Hot off the heels of Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was quickly launching into major stardom and -- along with rival Sylvester Stallone -- beginning to reinvent the Western action film into American Muscle: action heroes defined by their physique and machismo. The blueprint for this would be complete with the release of the 1985 film Commando.

As John Matrix, Schwarzenegger was larger-than-life, both in body and persona. In many ways, Commando remains the quintessential 1980s American action film: it's practically overstuffed with memorable one-liners and third-act explosions, and prominently highlights the impossible body of its star. This mindset was also heavily pushed by Schwarzenegger himself, firmly and frequently refusing the use of stunt doubles based upon the belief that his body couldn't be replicated. Accordingly to director Mark Lester, his refusal to use doubles extended even into the minutiae: "Even when we were doing a close-up of Matrix jamming a knife into a sheath, he said, ‘My hand cannot be duplicated. It is one of a kind.’ When he did the shot, he cut his other hand with the knife and had to go to hospital.”

The movie also insists on never taking itself too seriously, which allows Schwarzenegger to glide on his charisma and comedic timing. Quips and puns are reliably delivered and contribute to the overall fun of the film, which often borders on being silly. As an actor, he said the change was good for him, as he got "to play a gentle, loving father. He is also a fighting machine that will not stop until his objective is complete."

#saltlakeactioncinemasociety #filmsociety #actionfilm #actioncinema #independentfilm #diycinema #genrefilm #saltlakecity #saltlakecityevents #aamputah