Commando(1985)

20th Century Fox

R
1h 30m

Release Date: Oct 4, 1985 | Wide

A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.

Releases

Original Release | Oct 4, 1985

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Box Office Results

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$7,700,015
Total US & Canada:
$35,100,000
Total International
$22,391,000
Total Worldwide:
$57,491,000

Current Showtimes

Your Location or

(U.S. Only)

Director & Top Cast

Mark L. Lester
Director

Grant Powell
Chinese Soldier in Jeep

Technical Specifications

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,Spanish

Summaries

Plot Summary

Two garbage collectors' gun down a suburban man with mini-Uzis. A bald-headed tough guy steals a car from a dealership and crushes the dealer. A tugboat is blown up in the harbor. The bald headed tough called Cooke was involved in all 3 assassinations.These murders have one thing in common - all involve former members of a commando team led by John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a hulking ex-Colonel whose exploits have made him and his men enemies among totalitarian empires and groups around the world. Matrix is now retired and lives with his daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) alone in the mountains of upstate California. Matrix's former commanding officer, General Franklin Kirby (James Olson), flies to the house to tell Matrix about the killings of his men (Lawson (Drew Snyder), Forrestal (Michael Delano) and Bennet (Vernon Wells)), and to leave two expert soldiers to guard him as Kirby and the feds work to find the killers. Kirby says that the men all had new identities, so there must have been a leak from the inside via a mole.No sooner does Kirby leave, however, than a mass of gunmen open fire on the house, killing the two soldiers. Jenny hides in her bedroom while Matrix rushes to his shed - in reality an underground weapons bunker - to get his rifle. Now armed, he confronts a gunman who offers him a choice - do as they say and his daughter, now being taken away in one of several fleeing cars, lives. Matrix blasts the gunman, and despite finding his truck sabotaged, he goes after the gunmen by driving the powerless truck down the steep mountain, intercepting one of the fleeing vehicles and attacking four armed thugs, beating two senseless before being beaten down himself. He then is confronted by the gunmen's leader - Bennett (Vernon Wells), who had been thought killed in the tugboat explosion. Bennett was thrown out of the unit by Matrix, and was waiting for revenge.Bennett is the one behind the killings and faked his own death to smoke out Kirby and Matrix, wanting revenge after being discharged by Matrix from the Army for massacring civilians in a South American nation Val Verde whose Marxist dictator, Arias, was overthrown by Matrix's team - and who is now Bennett's employer. Bennett sold his loyalty for a payment of $100,000. Arias wants Matrix to return to Val Verde and assassinate the current head of Government President Velazquez, which would allow Arias to return and assume power. Arias knows that Velazquez trusts Matrix and it will be easy for Matrix to get close and assassinate him.With Jenny's life on the line, Matrix seemingly agrees to fulfill the demand. After boarding a flight to Val Verde, Matrix manages to kill his guard Henriques (Charles Meshack) and jumps from the plane just as it is taking off. Knowing that Arius will kill Jenny, regardless of whether or not he does the job, and with approximately 11 hours before the plane is scheduled to land, he sets out after another of Arius' men, Sully (David Patrick Kelly), who dropped Matrix and Henriques at the airport.Matrix re-enters the airport and finds Sully, who is pursuing a flight attendant named Cindy, for a date. Sully keeps following Cindy, even though she is not interested. Matrix enlists the aid of an off-duty flight attendant named Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong), and instructs her to follow Sully in her car to a shopping mall. At the mall, Matrix wants Cindy to seduce Sully and then bring him to a spot where Matrix would be waiting for him.Cindy first assumes that Matrix is a madman, and calls the cops. Sully sees Matrix and runs towards the phone. Cindy sees Sully pull a gun on Matrix in the ensuing fight, she decides to assist him in his endeavor. Sully escapes the mall in his car and Matrix follows him with Cindy. After a lengthy car chase, Matrix catches up with Sully and drops him off a cliff to his death. Taking a motel key from Sully's jacket, Matrix tracks down and confronts Cooke (Bill Duke), a former Green Beret in Arius' employ. Cindy helps Matrix by seducing Cooke when he enters Sully's room for the meeting and Matrix impales him on a table leg after a brutal fight. Cooke dies before he can reveal Jenny's location.With evidence from Cooke's car, Matrix and Cindy break into a warehouse owned by Arius that supplies weapons for his army and learn where Jenny is being held after tracing Arius' island base on a map of the coastal region. Cindy also helps Matrix by finding the location of Arius's seaplane which is located in a marina in San Pedro.Matrix breaks into an arms surplus store to equip himself with military weaponry but is arrested by the police. Cindy helps him escape by using a rocket launcher on the police van and after commandeering a seaplane from a nearby marina controlled by Arius, Matrix and Cindy land the plane off the coast of Arius' island hideout. Matrix instructs Cindy to contact General Kirby. The Val Verde flight lands and Arius receives word that Matrix was never on the flight and Henriques has been killed. Just then, Matrix proceeds to Arius's villa, killing Arius's entire army. Arius emerges and engages Matrix in a gunfight until Matrix kills him with a shotgun.Jenny escapes to the villa's basement but is eventually captured by Bennett. Matrix tracks them down, and after a lengthy fight, Matrix finally kills Bennett by impaling him with a steam pipe. Kirby arrives with a military detachment and asks Matrix to rejoin the unit, but Matrix declines and departs the island aboard the seaplane with Jenny and Cindy, telling Kirby, "No chance."

Storyline

A retired special agent named John Matrix led an elite unit and has left the armed forces to live in a secluded mountain home with his daughter Jenny. But now he is forced out of retirement when his daughter is kidnapped by a band of thugs intent on revenge. Unbeknownst to Matrix, the members of his former unit are being killed one by one. Even though Matrix' friend General Franklin Kirby gives Matrix armed guards, attackers manage to kidnap Matrix and Jenny. Matrix learns that a warlord called Arius wishes to lead a military coup in his home country. If Matrix refuses to help him out, Jenny will die. — Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com} Trained by the best, retired Colonel John Matrix was the pride of the United States Army Special Forces and the tip of the spear of the secret Delta Force Squad might. Years after his retirement, he still is. But someone is killing his former brothers-in-arms and will stop at nothing until they bring John to his knees. As a result, with vengeful enemies scattered worldwide, John's well-protected happiness is at stake. And when the ruthless jackals of a power-hungry South American dictator abduct his young daughter, Jenny, John must use his deadly skill set and every single muscle in his body to save the girl. After all, once a commando, always a commando. Thrown into a desperate race against the clock, how long will it take Matrix to do the impossible and give the enemy hell? — Nick Riganas Retired Special Forces operative Colonel John Matrix lives in the secluded mountains with his daughter Jenny. One day, he is visited by his former superior and friend General Kirby and notified that all members of his disbanded elite unit have been killed by unknown assailants. As soon as Kirby leaves, Matrix is ambushed by the same assailants and alongside Jenny taken hostage by the conspiracy's mastermind Arius, the corrupt dictator of Val Verde who was ousted by Matrix and is assisted by Matrix's psychotic former lieutenant Bennett who holds a severe grudge against Matrix. Arius threatens Matrix to kill the incumbent leader of Val Verde and reinstall him to power in 24 hours if he wants to free Jenny. Unbeknownst to Arius and Bennett, Matrix escapes custody midway and starts plotting rescuing Jenny as well as the tyrant's downfall, even if it means waging a one man World War 3. — ankitsingh92