In 1985, Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the peak of his film career. He had just played the iconic roles of the Terminator and Conan the Barbarian when he added another feather to his cap as Colonel John Matrix in “Commando.” Interestingly, the movie was initially conceived as a story about an Israeli soldier who had renounced violence and was supposed to be portrayed by Gene Simmons. However, when the bodybuilder joined the cast, as we know, everything took a 180-degree turn.
THE CAR THAT FIXES ITSELF
“Commando” had a budget of just 9 million dollars but grossed 57.5 million, making it the quintessential 80s action film starring Schwarzenegger. It was such a success that they even released a line of toys for kids… from a movie they couldn’t even watch because it was rated R! It’s a topsy-turvy world. In this toy collection, Matrix leads a special forces team that replaces those who die in the original movie, the A-Team.
An absolute oddity that isn’t even the weirdest thing in the entire film. If you watch closely at the 39:50 mark, you’ll notice a moment you can’t unsee: after chasing Sully, the yellow Porsche appears completely wrecked on the left side. No fixing that. Kaput. However, when Matrix starts it up, it’s miraculously restored. Oh, and to make matters worse, it’s destroyed again one scene later. Did Arnold do that with his own hands?
Arnold Schwarzenegger still had higher peaks to reach in his career before descending: “Predator,” “Total Recall,” and “Terminator 2” were his three big final works before embarking on a downward path with underrated movies like “Last Action Hero,” “True Lies,” or “Eraser.” By the time he became Mr. Freeze in “Batman and Robin,” he was already contemplating his political career as the Governator. But that’s another story.