Predator (1987)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers:

Jim Thomas (written by) &
John Thomas (written by)

Release Date:

12 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

If it bleeds, we can kill it...

Plot:

A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.

Plot Keywords:

Jungle | CIA | Predator | Alien | Helicopter

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 24

8:00 PM

MAX

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Dutch
Carl Weathers	...	Dillon
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Anna
Bill Duke	...	Mac
Jesse Ventura	...	Blain
Sonny Landham	...	Billy
Richard Chaves	...	Poncho
R.G. Armstrong	...	General Phillips
Shane Black	...	Hawkins
Kevin Peter Hall	...	The Predator / Helicopter Pilot
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Boyum	...	Hostage Executed by the Russian (uncredited)
William H. Burton	...	Guerilla Soldier Shot Down from Tree (uncredited)
Henry Kingi	...	Guerilla Soldier Blown Up in Van (uncredited)
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Russian Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
John McTiernan

Writing credits
Jim Thomas		(written by) &
John Thomas		(written by)

Produced by
John Davis	....	producer
Lawrence Gordon	....	producer
Beau Marks	....	associate producer (as Beau E.L. Marks)
Laurence Pereira	....	executive producer (as Laurence P. Pereira)
Joel Silver	....	producer
Jim Thomas	....	executive producer
John Vallone	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Alan Silvestri

Cinematography by
Donald McAlpine		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mark Helfrich
John F. Link

Casting by
Jackie Burch

Production Design by
John Vallone

Art Direction by
Frank Richwood
Jorge Sainz		(as Jorge Saenz)

Set Decoration by
Enrique Estévez		(as Enrique Estevez)

Costume Design by
Marilyn Vance		(as Marilyn Vance-Straker)

Makeup Department
Bertha Chiu	....	hair stylist
Jeff Dawn	....	mud makeup artist (as Jefferson Dawn)
Scott H. Eddo	....	makeup designer and creator (as Scott Eddo)
Adam Hill	....	moldmaker/body impressions: Boss creature/victims effects crew
Carlos Horcasitas	....	hair stylist
Elvira Oropeza	....	additional makeup artist
John Rizzo	....	additional makeup artist
James R. Scribner	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Beau Marks	....	production manager (as Beau E.L. Marks)
Anna Roth	....	unit manager
Antonio Rubio	....	unit manager (as Tony Rubio)
Art Seidel	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
J. Tom Archuleta	....	second assistant director
Craig R. Baxley	....	second unit director
K.C. Colwell	....	second assistant director
Michael Katleman	....	assistant director: second unit
Beau Marks	....	first assistant director (as Beau E.L. Marks)
José Luis Ortega	....	assistant director: Mexico (as Jose Luis Ortega)

