Predator is one of the greatest sci-fi/horror films ever made. There, I said it. It wasn’t well-received by critics when it was first released, mostly because of its “thin plot” even though the lack of plot is what makes it. The idea of throwing a bunch of badasses into a cliché “kill the bad guys and complete the mission” scenario, only to have an alien bounty hunter hunt them down one by one is pure genius. And to be clear — all of these men are badasses. Even writer Shane Black, who wrote Lethal Weapon for producer Joel Silver a few months prior.
Like any classic movie, there are quite a few hidden trivia gems for Predator. The fact that the movie features two (2) U.S. governors is pretty crazy, especially when one of them simply didn’t have time to bleed. And no trivia about Predator can ever come up without discussing Sonny Landham, who played Billy. The guy needed a bodyguard to keep him from fighting other cast members. He seems perfect for the role as someone who would probably cut their chest and wait for a giant monster on a log.
Hopefully, thirty years from now, we’ll be looking back at Shane Black’s Predator remake with as much reverence as the original. And hey — Danny Glover’s sequel isn’t bad either. In fact, it’s pretty underrated.
