FAQ

Arnold's last competition was 1980 Mr. Olympia in Sydney, Australia which he also won before retiring.

Yes. Conan the Barbarian (1982) (the movie considered to have made him well-known) and The Terminator (1984) (the movie considered to have made him famous) were big hits, and Arnold was the title character in both films.

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It would provide some camouflage for someone not wearing a shirt. Soldiers & Special Ops in particular, use face paint not only as camo, but also as a ritual, literally "putting on your war face".

Even in America there would be some restrictions on what the ordinary citizen could own, they certainly wouldn't be able to purchase rocket launchers, Claymore mines and grenades over the counter. The most likely explanation is that this is a covert operations weapons dump for Top secret missions that Matrix is aware of from his time in Special Forces. Alternatively, that particular surplus store was a black market arms dealer that Matrix had knowledge of or possible dealings with in the past.

You can find it back in 1985.

It's likely she overheard Matrix say it. It's also possible Matrix filled her in on everything that was going on and the players involved. It just wasn't necessary for us to see it.

Because seeing your child bound and gagged while a psychopath who hates your guts is holding a knife to her throat would be shocking and upsetting to anyone.

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When his 10-year-old daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped in order to force him to kill the president of Val Verde and reseat exiled dictator Arius (Dan Hedaya), a retired Army Commando, Colonel John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger), goes looking for her. Aided by pilot-in-training Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) and with only 11 hours to find Jenny before she will be killed, John will stop at nothing to rescue her.

Commando is based on a storyline and screenplay by American screenwriters Steven E. de Souza, Joseph Loeb III, and Matthew Weisman. A sequel was planned based on the 1979 book Nothing Lasts Forever by American writer Roderick Thorp. When Schwarzenegger opted out, however, the script was rewritten and filmed as Die Hard (1988).

No. Val Verde is a fictional country "created" by screenwriters specifically for Commando. The initial script by Loeb and Weisman was set in Israel. Wishing to avoid real world politics, de Souza relocated the film to a fictional country, which, according to de Souza: "It's something like Guyana, a country which encompasses lush Caribbean resorts popular with tourists, an unexplored mysterious rainforest, and a mix of Anglo, Spanish, African, Creole and indigenous cultures. This is a country of the imagination I've used in several films and TV programs, which I thought was my little inside baseball joke, but Eric Lichtenfeld, the author of Actions Speak Louder, recently sent me a Wikipedia page on it! Seriously, my Dad's family is from that part of the world and it's something I can write about with some familiarity."

Since Commando, Val Verde has been mentioned in two films, two TV shows, and one comic. The two films are Predator (1987) and Die Hard 2 (1990). In Predator, the primary setting of the movie is the jungle of Val Verde. In Die Hard 2, General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero) is from Val Verde, and it was whilst in Val Verde that both Colonel Stuart (William Sadler) and Major Grant (John Amos) turned traitor. On television, the country was mentioned in the short-lived TV series Supercarrier (1988) and Adventure Inc. (2002). In the pilot episode of Supercarrier, the eponymous supercarrier, the USS Georgetown, docks in Val Verde. In the tenth episode of Adventure Inc, an episode titled "The Plague Ship of Val Verde", Judson Cross (Michael Biehn) and his team end up in the middle of a biological warfare experiment being run in Val Verde by Colonel Fortunas (Frank Pellegrino). Val Verde is also the home of Sheena in the 2008 revamp of the 1937 comic, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. De Souza has been involved with all of the these projects except Predator. He wrote Die Hard 2 and he executive-produced both Supercarrier and Adventure Inc.. He also co-wrote (with Robert Rodi) the reboot of Sheena.

Although never fully mentioned in the script, we can assume that, due to his senior rank of colonel and his expertise with various firearms and explosives, John had a long history of being cross-trained in front line infantry tactics, demolitions and explosives, special ops training including but not limited to airborne/ranger/green beret/survival and evasion tactics. When confronted by Cooke (Bill Duke) in the motel room, Cooke said, "Scared? Well you should be cause this green beret's about to kick your big ass." John replies, "I eat green berets for breakfast!" John wasn't afraid to fight Cook, and he was very aware of and prepared to take on any green beret's hand-to-hand combat expertise. Simply put, John Matrix was basically a one man unstoppable army.

The IMFDb article for Commando has information on every type of weapon used throughout the film, as well as screenshots and factual information on the weaponry.

No. The vest is not made of chainmail. According to actor Vernon Wells, who was asked about the vest at a UK convention in November 2004, it's wool or cotton. Indeed, if you look closely, particularly in the scene where Bennett is leaning over Matrix as he is tied to the table, you will notice that the vest is, in fact, a cotton or wool string vest.

