Dillon played by Carl Weathers appears in Close Encounters with the Third Kind.
5. Delta Force also appears in Commando.

##### Weak Connections

1. Blain Chewalski played by Jesse Ventura appears in Ricochet in the A timeline.

## Plot (P)

A mysterious spacecraft passes Earth and jettisons a smaller vehicle that enters the atmosphere.

In the Republic of Val Verde, Delta Force led by Major John "Dutch" Matrix arrives on the coast of Conta Mana. Members of Delta Force include Poncho, Billy Bear, Mac Cooke, Blain, and Hawkins for this mission. Delta Force had been stationed in Flores after the deposition of Arius Perez and his men were ordered by the U.S. Army to rescue a Val Verdian Cabinet minister and his aid who were kidnapped by guerrilla forces on the Val Verdian and Guatemala boarder in the Chapada das Mangabeiras low lying mountain range. During his briefing by his former commanding officer General Phillips, John "Dutch" Matrix learns that his old friend Dillon, now working for the CIA in the region, is to accompany his squad on the mission, against Matrix's wishes. Matrix senses deception from Dillon but chooses to overlook it for now.

The team crosses the border into Guatemala by helicopter and ropes down into the jungle. They quickly find the remains of the downed helicopter that and the remains of the cabinet minister and his aide. Continuing to follow their trail, Dutch and his unit discover the bodies of three skinned men hanging from the trees. They are identified as a Green Beret unit led by another old friend of Dutch's, Jim Hopper, and their presence in the country seems a mystery. At this point, Matrix was very suspicious of the reasons they were there.

Delta Force pressed on to the guerrilla camp where a number of hostages were being held. Dutch witnessed a Soviet military officer executing a hostage. The team launched their assault on the camp, killing almost everybody including the Soviet officers. They capture a guerrilla named Anna. However, they discover that the hostages have already been executed, leading to the revelation that the "cabinet minister" and his aide were in fact CIA agents. Dillon confesses to an enraged Dutch that the rescue mission had been a setup from the beginning — Dillon's objective was to neutralize the rebels and investigate the sightings of extra-terrestrial weaponry that they suspected the Russians were using in Guatemala. When Dillon's agents were captured and the previously discovered Special Forces unit sent to eliminate their captors disappeared, Dillon tricked Dutch into accepting the mission and killing the guerrillas and Russians for him.

Delta Force then made their way to the extraction point unaware they are being tracked by an unidentified creature. Anna attempts to escape but is caught by Hawkins. The creature spares Anna but kills Hawkins and drags his body away. Matrix organizes a search to find Hawkins’ body. During the search, Blain is killed and Mac and the squad open fire into the jungle, injuring the creature.

The survivors become aware that something in the jungle is stalking them. Dillon believes more guerrillas are responsible, but one of the squad members, Billy Bear, is adamant that the perpetrator is not human, an assertion that is met with some skepticism. The team makes camp for the night, setting traps in all directions. The booby traps are triggered, but the culprit is found to be a wild boar. However, the squad also discovers that the body of one of their dead comrades has been taken discreetly from their midst, despite their supposedly impenetrable defenses.

Increasingly convinced that what hunts them is not human, Dutch quizzes Anna for insight into the creature, which she reveals has become a local legend for hunting humans as trophies. Delta Force set up another trap made from a net and wait until the creature comes back. The trap is successful but it doesn’t hold the creature for long. Poncho is injured by a falling tree and the creature escapes. Mac and Dillon pursue it while Matrix and Anna carry Poncho to the extraction point with Billy Bear behind them. The creature kills both Mac and Dillon. Billy Bear stands off against the creature while Matrix and Anna continue on. The creature kills Billy and then pursues Matrix, Pancho and Anna. Pancho is killed and realizing the creature only targets armed and hostile prey, a wounded Matrix sends Anna to the extraction point alone and unarmed, while he draws their attacker off. He narrowly escapes the creature — revealed to be a helmeted, bipedal alien being protected by advanced active camouflage — by unintentionally covering himself in wet mud, thereby masking his infrared heat signature.

Despite having lost most of his weapons, Dutch decides to confront the creature to avenge his fallen men. He constructs a number of improvised weapons and covers himself in mud as camouflage, before lighting a large fire and screaming into the jungle to announce his challenge to his opponent. The creature soon arrives, but despite Dutch initially having the upper hand and successfully disabling the creature's active camouflage, it eventually manages to corner him. In a display of chivalry, the creature removes its advanced weaponry and helmet, unveiling its monstrous face, before challenging Dutch to a final duel in hand-to-hand combat.

Even in a fair fight, Dutch is no match for the alien and receives a brutal beating. Cornered and with the warrior recognizing and avoiding his final trap, Dutch triggers the counterweight himself, causing the large log to drop onto the creature, crushing it. Standing over his mortally wounded opponent, Dutch demands to know what it is. The creature eerily mimics his question in garbled English, and then activates a time bomb on its gauntlet in a last-ditch effort to kill Dutch. Dutch runs for cover as a massive explosion ignites in the dense jungle. The following day, Anna returns aboard a rescue helicopter to find Dutch has barely survived the blast, and he is picked up and taken back to base.

## Cast

* Arnold Schwarzenegger as John "Dutch" Matrix
* Carl Weathers as Al Dillon
* Elpidia Carrillo as Anna Gonsalves
* Bill Duke as Mac Cooke
* Jesse Ventura as Blain Chewalski
* Sonny Landham as Billy Bear
* Richard Chaves as Jorge "Poncho" Ramirez
* R. G. Armstrong as General Phillips
* Shane Black as Rick Hawkins
* Kevin Peter Hall as The Jungle Hunter
	+ Peter Cullen (voice)