John Matrix doesn’t walk. He clomps. He carries an entire freshly felled pine tree on one shoulder like it’s a bag of groceries. Within the first five minutes of the film, we see him feeding a deer, eating ice cream with his daughter, and then—boom—his entire retired life is blown to smithereens by guys in mail trucks.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando is, quite honestly, the most "Arnold" movie Arnold ever made. Released in October 1985, it arrived at a very specific moment in Hollywood. The Terminator had come out just a year prior, turning the Austrian bodybuilder from a niche "Conan" figure into a genuine terrifying presence. But Commando was different. It wasn’t a sci-fi horror flick. It was a 90-minute explosion of pure, unadulterated testosterone that basically invented the "one-man army" trope as we know it today.
The Script That Changed Everything (and Everyone)
You might have heard the rumors that Commando was supposed to be a sequel to something else, or that it was written for a totally different kind of actor. Those rumors are actually true.
The original script by Jeph Loeb was way more grounded. It was initially about an Israeli soldier who had turned his back on violence. Hard to imagine that being the foundation for a movie where a guy rips a car seat out with his bare hands, right? At one point, Gene Simmons—yes, the guy from KISS—was considered for the lead. Then it was Nick Nolte.
But then Steven E. de Souza got his hands on it.
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De Souza is the guy who wrote 48 Hrs. and later Die Hard. He knew that if you had Arnold Schwarzenegger, you couldn't do "grounded." You had to go big. He leaned into the absurdity. He realized that Arnold’s best weapon wasn't just his biceps, but his deadpan delivery of the most ridiculous lines ever put to paper.
That Iconic (and Weirdly Specific) Arsenal
If you’re a gearhead or a history buff, the weapons in this movie are basically characters. Matrix doesn't just grab a handgun. He goes "shopping" at a surplus store and walks out looking like a walking armory.
- The M202 FLASH: That four-barreled rocket launcher? It's a real weapon, though the version Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) uses to flip the police van was a prop replica.
- The Valmet M78/83: That’s the big light machine gun Matrix uses during the final island assault. It looks like an AK on steroids.
- The Desert Eagle: This was 1985. The Desert Eagle was brand new and looked like a hand-cannon. It fit Arnold's hands perfectly.
The final showdown on the island is a masterclass in 80s stunt work. It was filmed mostly at the Harold Lloyd estate in Beverly Hills and the Hearst Castle grounds in San Simeon. When you see Matrix tossing grenades and watching shrapnel fly, you're seeing a $10 million budget being used to its absolute limit. They didn't have CGI to fill in the blanks. If something blew up, it really blew up.
The One-Liner King
We have to talk about the "kill" lines. Honestly, they’re 50% of the reason this movie is a cult classic.
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"Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last? I lied."
He says this while holding a guy over a cliff by his ankle. It’s brutal, it’s hilarious, and it’s peak Arnold. Then there’s the fight with Bennett (Vernon Wells), the villain in the chainmail vest who looks like he wandered off the set of a Freddie Mercury music video. After Matrix impales him with a steam pipe, he just looks at the corpse and says, "Let off some steam, Bennett."
It’s cheesy. It’s over-the-top. But it works because the movie knows exactly what it is. It isn't trying to be Platoon. It’s a live-action cartoon where the hero has infinite ammo and the bad guys have the aiming skills of a blindfolded toddler.
Why There Was Never a Commando 2
Commando was a massive hit. It made about $57.5 million on that $10 million budget. In 1980s math, that’s a home run. So why no sequel?
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There was a script. Steven E. de Souza actually wrote a follow-up where Matrix has to rescue his daughter (and maybe a few other people) from a high-rise building. Sound familiar? Arnold wasn't interested in returning to the role at the time—he was busy becoming the biggest star on the planet with Predator and The Running Man.
That sequel script eventually got reworked. It lost the John Matrix name, gained a guy named John McClane, and became Die Hard. So, in a weird, butterfly-effect way, we have Commando to thank for the greatest Christmas movie ever made.
Practical Takeaways for Your Next Rewatch
If you’re planning to dive back into this 80s fever dream, keep an eye out for these specific details:
- The Mall Scene: That was filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. It’s the same mall from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Terminator 2. Sadly, it was heavily damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake and looks nothing like that today.
- The Pacing: Notice how the movie is only 90 minutes long. Modern action movies are regularly two and a half hours. Commando is all killer, no filler. It starts at 100 mph and never lets up.
- The Score: James Horner did the music. It uses steel drums in a way that feels totally wrong for a California-based action movie, yet somehow fits the "Val Verde" tropical vibe perfectly.
Next time you're looking for a film that doesn't ask you to think, just put this on. Look for the scene where Matrix jumps out of the landing gear of a moving plane into a swamp and walks away without a scratch. It’s the kind of cinema that doesn't exist anymore—unapologetic, loud, and incredibly fun.
To get the most out of the experience, try to find the "Director's Cut" or the Unrated version. It adds back about 90 seconds of extra-gory footage that the censors originally cut, including some creative uses of gardening tools in a toolshed fight. It’s the definitive way to see John Matrix in all his glory.