“I remember a lot of times seeing John with his head in his hands, like ‘What the hell have I gotten myself into,’ ” actor Carl Weathers recalled when discussing his stint on “Predator,” director John McTiernan’s 1987 sci-fi actioner. In many ways, the film was an act of pushing past any doubts or insecurities, as it exhibits an increasingly bizarre tone by McTiernan and a game Arnold Schwarzenegger to match it. And now we’ve got a look back at the sequel-spawning classic.
Holding up remarkably well, even two years after its 25th anniversary, “Predator” possesses some of the best behind-the-scenes stories around, whether focusing on the psychological toll the film took on McTiernan (causing him to lose 25 pounds), or the fact that actor Sonny Landham requested the production hire a bodyguard to protect the cast and crew from him and his violent tendencies. Its Special Edition DVD charted many of these tales in both small featurettes and the half-hour documentary “If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It,” but now, via The Seventh Art, you can watch all of the content in one, uninterrupted one-hour documentary.
Featuring interviews with McTiernan, Schwarzenegger, and co-stars Weathers, Bill Duke, and Jesse Ventura (whose competition of muscles between him and Schwarzenegger is classic), the video is an excellent and entertaining account of exactly what went down in the forests of Mexico. Watch below, and check out our piece 5 Things You Might Not Know About “Predator” if you haven’t already.