[Mr Pye]

Just your average movie goer said:

Now, with Keyes and his government agents, they're actually introduced early on. They basically show up after crime scenes and tell Lieutenant Harrigan that they've got a complicated operation in play to deal with the gang warfare and that his organisation will be investigating incidents that are related to it. Then Harrigan decides, screw that, and checks out crime scene number two. Keyes then shows up and tells him off, telling him that he'll turn up missing if he crosses him again.

That is something I had forgotten about. Maybe the movie actually tricked me to believe that Keyes and his guys were really just after the drug gangs and the revelation that they were hunting the predator make them feel like a different group towards the end.

[Just your average movie goer]

Two pages. Wow. That's more mileage than I thought I'd get from this thread.

Now, you're being too kind to the movie. That's the cover story Keyes gives Harrigan but the movie doesn't try to hide the fact that that's not the case. I've seen it more recently, I think. That's why I know that. That's all.

Oh, I realised at this late stage in the game that I forgot something when I was talking about the original Predator. Does it strike anyone else as odd that the lumbering 7 foot something beast we see at the end of the movie is supposed to be the same thing that was leaping from tree branch to tree branch earlier? I mean, I'm not saying any disparaging remarks about its athleticism here, but it just seems that if I creature like that leapt onto a tree branch, it would snap... with comical results.

[Mr Pye]

Just your average movie goer, on 22 May 2011 - 05:43 AM, said:

Oh, I realised at this late stage in the game that I forgot something when I was talking about the original Predator. Does it strike anyone else as odd that the lumbering 7 foot something beast we see at the end of the movie is supposed to be the same thing that was leaping from tree branch to tree branch earlier? I mean, I'm not saying any disparaging remarks about its athleticism here, but it just seems that if I creature like that leapt onto a tree branch, it would snap... with comical results.

That isn't the only probelm. When the Predator gets by their trip-wires Arnie concludes that it is using the trees. While I can imagine a squirrel silently moving from tree to tree I find it hard to believe that something in Kevin Peter Halls size could manage this without a cacaphony of creaking boughs and brushing leaves. The Predator may be Alien but the Jungle aint. But these are details that don't matter to much in the end.

[Just your average movie goer]

No, it doesn't really matter in the end, but it is rather odd when you think about it.

Another funny little oddity in the movie that I noticed on my last viewing was Arnie's stunt doubles. Sure, a stunt man had to do that waterfall stuff because that was rather insanely dangerous. However, I couldn't help but notice that you have stunt men doubling for Arnie when Dutch jumps out and catches that branch that snaps (only mildly dangerous) and when Dutch runs away from the explosion (not at all dangerous). I notice because the stunt men are of rather slighter stature than Arnie, suggesting that his bulk, while great for strutting, doesn't lend itself to running. That's right. Stunt doubles were brought in when Dutch had to run. I don't know about you guys but I find that hilarious.

[Zatoichi]

A few notes for Predator
1. Worst rebel camp ever. These guys just captured a few high end American operatives. They might've even figured that the belonged to the CIA, or suspected they were from one of the Intelligence Agencies. The camp should've been on high alert. If the rebels didn't figure they should've been, then the Russians would've told them to be. None of the guards were looking away from the camp, they were all looking towards the inside of it. They deserved to die for that.

2. Rescue team? They looked waaaay more like a strike team trained and intended for taking out small military compounds ... which is precisely what they did. In all the chaos they were creating, how do they know that one of them didn't shoot the remaining CIA guy or caused the rebels to react and kill him. It seemed like they just assumed he was already dead.

3. Dillon, "Those were my men!" I know the adrenaline was still pumping and all, but he didn't seem very concerned for the state of his captured dudes. He only knew one was dead. Semed far more interested in papers. Just saying is all.

4. Anna the rebel, and the chopper. This makes entirely no sense whatsoever. To her, the Predator ought to be a godsend. Its not after her as long as she doesn't pick up a weapon, but it is killing her captors. She already knows that the valley or whatever is simply crawling with her allies, which is why the team couldn't get a quick extraction. She ought to be able to guess that if she permanently falls into American hands she will most likely be tortured for info, forced to betray her countrymen, and eventually either murdered or kept in prison for the rest of her life. Why on Earth woould she ever go to the chopper? And how the hell does she even know where it is? I'm pretty sure nobody told her where the extraction point would be, and that she probably couldn't have discerned its location without being told. Yeah helos are loud, but they're in the jungle, and its a big place. As for time limits, the chopper actually does decide to leave without Dutch. They just so happened to be attracted by the mini nuclear explosion and decided to check it out.