Art Department
Henry Alvarez	....	sculptor
Juan Barreto	....	assistant greensman
Benito Cano	....	assistant property master
Nikita Knatz	....	production illustrator
Jesus LaBastida	....	construction coordinator (as Jesus Labastida)
Camilo Lira Colin	....	assistant greensman (as Camilo Lira)
Antonio Mata	....	property master (as Antonio Mata Sr.)
Antonio Mata Jr.	....	assistant property master
Frank Mitchell	....	greensman
Michael Papac	....	property gun master
Salvador Pena	....	construction coordinator
Paul S. Power	....	production illustrator (as Paul Power)
Alejandro Ramirez	....	assistant greensman
Francisco Ramirez	....	greensman
German Ramirez	....	assistant greensman
Macedonio Ramos	....	set dresser
John Krenz Reinhart Jr.	....	art director: Mexico (as John K. Reinhart Jr.)
Tommy 'Tom' Tomlinson	....	property master (as Tommy Tomlinson)
Carlos M. Torres	....	assistant property master (as Carlos Torres)
Theresa Wachter	....	assistant art director
Christopher Gilman	....	property maker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Vanessa Theme Ament	....	foley artist (as Vanessa Ament)
George H. Anderson	....	supervising dialogue editor
Richard L. Anderson	....	supervising sound effects editor
Don J. Bassman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Don Bassman)
David Bifano	....	audio programming
Kevin E. Carpenter	....	adr mixer (as Kevin Carpenter)
Kevin F. Cleary	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gene Corso	....	sound effects editor
Phyllis Drury	....	assistant re-recordist
Jorge Gómez	....	boom operator (as Jorge Gomez)
David W. Gray	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby Stereo (as David Gray)
Robin Harlan	....	foley artist
Craig Heath	....	sound re-recordist
Bill Henderson	....	sound re-recording engineer
Cindy Marty	....	dialogue editor
Richard Overton	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Pappas	....	assistant sound effects editor
John Pospisil	....	special sound effects (as John P.)
Robert Renga	....	sound re-recordist
Steve Richardson	....	foley editor
Christy Richmond	....	dialogue assistant
Hank Salerno	....	adr editor
Jesús Sánchez	....	cable operator (as Jesus Sanchez)
Corinne Sessarego	....	adr editor
Catherine Shorr	....	sound effects editor
Richard Shorr	....	sound effects editor
David E. Stone	....	supervising sound effects editor (as David Stone)
Manuel Topete	....	sound mixer
Bill Voigtlander	....	adr editor
Jo Von Metoyer	....	assistant sound effects editor
J.R. Westen	....	foley mixer
Rosemarie Wheeler	....	dialogue assistant
Gary Wright	....	sound effects editor
Vic Zaslav	....	adr recordist
Richard Brassaw	....	adr assistant (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Grant Arndt	....	creature effects crew
Howard Berger	....	creature effects crew
Jim Boulden	....	animatronic animals
James Camomile	....	special effects
Daniel Cordero	....	special effects
Laurencio Cordero	....	special effects supervisor
Manuel Cordero	....	special effects
Al Di Sarro	....	special effects supervisor
Adrián Durán	....	special effects (as Adrian Duran)
Alejandro Durán	....	special effects (as Alejandro Duran)
Fermín Durán	....	special effects (as Fermin Duran)
Jesús 'Chuco' Durán	....	special effects (as Jesus Duran)
Screaming Mad George	....	creature effects crew
Emilio M. Gonzales	....	creature effects crew (as Emilio E. Gonzalez)
Pedro González	....	special effects (as Pedro Gonzalez)
Robert Kurtzman	....	creature effects crew
Jacki Lancette	....	creature effects crew
Margarito López	....	special effects (as Margarito Lopez)
Lindsay MacGowan	....	mold department: Stan Winston Studio
Shane Mahan	....	creature effects crew
Javier Moreno Buzzo	....	special effects (as Javier Moreno)
Leslie Neumann	....	creature effects crew
Steve Patino	....	creature effects crew
Magdaleno Rodriguez	....	special effects
Matt Rose	....	art department coordinator: creature effects unit
John Rosengrant	....	creature effects crew
Shannon Shea	....	art department coordinator: creature effects unit
Brian Simpson	....	creature effects crew
Paul Stewart	....	special effects
Mitch Suskin	....	concept artist: creature effects unit
Michiko Tagawa	....	creature effects crew
Jackie Tichenor	....	creature effects crew (as Jackie Tischner)
Bruno Van Zeebroeck	....	special effects (as Bruno Vanzeebroeck)
Steve Wang	....	art department coordinator: creature effects unit
Steve Wang	....	concept artist: creature effects unit
Stan Winston	....	special effects
Eddie Yang	....	creature effects crew
Steve Johnson	....	special effects (uncredited)
Gregory Nicotero	....	creature effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
James Balsam	....	motion control technician
Scott Beattie	....	motion control technician
Michael Bigelow	....	visual effects supervisor
Jeff Burks	....	design consultant
Russell Calabrese	....	effects animator
Eric Chamberlain	....	special equipment
Rich Champa	....	optical camera (as Richard Champa)
B. David Green	....	location motion control
Richard Greenberg	....	visual consultant
Robert M. Greenberg	....	visual effects producer
Robert Hall	....	optical supervisor
Joel Hynek	....	visual effects supervisor
Paul D. Johnson	....	animation and rotoscope (as Paul Johnson)
Laurel Klick	....	optical line-up
J.W. Kompare	....	visual effects editor
Richard Lorenzo	....	optical camera
Marco Maldonado	....	motion control assistant
Eugene Mamut	....	camouflage co-developer
Patrick McDonough	....	optical camera
Jim Mini	....	optical lineup
Terry Moews	....	design consultant
Bryon Moore	....	inker
Bruce Morosohk	....	animation camera
Robert Mrozowski	....	animation supervisor
Scott Nicholas	....	optical camera
David Núñez	....	motion control assistant (as David Nunez)
Don Poynter	....	animation and rotoscope (as Donald Poynter)
Kenny Price	....	optical lineup (as Ken Price)
Stuart Robertson	....	thermal vision effects supervisor
David Satin	....	location video (as Dave Satin)
Robert Scifo	....	matte artist
Keith Shartle	....	production manager: additional visual effects
Steve Slocomb	....	visual effects cameramen
Mike Smithson	....	fabricator: Boss Film
James Valentine	....	rotoscope supervisor
Harry Venezia	....	animation and rotoscope
Mark Yuricich	....	fabricator: Boss Film

