Predator
(1987)
R | 106 mins | Drama, Adventure, Science fiction | 12 June 1987
Directors:
John McTiernan, Craig R. BaxleyWriters:
Jim Thomas, John ThomasProducers:
Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver, John DavisCinematographer:
Donald McAlpineEditors:
John F. Link, Mark HelfrichProduction Designer:
John ValloneProduction Companies:
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Davis EntertainmentA 15 May 1985 Var item stated that New Zealand director Geoff Murphy was attached to direct the film, then titled Hunter. The following year, a 16 May 1986 HR item reported that Predator was part of a six-film, $60-million slate at the newly formed Davis Entertainment, with John Davis producing and John McTiernan directing.
According to an article in the 12 Jun 1987 Morning Call of Allentown, PA, Arnold Schwarzenegger was initially reluctant to star in Predator and suggested that his character, “Dutch,” work not as one man against an enemy, as he had in past films, but as part of a team, like The Magnificent Seven (1960, see entry) or The Wild Bunch (1969, see entry). After several rewrites, Schwarzenegger approved of the script.
Location scouting began in early 1986, according to production notes in AMPAS library files. Jungle territory within an hour’s drive of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was selected as the primary location. With filming set to take place during the dry season, greensmen were brought in to water location sites daily and “increase the scale of the jungle” by adding thirty-foot artificial trees, artificial rocks, and vines. Principal cast members spent one and a half months training in Los Angeles, CA, gyms, before traveling to Puerto Vallarta for a week of intensive “boot camp” that entailed running, tree climbing, rappelling, weapon handling, and weight lifting. As noted in the 27 May 1986 HR production chart, principal photography began 14 Apr 1986 in Puerto Vallarta, where locations included the El Eden restaurant. In late Apr, Schwarzenegger ...
A 15 May 1985 Var item stated that New Zealand director Geoff Murphy was attached to direct the film, then titled Hunter. The following year, a 16 May 1986 HR item reported that Predator was part of a six-film, $60-million slate at the newly formed Davis Entertainment, with John Davis producing and John McTiernan directing.
According to an article in the 12 Jun 1987 Morning Call of Allentown, PA, Arnold Schwarzenegger was initially reluctant to star in Predator and suggested that his character, “Dutch,” work not as one man against an enemy, as he had in past films, but as part of a team, like The Magnificent Seven (1960, see entry) or The Wild Bunch (1969, see entry). After several rewrites, Schwarzenegger approved of the script.
Location scouting began in early 1986, according to production notes in AMPAS library files. Jungle territory within an hour’s drive of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was selected as the primary location. With filming set to take place during the dry season, greensmen were brought in to water location sites daily and “increase the scale of the jungle” by adding thirty-foot artificial trees, artificial rocks, and vines. Principal cast members spent one and a half months training in Los Angeles, CA, gyms, before traveling to Puerto Vallarta for a week of intensive “boot camp” that entailed running, tree climbing, rappelling, weapon handling, and weight lifting. As noted in the 27 May 1986 HR production chart, principal photography began 14 Apr 1986 in Puerto Vallarta, where locations included the El Eden restaurant. In late Apr, Schwarzenegger took leave to marry Maria Shriver in Hyannis Port, MA. The newlyweds took a three-day honeymoon and returned to the set together, as noted in a 15 Jun 1987 Philadelphia Daily News article.
Production came to a halt after six weeks, according to the 5 Jun 1986 LAHExam, due to “kinks in the film’s extraterrestrial monster,” aka “The Predator.” In an Aug 1987 AmCin article, director of photography Donald McAlpine was quoted as saying, “That’s when [the studio] re-grouped and decided first, whether they had a movie and second, what they needed to complete it.” The hiatus lasted eight months, during which time Schwarzenegger shot The Running Man (1987, see entry). In Feb 1987, filming resumed at a new location in the historic site of Palenque, in southern Mexico, where Schwarzenegger’s standoff with the Predator was filmed. Some additional pickup shots expanded on scenes that had already been filmed, but the bulk of the Feb 1987 shoot entailed the climactic battle between Dutch and the Predator.
Production notes list the following firearms used in the film: a seventy-five-pound Gatling gun that shot 6,000 rounds per minute, wielded by Jesse Ventura’s character, “Blain,” and remotely operated via two cables that ran up Ventura’s pant legs; an M-16A2 rifle with an M-203 grenade launcher, carried by Dutch; an M-60E3 machine gun used by “Mac”; a Heckler & Koch MP-5; .45 automatics; and Desert Eagle .357 automatics.