5. The Predator and hunting. I think compared to what most humans do, the Pred only goes after us if it thinks we've even got a chance. Think about it. The things the humans hunt pretty much have only a single option these days, and that is escape. Realistically there is no fighting back for these animals. The Predator at least only goes after those who may have a shred of a chance. As for him going invisible, camoflauge essentially renders us pretty invisible to the eyes of most animals as well. And I think it also waited to see if the team could even be considered worthy prey. It probably could've wiped out the team anytime before they got to the rebel camp. The audience knows it was watching them, and probably studying them. Then it saw these fellows just waltz right through an enemy military camp with nary a scratch. Well, except for Blaine, but of course, he doesn't even have time to bleed. So he pretended not to be injured, which I say counts as tehm walzing through the place. It even waits until just after Billy sensed it was there (and one of them was seperated from the group) before its first attack.

6. Anna so had the Pred dead to rights when Dutch kicked the gun out of her hands (and then he gets promptly shot by the Pred). Would've been cool to see the woman kick some ass, but noooo, she had to get to da choppa!

[Just your average movie goer]

By the numbers again.

1.

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None of the guards were looking away from the camp, they were all looking towards the inside of it.

As they said in the Rifftrax commentary, "They're not look-outs! They're look-ins!"

2. With the rescue team, I agree entirely. I reckon Blain probably accidentally killed the other guy when he was firing his mini-gun wildly. It's a fun scene though, I'll give it that. I like to see where my two favourite extras appear throughout it. I'd say they each get killed a dozen times or more. There's the one with the little bad mustache and the crappy hat - let's call him Crappy Hat Dude - and then there's one with long hair and a red bandanna, who we'll call Bandanna Man. Anyway, next time you watch it, look out for Crappy Hat Dude and Bandanna Man and see how many times they appear, get blown to pieces, reappear and get blown to pieces again.

3. Good point about Dillon. It's never struck me before but yes, he doesn't seem overly concerned when he's looking at the papers - but maybe that's just his Carl Weather's cool coming through.

4. Don't worry. Anna would be in safe hands. She's a cute girl and I'm sure Dutch would vouch for her since she helped set up the first lot of boyscout traps. Maybe she felt that the chopper was at least safe refuge from the predator, even if going to it meant she'd never see her comrades again. Actually, if anything is odd with the Anna storyline, it's why she seems so cool when obviously her fellow rebels are bad people. I kind of get the impression that she's not really one of them - that the rebels are just occupying an area of several villages and the locals get forced into helping them whether they want to or not. That would make sense.

Side-note: Another oddity involving Anna is that when Poncho asks her what happened to Hawkins and then says "She said the jungle came alive and took him", Dillon snaps back that "that's not what she said" and that "what she said doesn't make any sense." I've always found that hilarious because honestly, how much sense does 'the jungle came alive and took him' make? The other funny thing about it is, if I've heard correctly, she doesn't actually say anything to the effect. Now, I don't really know much Spanish so I'm just going to have to trust others on this - but I read somewhere that she says something like "I don't understand, senor." In this case, Dillon's rebuke would seem more logical.

Still, don't know how she found the chopper and it'd sure be interesting to know what she told the general. "You're not going to believe this but..."

As for whether the chopper waited for Dutch or not, since Anna's still on it and she's not cleaned up, it doesn't look like they went anywhere. Somehow, I imagine the general and the pilot (who's also Kevin Peter Hall - which is cool) sitting around after dark, looking at their wrist watches and asking Anna things like "So, did Dutch give you any idea how long he'd be?"

5. Yeah, the predator's hunting. I get that it's not as bad as what a lot of people do. Although, being better than a sports hunter on Earth isn't too much to be proud of. I also get the rest of what you said. He was toying with Dutch's group, pacing himself, savouring the hunt. Actually, it's the downfall of the predators in both movies. They savour things too much and when they have their opponent on the ground, they gloat - and it's when they gloat that they're blindsided by something simple and taken out. Silly thing. A xenomorph wouldn't gloat. It'd just take out Dutch's team and then go and have a nap somewhere.

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6. Anna so had the Pred dead to rights when Dutch kicked the gun out of her hands (and then he gets promptly shot by the Pred). Would've been cool to see the woman kick some ass, but noooo, she had to get to da choppa!