Stunts
Gerardo Albarrán	....	additional stunts (as Gerardo Moreno)
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunts (as Gregory Barnett)
Bobby Bass	....	stunts
Craig R. Baxley	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Baxley	....	stunts
Manuel Benítez	....	additional stunts
Steve Boyum	....	stunts
Jophery C. Brown	....	stunts (as Jophery Brown)
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunts (as Bill Burton)
Steven Chambers	....	stunts
Doug Coleman	....	stunts
Leon Delaney	....	stunts
Alejandro de la Peña	....	additional stunts (as Alejandro De La Pena)
Ángel de la Peña García	....	additional stunts (as Angel De La Pena)
David Drazes	....	stunts
David Efron	....	stunts (as Dave Efron)
Norman Howell	....	stunts
Richard Humphreys	....	stunts
Peter Kent	....	stunts
Henry Kingi	....	stunts
Joel Kramer	....	stunts
Mauricio Martínez	....	additional stunts
Raúl Martínez	....	additional stunts (as Raul Martinez)
Gabriela Moreno	....	additional stunts
Noe Rolando Smith	....	additional stunts
Eric Valdez	....	additional stunts
Jack Verbois	....	stunts
Monty Jordan	....	stunt double: Jesse Ventura (uncredited)
Monty Jordan	....	stunt pilot (uncredited)
Brian Simpson	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Eddie L. Watkins	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Agganis	....	Steadicam operator (as Rob Agganis)
Robert Agganis	....	first assistant camera (as Rob Agganis)
Frank Bryson	....	infrared camera operator
Fernando Calvillo	....	gaffer
David Eggby	....	thermal camera: second unit
Tony Holtham	....	gaffer
Jim Hunt	....	gaffer: second unit
Juan Iniestra	....	key grip
Geoff Jamieson	....	second grip (as Geoffrey Jamieson)
Frank E. Johnson	....	director of photography: second unit
Adolfo Lara	....	best boy
Grahame Litchfield	....	key grip
Ian McAlpine	....	second grip
Alleyn Mearns	....	best boy
Warren Mearns	....	gaffer
Carlos Montaño	....	camera operator: second unit (as Carlos Montano)
Guillermo Moysen	....	assistant camera: second unit
Patrick Nash	....	key grip
John Oteri	....	camera operator: second unit
Clint Palmer	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Clinton Palmer)
Antonio Ramírez 'Puma'	....	dolly grip (as Antonio 'Puma' Ramirez)
Richard Randall	....	key grip: second unit
Guillermo Rosas	....	assistant camera
Zade Rosenthal	....	still photographer
Alfredo Ruvalcaba	....	still photographer
León Sánchez	....	director of photography: Mexico
Mark Sarfaty	....	assistant camera
Gary Scholes	....	best boy
Pete Sekelick	....	infrared camera operator
Pedro Vazquez	....	assistant camera
Pascual Villa	....	assistant dolly grip
Tim Wawrzeniak	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Timothy Wawrzeniak)