The Dec 1987 issue of AmCin described the “Fresnel lens” effect used to depict the Predator’s “cloak of invisibility.” Kevin Peter Hall, who plays the monster, wore a bright red Spandex suit, meant to stand out against the greens of the jungle and blue sky. Hall’s movements were filmed, then an identical shot was taken without the actor. A third take was shot with a 30% wider lens, and the three negatives were optically combined to produce a composite revealing “a vague outline of the creature moving through the greenery.” While the Dec 1987 AmCin credited R/Greenberg Associates with creating the “camouflage effect,” the Aug 1987 AmCin noted that Richard Edlund’s Boss Film Corporation initially handled special effects in spring 1986, and Stan Winston’s company took over make-up effects in Feb 1987.
John McTiernan broke his wrist during the shoot, when he fell from a tree and rolled down a hill. A stuntman also endured a “minor facial burn,” as noted in the 12 Jun 1987 Morning Call.
According to a 27 Feb 1987 HR “Hollywood Report” column, the film was initially slated to open on 1,200-1,500 screens on 5 Jun 1987. However, the release was delayed one week. Despite tepid critical reaction, Predator was a commercial success, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. The 30 Dec 1987 Newsday listed it as the ninth highest-grossing film of the year, with a cumulative domestic gross of $56.9 million.
A 5 Jul 1996 The Times (London) brief reported that Ian McPhail, a fourteen-year-old British student, claimed he was inspired by Predator when he tried to cut off the head of Margaret Dennison using a bread knife. McPhail was on the hallucinogenic drug LSD during the attempted murder and robbery of Dennison, carried out with the help of McPhail’s girl friend and her mother. McPhail later told authorities that the effects of LSD had made him feel as if he was in a scene from the film. He was found guilty and sentenced to twelve years in jail.
A 29 Feb 1996 DV brief reported that the head of the original Predator, created by Stan Winston, was stolen from producer Joel Silver’s office.
End credits include the statements: “Special thanks to: Restaurant El Eden De Mismaloya De Puerto Vallarta; Datotek, Inc.; Brad Naples – New England Digital; Group IV Recorders”; “This film was shot entirely in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico”; and, “This picture is dedicated to the memories of Agustin Ytuarte and Federico Ysunza.” One week before filming began, art director Ytuarte and assistant location manager Ysunza were killed in a Mexicana Airlines plane crash on a flight from Mexico City, Mexico, to Los Angeles.
Special sound effects editor John Pospisil is credited onscreen as "John P."
Somewhere in South America, U.S. Army General Phillips hires a mercenary team led by “Dutch” to rescue a cabinet member and his aide, who were shot down over guerrilla territory. Arriving at Phillips’s army post, Dutch is happy to see Dillon, an old colleague who now works for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Dillon congratulates Dutch on a recent mission in Berlin, Germany, and asks him why he turned down a job in Libya. Dutch explains that he and his team specialize in rescuing people, not assassinating them. Although Dutch and his five-man team prefer to work alone, Gen. Phillips insists that Dillon join them on their mission. Two helicopters deliver Dillon, Dutch, and his teammates, Billy, Blain, Hawkins, “Poncho” Ramirez, and “Mac,” to guerrilla territory in the jungle, where they begin their search for the cabinet member and his aide. Dutch and his team find a downed helicopter stuck in a tree. Nearby, three skinned corpses hang from a branch. A set of dog tags identifies one of the victims as Jim Hopper, a Green Beret once trained by Dutch. Elsewhere, Billy discovers the tracks of six men wearing U.S.-issued army boots, and it becomes apparent that a secret mission was being carried out, unknown to Dillon, and that the men died at the hands of a well-equipped enemy. Dutch leads the way to a guerrilla encampment. He spies a hostage being shot dead, and assumes he was the cabinet minister. Dutch and his team infiltrate the encampment, and kill all the guerrillas except a woman named Anna, whom they take hostage. A Russian military officer is among the casualties. Dutch realizes that the man he mistook for ...