Yeah, you're right. And Dutch kicking the gun away gave the predator time to get ready to shoot again. Also when Dutch was firing, he was a lousy shot. Actually, come to think of it, everyone in Dutch's team were lousy shots. They all fire indiscriminately and often with no idea what they're firing out. "Hey, look! Mac's firing at nothing! Let's join him!" Didn't hit a thing, you say, Poncho? What are you talking about? You took out several acres of precious rainforest. Oh, didn't hit whoever it was that killed Blain? Yeah, well, he probably did something really tricky like duck a few metres to the left or the right. Alien creatures can be cunning like that.

Anyway, what a missed opportunity you've shown us here. Anna should have been the one who killed the predator! She was the most likable character, she's cute and it would work with the theme where the beefed up 80s action movie types are unable to deal with this creature. Also, if she got the creature then, then it wouldn't have been able to self-destruct - so they could drag it to the chopper, show the general that there's actually some meat to their little story about what happened to the others, and it can give the scientists back at Area 51 something to dissect. Also, it might possibly provoke other members of the creature's species into attacking the Earth en masse in retaliation... but I'm sure the chances of that would be pretty slim.

[Mr Pye]

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It's a fun scene though, I'll give it that. I like to see where my two favourite extras appear throughout it. I'd say they each get killed a dozen times or more. There's the one with the little bad mustache and the crappy hat - let's call him Crappy Hat Dude - and then there's one with long hair and a red bandanna, who we'll call Bandanna Man. Anyway, next time you watch it, look out for Crappy Hat Dude and Bandanna Man and see how many times they appear, get blown to pieces, reappear and get blown to pieces again.

This makes me think Roger Corman, who would shoot Roman legions using only ten extras. Well that happens today I suppose but Corman did it without CGI.

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Yeah, you're right. And Dutch kicking the gun away gave the predator time to get ready to shoot again. Also when Dutch was firing, he was a lousy shot. Actually, come to think of it, everyone in Dutch's team were lousy shots. They all fire indiscriminately and often with no idea what they're firing out. "Hey, look! Mac's firing at nothing! Let's join him!"

I can't help loving that scene in it's stupidity. Take that jungle! One can only imagine the dialogue we never get to hear. Ehm guys? Did anyone save any ammunition at all?

[Just your average movie goer]

I think I've heard of that director and his roman legions. The individual soldiers would march past the camera, circle around behind it and then march in front of it again, right? Also, lots of shots of groups of soldiers within the legions but never any wide shots of the legions themselves? Yeah, sometimes that was the way to do it.

I liked the nice little dig at CGI, by the way. Nicely done.

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I can't help loving that scene in it's stupidity. Take that jungle! One can only imagine the dialogue we never get to hear. Ehm guys? Did anyone save any ammunition at all?

It also inspired the best part of this video.

[Zatoichi]

nice vid about Arnie's acting

Just your average movie goer, on 24 May 2011 - 09:03 AM, said:

2. With the rescue team, I agree entirely. I reckon Blain probably accidentally killed the other guy when he was firing his mini-gun wildly. It's a fun scene though, I'll give it that. I like to see where my two favourite extras appear throughout it. I'd say they each get killed a dozen times or more. There's the one with the little bad mustache and the crappy hat - let's call him Crappy Hat Dude - and then there's one with long hair and a red bandanna, who we'll call Bandanna Man. Anyway, next time you watch it, look out for Crappy Hat Dude and Bandanna Man and see how many times they appear, get blown to pieces, reappear and get blown to pieces again.

heh, I've got to rewatch that part. Crappy Hat Dude and Bandanna Man! Come and watch your two favorite regenerating South American rebels get killed again and again.

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4. Don't worry. Anna would be in safe hands. She's a cute girl and I'm sure Dutch would vouch for her since she helped set up the first lot of boyscout traps. Maybe she felt that the chopper was at least safe refuge from the predator, even if going to it meant she'd never see her comrades again. Actually, if anything is odd with the Anna storyline, it's why she seems so cool when obviously her fellow rebels are bad people. I kind of get the impression that she's not really one of them - that the rebels are just occupying an area of several villages and the locals get forced into helping them whether they want to or not. That would make sense.

makes sense to me

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Side-note: Another oddity involving Anna is that when Poncho asks her what happened to Hawkins and then says "She said the jungle came alive and took him", Dillon snaps back that "that's not what she said" and that "what she said doesn't make any sense." I've always found that hilarious because honestly, how much sense does 'the jungle came alive and took him' make? The other funny thing about it is, if I've heard correctly, she doesn't actually say anything to the effect. Now, I don't really know much Spanish so I'm just going to have to trust others on this - but I read somewhere that she says something like "I don't understand, senor." In this case, Dillon's rebuke would seem more logical.

