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Ravaged by open warfare between rival drug gangs, L.A. is
the perfect killing ground for the Predator, who is drawn
by heat and conflict. When the police find mutilated bodies,
Lieutenant Mike Harrigan thinks it's the work of the feuding
gangs. Then a mysterious government agent arrives and orders
him to stay off the case. Instead, Harrigan sets out to learn
what is really going on, and comes face to face with the savage
alien in a climatic, electrifying confrontation...
Loud
and crass as only an American action movie can be, Predator
2 is an enjoyable, if flawed, romp. While it fails to
outclass its predecessor, it is by no means a weak sequel.
If it had been the first film to feature the Predator creature,
it would stand as a strong introduction in its own right.
The
script works to be imaginative and fresh, while not reinventing
the wheel. It is a wise move to shift the location from the
jungle to the city (the Urban Jungle, of course), and the
film's opening shot makes this transition simply and effectively
(watch out for the tonal shift in the colouring). Once again,
combat draws the alien hunter, and the choice of gang warfare,
rather than military combat, is logical.
Predator
2 does suffer from some visual silliness. For a start,
the city of Los Angeles is meant to be in the grip of a phenomenal
heat wave, yet the main characters run around in long-sleeved
shirts, jackets and hats. Okay, it looks cool (if you think
the last ebb of '80s fashion is cool), even if physically
it ain't. In fact, the characters sport massive sweat patches,
but continue to dress for fashion rather than common sense!
Another
irritation is the adornment of the heroes' handguns with laser
sights. Once again, yes it looks cool, but how do they fit
the weapons into their holsters with all that clutter attached?
And since when did street detectives have fancy gear like
that?
Clichés
abound, with the presence of the ill-tempered police superior
and the Government spook that bangs heads with our hero. We
mustn't forget either the subordinate characters that get
killed just as we are warming to them.
The
major question is does Danny Glover make for as satisfying
enough hero as Arnie? Well, yes and no. He looks and sounds
right as the police Captain who's seen it all, but as an alien-busting
Dirty Harry, he doesn't quite convince. However, his scenes
with Gary Busey (who plays the Government agent tracking the
Predator) are some of the best in the film. The hostility
between the two characters becomes tangible and exciting,
with Glover giving it his all.
As
this is a Special Edition release of the film, a second disc
is included containing a number of features. The documentary
on the making of the film has some recent interviews, but
is mainly comprised of material recorded at the time of the
film's production. Gary Busey's appearances are unsettling
to say the least. That man is strange.
Jeff
Watson
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