Casting Department
Guillermo Castillo	....	extras casting
Billy DaMota	....	casting assistant
Humberto Johnson	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
María Antonieta Esquivel	....	assistant costumer
Robert B. Harris	....	costume supervisor: men (as Bob Harris)
Ismael Jardon	....	assistant costumer
Jaime Ortiz	....	assistant costumer
Gary Sampson	....	costumer: men
James W. Tyson	....	costume supervisor: men (as James Tyson)
Enrique Villavicencio	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Kimberley Bennett	....	assistant film editor (as Kim Bennett)
Bryan H. Carroll	....	assistant film editor (as Bryan Carroll)
Mark Elson	....	assistant film editor
Julie Feiner	....	assistant film editor
Carol Fitzgerald	....	assistant film editor
Rudy Freeman	....	assistant film editor
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Bob Hagans	....	color timer
John Henzel	....	assistant film editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Patricia Kudish	....	apprentice film editor (as Patty Kudish)
William J. Meshover	....	assistant film editor (as Billy Meshover)
Willie Navarro	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Michael John Bateman	....	vocal effects editor (as Michael Bateman)
Walt Borchers	....	scoring crew
Terry Brown	....	scoring crew
James B. Campbell	....	orchestrator (as James Campbell)
Peter Cullen	....	special vocalization
Chuck Garsha	....	scoring crew
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer
Norman B. Schwartz	....	vocal effects supervisor
Michael Tronick	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Charles Enzen	....	transportation coordinator
Margarito Fuentes Gutiérrez	....	transportation co-captain (as Margarito Guttierez)
Mayaya Gonzalez	....	transportation secretary
James Nordberg	....	driver
Mario Ramariz	....	transportation co-captain
Benito Villapondo	....	transportation co-captain
Alfonso Paredes	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Alex Algarin	....	dubbing projectionist
Eduardo Apellaniz	....	animal trainer
Emilia Arau	....	production office liaison: Mexico City
Todd Arnow	....	production auditor
Alejandro Madrid Bonilla	....	helicopter pilot
Brooke Brooks	....	assistant: Mr. Davis
Patti Calhoun	....	production coordinator: USA
Guillermo 'Memo' Carreno	....	production assistant (as Guillermo Carreno)
Craig Caton	....	creature crew
Jack Crain	....	knife design/production (as Jack W. Crain)
Efren del Moral	....	production assistant (as Efren Del Moral)
Riley Kathryn Ellis	....	development executive
Alejandro Ferrer	....	union head of production
Emily Gamboa	....	production coordinator: Mexico
Gary Goldman	....	technical advisor
Gabriela Gurrola	....	script supervisor
Miguel Gurza	....	animal trainer
David Kindlon	....	mechanical department: creature effects unit
Carol Land	....	assistant: Mr. McTiernan
Richard J. Landon	....	mechanical department: creature effects unit (as Richard Landon)
George Luis	....	assistant: Mr. Silver (as George Luis Rodriguez)
Dr. Robert Madding	....	infrared consultant
Peter McKernan	....	helicopter pilot (as Peter J. McKernan Jr.)
Katherine Ann Moore	....	publicity coordinator (as Katherine Moore)
Elizabeth Norton	....	script supervisor
Suzanne Nupoff	....	assistant: Mr. Gordon
Michael Perkal	....	production auditor
Rodolfo Lopez Real	....	production assistant
Carlos Renero	....	animal trainer
Guillermo Saavedra	....	helicopter pilot
Brent Scrivener	....	mechanical department: creature effects unit (as Brent Scrivner)
Tamara Smith	....	assistant: Mr. Silver
Ken Stone	....	maintenance engineer
Wayne Sturm	....	mechanical department: creature effects unit
Charles A. Tamburro	....	aerial coordinator
Charles A. Tamburro	....	helicopter pilot
Michael Tamburro	....	helicopter pilot (as Michael E. Tamburro)
Dana Lynne Taylor	....	production coordinator: USA (as Dana Taylor)
Elaine K. Thompson	....	production associate
Marion Tumen	....	script supervisor
Gerardo Yubero	....	assistant auditor (as Gerard Yubero)
Sandi Yunt	....	assistant: Mr. Gordon
Hector Zurita	....	animal trainer
Humberto Gurza	....	animal wrangler (uncredited)
Harry Kopoian	....	airport liaison: Mexico (uncredited)
William Stout	....	creature designer (uncredited)
Kellett Tighe	....	assistant: Lawrence Gordon (uncredited)

Thanks
Brad Naples	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Amercent Films
• American Entertainment Partners L.P.
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1988) (UK) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• CBS/Fox (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1994) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Encore Entertainment (1996) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (1999) (Germany) (DVD)
• Lucernafilm - Beta (1991) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2007) (UK) (DVD) (The Definitive Edition)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (????) (New Zealand) (VHS) (original video release)
• CBS/Fox Video (1988) (Belgium) (video)
• CBS/Fox (Argentina) (video)
• CBS/Fox (USA) (laserdisc)
• Fox Network (1989) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Special Effects