I think its funny too. I think for Dillon its that he knows enough Spanish to get by.

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5. Yeah, the predator's hunting. I get that it's not as bad as what a lot of people do. Although, being better than a sports hunter on Earth isn't too much to be proud of. I also get the rest of what you said. He was toying with Dutch's group, pacing himself, savouring the hunt. Actually, it's the downfall of the predators in both movies. They savour things too much and when they have their opponent on the ground, they gloat - and it's when they gloat that they're blindsided by something simple and taken out. Silly thing. A xenomorph wouldn't gloat. It'd just take out Dutch's team and then go and have a nap somewhere.

As a villain I will never ever gloat until I've watched my enemies become corpsified and I can see the physical evidence of their demise. If I can't get that then I will continue under the assumption that they just might come back to screw up my plans. I will not savor the moment. I will make the kill, I will wait till I get back to my well protected fortress, and then do a celebratory intrepretive dance.

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Yeah, you're right. And Dutch kicking the gun away gave the predator time to get ready to shoot again. Also when Dutch was firing, he was a lousy shot. Actually, come to think of it, everyone in Dutch's team were lousy shots. They all fire indiscriminately and often with no idea what they're firing out. "Hey, look! Mac's firing at nothing! Let's join him!" Didn't hit a thing, you say, Poncho? What are you talking about? You took out several acres of precious rainforest. Oh, didn't hit whoever it was that killed Blain? Yeah, well, he probably did something really tricky like duck a few metres to the left or the right. Alien creatures can be cunning like that.

Actually, I can give this point to them. They already knew that the valley they were in was crawling with rebels. They hear/saw Mac scream and fire up a storm. When they got their they probably also saw Blaine lying on the ground, most likely dead. Nobody saw what Mac was firing at, but it was in a wide spread (they took out like 30-40 feet wide by however long of jungle. More than enough to prevent anyone from just ducking away I think), and could've easily been against multiple enemies. Its combat and any moment could be your last. They couldn't see what was attacking them, but they believed they were under attack, and reacted mostly appropriately. I believe that by their training, experience, instincts, and given their situation, they made the correct move. However, they did all just rush into it without probably assessing the situation first, and I'm not even sure if any of them took cover (which is moronic to say the least). I don't think any of them even tried to present a smaller target, by even doing something as simple as kneeling down. On the one hand, they probably screwed up a little, but on the other, they knew Hawkins was killed and his body disappeared a couple of minutes ago, and now Blaine is dead. They're probably extremely unsettled and were pissing their pants when they were firing all of that off. edit: double checked, yeah not only are they all standing up a not taking cover, but they all bunched right together. A single grenade probably could've incapacitated all of them. So much for training and experience.

As far as the point of the scene in the movie, it was to show off how powerful/skilled the Pred was really. A hail of gunfire and explosions and it took maybe a bullet. Now had they done the kinds of things I said earlier, I think the audience would really be thinking that the jungle had come alive. But, we already knew what it was and what it was doing, so ...

Mr Pye, I imagine this - Poncho says "Ehm guys? Did anyone save any ammunition at all?" Billy replies "No silly, this is a movie. I'm suprised we even had to reload a gun ever. We were only using full auto guns that probably ran through their magazines in about 40-60 seconds." Its like the ducts/ventilation in movies rule. We all know that they actually ran out of ammo awhile ago, we're just pretending not to notice. God, what I wouldn't give for a movie where they mostly kept track of shots fired and simply forced the events in action scenes to also have people reloading. Or just running out of ammo and switching guns (actually, this one does happen often enough I think). Really, a combination of the two.

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Anyway, what a missed opportunity you've shown us here. Anna should have been the one who killed the predator! She was the most likable character, she's cute and it would work with the theme where the beefed up 80s action movie types are unable to deal with this creature. Also, if she got the creature then, then it wouldn't have been able to self-destruct - so they could drag it to the chopper, show the general that there's actually some meat to their little story about what happened to the others, and it can give the scientists back at Area 51 something to dissect. Also, it might possibly provoke other members of the creature's species into attacking the Earth en masse in retaliation... but I'm sure the chances of that would be pretty slim.