Somewhere in South America, U.S. Army General Phillips hires a mercenary team led by “Dutch” to rescue a cabinet member and his aide, who were shot down over guerrilla territory. Arriving at Phillips’s army post, Dutch is happy to see Dillon, an old colleague who now works for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Dillon congratulates Dutch on a recent mission in Berlin, Germany, and asks him why he turned down a job in Libya. Dutch explains that he and his team specialize in rescuing people, not assassinating them. Although Dutch and his five-man team prefer to work alone, Gen. Phillips insists that Dillon join them on their mission. Two helicopters deliver Dillon, Dutch, and his teammates, Billy, Blain, Hawkins, “Poncho” Ramirez, and “Mac,” to guerrilla territory in the jungle, where they begin their search for the cabinet member and his aide. Dutch and his team find a downed helicopter stuck in a tree. Nearby, three skinned corpses hang from a branch. A set of dog tags identifies one of the victims as Jim Hopper, a Green Beret once trained by Dutch. Elsewhere, Billy discovers the tracks of six men wearing U.S.-issued army boots, and it becomes apparent that a secret mission was being carried out, unknown to Dillon, and that the men died at the hands of a well-equipped enemy. Dutch leads the way to a guerrilla encampment. He spies a hostage being shot dead, and assumes he was the cabinet minister. Dutch and his team infiltrate the encampment, and kill all the guerrillas except a woman named Anna, whom they take hostage. A Russian military officer is among the casualties. Dutch realizes that the man he mistook for the cabinet minister was actually a CIA operative, and suspects Dillon of lying. Dillon announces that they just thwarted a planned invasion of a neighboring country. He admits there was no rescue mission, and Dutch accuses his friend of being corrupt. Meanwhile, an unseen alien predator uses a heat sensor to track the men through the jungle. Billy leads the way to an area where helicopters await them, but he senses the predator’s presence and stops short. Anna, the guerrilla hostage, tries to run away. Hawkins chases after her and is killed by the predator’s laser weapon. Anna sees the outline of the predator’s body, which is camouflaged to blend in with the background. The rest of the men find her and ask what happened. She answers that “the jungle came alive” and took Hawkins. The men are befuddled. However, as they continue trekking through the jungle, Mac witnesses Blain being shot by the predator. Dutch organizes the men to establish a defensive position. They set traps, and wait for the predator to return. Meanwhile, Anna recalls that the creature was wounded and dripping green blood when she saw it. Encouraged, Dutch tells her that if the predator bleeds, they can kill it. Anna remembers finding bloodied corpses as a child, and old women blaming the murders on a “demon who makes trophies of man.” The demon was said to operate during the hottest years, and she notes that this year has been particularly hot. Poncho is injured when the predator is caught in one of the traps, but quickly escapes. Hoping to avenge Blain’s death, Mac runs after it. Dillon tells Dutch to take Billy, Poncho, and Anna to the helicopters, then goes after Mac. The predator kills Mac and Dillon. Soon after, it kills Billy and Poncho, and wounds Dutch, who directs Anna to the helicopter and runs for cover. As the predator pursues him, Dutch jumps over a cliff and lands in water. He washes ashore, covered in mud. The predator’s invisibility cloak fails as it emerges from the water, and Dutch sees it in its suit of armor. The creature’s heat sensor cannot detect Dutch when he is covered in mud. Realizing this, Dutch continues to cake mud on his body as he sets more traps. The predator finally locates him and removes its helmet, causing Dutch to cringe at the sight of its ghastly face. The two engage in hand-to-hand combat. The predator easily overpowers Dutch. However, he lures the creature into one of his traps, and sends a heavy log crashing down on top of it. Before dying, the predator presses buttons on a device around its wrist. Dutch runs for cover as the predator explodes. The helicopter carrying Anna notices the blast and comes to Dutch’s rescue.
TOP SEARCHES
Casablanca
In the onscreen credits, actor S. Z. Sakall's name is incorrectly spelled "S. K. Sakall." HR news items add the following information about the production: Warner ... >>
What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City
The Edison catalog summarized this film as follows: "A winner and sure to please. In front of one of the largest newspaper offices is a hot air shaft through ... >>
Another Job for the Undertaker
The Edison catalog summarized this film as follows: “Shows a bedroom in a hotel. On the wall of the room is a conspicuous sign 'Don't blow out the gas.' ... >>
Life Rescue at Long Branch
The U.S. Library of Congress catalog gives the following description: "The several scenes are about the rescue of a female bather by two lifeguards. The first camera position is ... >>
