Cinematic Perfectionism

Last night's viewing of Commando was so enjoyable Godfrey Jones and I decided that this fantastic movie deserved two separate reviews. In 1985, while other directors were wasting their time with movies like Out of Africa and The Color Purple, a young director named Mark L. Lester (Firestarter, Extreme Justic) created the perfect action movie. Twenty two years later, Lester's masterpiece still tugs at the heartstrings of action fans and film critics alike. I'd like to highlight some themes and aspects of Commando which set it apart from other great films of the era.

John Matrix as an infallable protagonist: A lot of writers tend to busy movie plots with complex development of the main heroe's flaws. Not Joseph Loeb and Matthew Weisman. John Matrix is absolutely infallable in his morals and his actions. Despite the fact that Matrix kills essentially and entire nation's army he suffers only one wound: a small cut from a knife. Matrix is the ultimate warrior, and kidnapping his daughter only enraged Matrix and sealed the evil doers' fates. Matrix is also absolutely uncompromising in the film. He has an extreme amount of confidence, and where many action heroes may waste time, Matrix makes a decision and executes (like when he jumps from the plane and sets a countdown timer on his watch to keep track of how much time he has to kill the bad guys and rescue his daughter). Some action heroes, Snake Plissken for example, have dark pasts and questionable motives. John Matrix, however, is an America-loving retired special forces leader who helped establish democracy in a South American country. He doesn't smoke (Sully, one of the main henchmen, is a smoker, which means he's evil). Matrix is also a relentless humanitarian (illustrated in the opening credits when Matrix and his daughter are smiling and feeding a baby deer). Some may question Matrix morals, seeing how he killed hundreds of people in the film. But the goons kidnapped his daughter and threatened to mail her back to Matrix in peaces. If Matrix has any flaw, it's having too much love for his daughter.

Feats of Strength: In today's action movies you don't see a lot of incredible feats of strength. Commando has 9. Matrix performs such incredible feats as: carrying a giant log over one arm, picking up a phone booth with a man in it, flipping over a car, and ripping a chain from a locked fence with his bare hands. These frequent feats of strength help reinforce how much of an incredible bad ass Matrix is and how nothing will stand in the way of him and his beloved daughter.

Musical Score: The music in Commando is just as suspenseful and action-packed as the film itself. The score is a genius combination of steel drums, the electric drum machine, and 80s synth that's down right John Carpenter-esque. The credits feature a really cheesy 80s song that communicates triumph and transcendence while not being too pretentious. This cheesy 80s music outro set a precedent for later movies including Kickboxer and The Running Man (In fact, The Running Man and Commando have many parallels. I would be VERY interested in comparing the two on closer, more analytical viewings).

Commando is exciting, suspenseful, action-packed, and heart warming. Most importantly, however, Commando is honest. It's not trying to say too much or pretending to be something it's not. It's simply a perfect action movie. In, this watershed film has been getting the credit it deserved in 1985. I think as the years pass, Commando will become a staple of any movie collection. If you haven't seen Commando I suggest buying it immediately. Don't rent it, because you'll want to watch it over and over again.

My Rating: 10/10 stars.