It would be spectacular! Such a turn around. She kills the Pred, saves Dutche's rear, and gets him to da choppa. I would find it believable that she was a woman who could kick some ass. Hell, even if things got played out. Like having her do the thing with the mud and the traps ... not how I know you would explain getting to that point or why she would keep fighting. This thought process might work better if they gave her a little more background, and one that would fit her actions. But I would certainly love it. Personally, I like strong women. Strong in the sense that they have good character. Being all muscley isn't a requirement. But having a toned body to one that does have quite a bit of muscle, yum .... errr, umm, I think I got a little off topic here.

Oh, and This is what I call a trailer! Yeah, its one that gives away the Predator, but it is so unbelievably better than the trailers that got put out. This would make me want to see the movie.

This post has been edited by Zatoichi: 25 May 2011 - 10:30 AM

[Mr Pye]

Zatoichi, on 25 May 2011 - 11:18 AM, said:

God, what I wouldn't give for a movie where they mostly kept track of shots fired and simply forced the events in action scenes to also have people reloading. Or just running out of ammo and switching guns (actually, this one does happen often enough I think). Really, a combination of the two.

Just as long as it isn't the cliché where they count each other shots and go 'You're out!'

'Maybe I am and maybe I ain't. Do you feel lucky? P*nk!'



Actually I think we do see Arnold clip a new magazine into his weapon in Predator and I think that is good enough for me.

Another classic I don't like much is when two people shooting at each other runs out of ammo at the same time.

[Just your average movie goer]

Actually, in the shooting the jungle scene, we clearly see the predator had time to get away before Mac reached down and picked up the mini-gun. It wouldn't have even had to go far. The way those guys were firing, standing in a small cluster and just shooting at the same level - about a metre off the ground - all the predator would have to have done would be to just duck down in a ditch and have a laugh at their expense.

I can understand that they might have lost their cool perhaps - and Mac at least was established early on as an unstable ticking time bomb. I'm not sure why any special forces commandos would particularly want a psychopath in their unit, but hey. Maybe they liven things up.

On a couple of other things. Zatoichi, the idea of Anna hiding herself in mud also sounds remarkably close to mud wrestling. However, the ugly predator would ruin the effect unfortunately.

Also, it was nice to see my point about ventilation shafts in the movies getting a reference. Kudos.

With the trailer you showed me though, it was nice little video. However, it wouldn't be a good trailer because it shows far too much of the movie - and also in the same order. It's more like Predator: Cliff's Notes. You even get to see several appearances of Crappy Hat Dude and Bandanna Man, our two favourite regenerating rebels!

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As a villain I will never ever gloat until I've watched my enemies become corpsified and I can see the physical evidence of their demise. If I can't get that then I will continue under the assumption that they just might come back to screw up my plans. I will not savor the moment. I will make the kill, I will wait till I get back to my well protected fortress, and then do a celebratory intrepretive dance.

You will make a fine villain, Zatoichi. Actually, you might get a kick of The Evil Overlord List.

Also, with the ammunition, I'm not overly concerned. After all, Blain's mini-gun would require a generator to be actually used and it would need to be mounted on the side of a helicopter. So clearly, this is a movie that takes a few liberties here and there - and it doesn't pretend to be something that it's not.

Actually, I really like the ending credits where it looks like something out of a TV show and all the actors are smiling at the camera. In another movie, it could feel odd, but it feels quite fitting in this case because Predator is very much 'just a movie' and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. As long it's entertaining, I like the occasional popcorn flick. And the popcorn flicks that work don't take themselves too seriously. So Predator succeeds in what it sets out to do and succeeds handsomely. It's a great piece of entertainment.

This post has been edited by Just your average movie goer: 26 May 2011 - 12:20 AM

[Zatoichi]

Oh, I know the Pred had time to get away. I was just trying to explain why they might have all started firing like that. And I think grenade launchers got used a couple of times, so someone on the ground wouldn't be entirely out of harms way. But they'd still probably come out of it okay. For me, the scene would be more chills inducing if they hadn't already given the Predator away.

Definitely to liven things up. Once again, this is a rescue team?