• R/Greenberg Associates (special visual effects)
• Stan Winston Studio (creatures)
• Dream Quest Images (additional visual effects)
• Howard Anderson Company, The (effects animation and photographic effects)

Other Companies

• Alimentacion Filmica Especializada  catering
• Animal Makers  prosthetic animals
• Compact Video  thermal vision post-production
• Datotek  special thanks
• Diligent Dwarves Effects Lab  predator suit
• Group IV Recording  special thanks
• New England Digital  special thanks
• Pacific Title  additional opticals
• Restaurant El Eden De Mismaloya De Puerto Vallarta  special thanks
• Stembridge Gun Rental Inc.  weapons
• Varèse Sarabande  score album released by (limited edition)
• Video Image  computer graphics

Also Known As:

Alien Hunter (USA) (working title)
Hunter (USA) (working title)
Primevil (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

West Germany:18 (video premiere) (cut) | Germany:18 (re-release) (2001) (JK/SPIO) | New Zealand:M | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Finland:K-15 (TV rating) | Malaysia:18SG | Denmark:15 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Brazil:16 | India:A | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #28190) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Jalisco, Mexico

Company:

Amercent Films

Trivia:

Arnold Schwarzenegger noted that filming the climatic fight was made difficult by the fact that the late Kevin Peter Hall, who played the Predator, couldn't see through his mask.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the commandoes have set a trap for the Predator, there are tripwires all over the ground. When the Predator attacks, the tripwires mysteriously disappear.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Major General Phillips: You're looking good, Dutch.
Dutch: It's been a long time, General.
Major General Phillips: Come on inside.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fallout 3 (2008) (VG)

Soundtrack:

LONG TALL SALLY

Arnie is at his best in this sci-fi classic!

This film will always have special place for me, as aside from being one of the best horror/sci-fi films of the eighties; it's also a huge childhood favourite of mine. Despite the fact that I've seen it dozens of times as a kid, I have only seen it once during adulthood; and that single viewing was more than enough to remind me what it is that I love about this film! Predator works as a macho action film, gory horror and intriguing sci-fi, and despite it's short running time of just 100 minutes, it somehow manages to find room for all three. The fact that it stars action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger ensures that the film will always be favourably remembered. He's not a good actor, but Arnie always manages to bring that extra something to his movies. The plot is deliciously simple and follows a group of commandos that go off into the jungle on a secret mission. However, things go awry when it turns out that they aren't the only ones with weapons there. Finding the skinned bodies of the last group of men that entered the jungle is about to become the least of their worries...

The jungle makes for a great setting for an action sci-fi flick such as this. These sorts of films tend to be set in space, so seeing the action down here on earth is different; and the fact that it's set in the jungle, with it's dense foliage, ensures that Die Hard-director John McTiernan is able to bump up the suspense, as just like in the Vietnam war; the soldiers are dealing with an unknown enemy. The atmosphere really is excellent, and the special effects help to create a futuristic tone, while the suspense builds and makes sure that the audience are on the edge of their seats at all times. Predator was released hot on the heels of the success of James Cameron's amazing 'Aliens' - but don't be thinking this film is merely a rip off following a trend, Predator has more than enough up it's sleeve to ensure that isn't the case. The action is great, and director McTiernan clearly knows what he's doing. It's fast and furious, and the amount of weapons on display ensures that the film is sure to delight fans of macho action films. The fact that the lead actor is a monster of a man doesn't exactly hurt the film either!

Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger may well be a terrible actor; but it doesn't matter because it's his screen presence, not his acting ability, that makes his performances what they are. At times he's cringe-worthy, but it's hard to deny his prowess when it comes to the action sequences, and that is all a film of this nature needs. Arnie isn't the only big man in the film either, as an assortment of muscle men, including ex-wrestler Jesse Ventura, and Carl Weathers; Rocky's Apollo Creed, among other B-movie actors, join him. The man himself also finds himself a very worthy ally, in the form of the movie's central alien. The Predator may not be as beautiful as the creature from 'Alien', but it's just as inventive. Here we have an extra terrestrial that isn't merely trying to breed, or to 'phone home' - but one that is actually there to hunt humans for sport! Aside from being ingenious, the idea also borders on frightening. The gore here is gratuitous, but never goes over the top and on the whole, Predator is a film that never really got the credit it deserves. It's mindless fun - but its damn good mindless fun!