Hands down, making Anna into the heroine of the film would've been the better course of action

I still liked it a lot. From watching it, I found it nice that I could actually grasp what it was about. I find a lot of movie trailers these days just don't even make sense any more. You watch it, and you're not even sure what it was supposed to be about. Just random scenes with little to no dialogue that might give you a hint. Most of the clips in a trailer are action scenes. Oh look, there's going to be cars, guns, and explosions in it. Oh, and a really hot babe or two as well. So what exactly separates this from all other action movies in existance? For this fanmade one, there was pretty much no dialogue, just music playing overhead, but I could still get what it was about (even if it was shortened up and I hadn't scene it before). Commandos take out hostile camp (could've been drug dealers or something), monster arrives on the scene, monster starts taking out commandos.

Yup, I love that list. I enjoy it when I find things that I've already come to certain conclusions on, but still get new ideas from it.

Ah, I learned something new, mini gun needed a generator.

With you 100% on the end there, and the movie overall. While the film does have it's faults, there aren't any really that are so blatant that they just take you right out of the film.

[Just your average movie goer]

Yeah. If the movie took itself really seriously and demanded that we the audience did too, it wouldn't work. But it knows what it is and has fun with it - and the audience has a blast too. It really is everything a popcorn should be, a definite crowd-pleaser.

Actually, with your comments on what most new movie trailers are like, I think they're that way because if they showed anything more, audiences would realise that there was nothing else to them. I always have a bad feeling about those ones that have one brief character exchange that's clearly supposed to be funny and is not. I just think two things - (1) the part must have been selected because it's the funniest part in the movie, and (2)if the funniest part of a so-called comedy is not actually funny, then that doesn't bode well for the rest of the movie.

The other thing I like with movie trailers is how they'll place certain ones in front of certain movies because they think that they'll be reaching the right target audiences that way - because occasionally, if you don't know exactly what you're in for, these trailers can be warnings. If you see a whole lot of ones that look really appalling, it may be a sign that the feature you're about to see isn't going to be to your taste either (or it could just be a sign that it's going to be a really lame summer at the movies).

Also, glad the list could be of assistance to you.

And yes, Anna being the one to take down the predator really does sound better and better the more you think about it.

[Mr Pye]

Just your average movie goer, on 26 May 2011 - 08:46 AM, said:

Yeah. If the movie took itself really seriously and demanded that we the audience did too, it wouldn't work. But it knows what it is and has fun with it - and the audience has a blast too. It really is everything a popcorn should be, a definite crowd-pleaser.

What I can also respect it for is that with regard to things like not counting bullets and handling miniguns by hand this movie picks a level and then sticks to it. It's consistent. There is not a scene where Mac or Blaine suddenly can't use the minigun becasue of its kick and so on. That kind of consistensy matters and helps our suspension of disbelief.

[Just your average movie goer]

Internal consistency is one of the most important things in a story. Actually, I raised this during my various discussions in the Alien thread with regard to the creature growing to its full size seemingly overnight and without consuming anything. The point I made there was that things don't have to follow the rules of reality in a movie. They just need to follow the rules of the story. So in Alien, the titular creature has a lot of unusual physical features and it was immensely adaptable to different situations. While the human characters are fairly grounded in reality, the alien basically has free reign as long as it stays within those parameters. Its sudden growth spurt adheres to those parameters - it has unusual physical features and it's immensely adaptable. Everything it does throughout the film stays within those parameters.

So, yes, if a story is internally consistent, then it can throw away any laws of physics or reality it chooses to. However, if it ignores them for some sections of the story and then brings them in when it's convenient to the plot, then you have a problem. Predator fortunately does not make this mistake but there are many other movies that do.

The only thing that cracks me up about realism in Predator is that in the behind-the-scenes sections of the DVD, the actors (for want of a better word) talk about doing rigorous army training before filming in order to bring them closer as a group and to make them more convincing in the movie.

Now, I don't know if they did that army training or not. I have a theory that a lot of the behind-the-scenes stories you get on DVDs about how tough a production was and how the actors ran 20 miles twice a day for months, lived in caves and hunted their own food to survive etc are complete rubbish and just more examples of shameless promotion. However, if they did do that training, then in terms of making their performances more convincing, it was a total waste.

The next interesting bit about it is that Jesse Ventura and Richard Chaves served in the Vietnam War, so there were actually two experienced soldiers in the group. Now, I don't remember if it was Ventura or Chaves, but one of them said of the other "actors" that they definitely wouldn't want to go into a real combat situation with them at their sides. I found that rather amusing.

This post has been edited by Just your average movie goer: 29 May 2011 - 11:30 PM