The entire film was shot in and around California, primarily in Los Angeles and its environs. The opening garbage truck scene was filmed in Encino in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. All the scenes at Matrix's home were filmed in a real log cabin situated on Mount San Antonio (aka Mt. Baldy) in the San Gabriel Mountains in northern LA. The scenes in the airport were shot in Los Angeles International Airport (aka LAX). The mall scene weas shot in the Sherman Oaks Galleria (although the building that occupies the location now is not the same building that was there in 1985). The car dealer scene was filmed in Casa de Cadillac at 14401 Ventura Boulevard, located in Sherman Oaks. The chase with Sully was shot on Mulholland Drive, in southern California. The scene on the dock at the start of the film and the scene where Matrix and Cindy steal the plane were both filmed at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. All scenes in Arius' house were shot at the Harold Lloyd Estate, 1740 Green Acres Place, Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills. The scene in Surplus City was shot in Surplus City Jeep Parts located at 11796 Sheldon Street in Sun Valley. Surplus City Jeep Parts is now located at 4514 Pacific Heights Road in Oroville, Butte County. All the scenes in the military camp and on the beach were shot on or near the coastline at Sam Simeon, in San Luis Obispo County. The final fight between Bennett and Matrix was shot in the boiler room on the 20th Century Fox backlot, in Century City. See filming locations for exact addresses.

Over the years, one of the most common topics of conversation regarding this film relates to Bennett's sexuality; whether he homosexual or not, and more specifically, whether he in love with Matrix or not. Although the official answer to this question seems to be no, as on his DVD commentary, director Mark L. Lester states: I don't know what people are saying when they say that to me. He seems to me like the most macho soldier or person you could think of. ...the question remains active, and the theory that Bennett is secretly in love with Matrix continues to be popular amongst fans. For example, in the British film magazine Hot Dog, an article by Andy McDermott, entitled "What About Vernon Wells as Bennett in Commando?" discussed his sexuality, with tongue firmly in cheek. In this article, McDermott writes: Bennett is a walking, talking, stereotypical embodiment of the macho, puritanical Reagan era's utter terror of homosexuality, gripped with the fear that the slightest chink in the masculine armor will instantly result in a trip to the YMCA and a purchase of a pair of chaps and a tube of KY jelly. McDermott argues, as do many fans, that Bennett's clothes are a give away to his hidden homosexuality, describing them as... Freddie Mercury casual. Leather trousers, a chunky string vest with a belt worn over it, what looks like a bike chain around his neck - all that's missing is a studded armband. Taking this into account, McDermott points out that Matrix is the polar opposite of this; the man's man who is clearly a raging heterosexual, and damn proud of it; Arnie's John Matrix, on the other hand, is presented as the ultimate man, so much so that it deserves capitalization. He's a MAN, man. He owns more guns than Ted Nugent and Hunter S. Thompson combined. His earlobes have muscles. He exudes so much testosterone that bullets bounce off the miasmic cloud of MAN-spume. McDermott go on to argue that whilst Bennett always calls Matrix by his first name, suggesting affection and familiarity, Matrix always calls Bennett by his surname, suggesting distance. This leads him to hypothesize that perhaps Bennett was kicked out of the unit by Matrix, because Matrix discovered that Bennett had become sexually attracted to him; "all he wanted was a little love, and instead he got fired. No wonder he's mad." McDermott also attaches great metaphorical significance to Matrix's line at the end of the film, Put the knife in me. Look me in the eye and see what's going on in there when you turn it. Don't deprive yourself of some pleasure. C'mon Bennett. Let's party. The image of one man putting something in another man and then turning it, McDermott argues, has obvious homosexual connotations. He also points out the significance of the fact that Matrix's knife is bigger than Bennett's, thus causing "knife envy" in Bennett, prompting him to attack his "love/hate object". McDermott also comments on the irony inherent in the fact that although Bennett seemed to be in love with Matrix (and presumably wanted to have sex with him), it is Matrix who penetrates Bennett at the end of the film, albeit with a steel pole in the chest. Which probably wasn't what Bennett had in mind.

The question of Bennett's possible homosexuality is also addressed in the 2007 DVD featurette Commando: Let Off Some Steam (2007). Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza mentions the much discussed wardrobe issue, pointing out that "the wardrobe on Vernon Wells has led to a lot of conjecture that Vernon had a crush on Arnold's character." Rae Dawn Chong goes into more detail about the homosexual undercurrent in the film, arguing that the film is basically a love story gone awry; They're like lovers. The outfit they had on him, I mean, hello, he looks like one of the Village People. Arnold is the ideal, and you know, if you can't be it and can't love it, you want to kill it. That really confusing sexuality comes through and it manifests in violence. Vernon Wells sums up the whole argument succinctly, pointing out that Bennett is"Freddie Mercury on steroids."

There is approximately one minute and forty-one seconds of difference between the theatrical cut and the Director's Cut, comprising the following scenes:

• In the theatrical release, when Arius tells Jenny (Alyssa Milano) that Matrix is cooperating and asks her if she thinks it would be nice to see him again, she responds, "Not nearly as nice as watching him smash your face in." In the Director's Cut, she says, "Not nearly as nice as watching him kick your ass."

• During the scene where Matrix and Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong) follow Sully (David Patrick Kelly) from the airport to the shopping mall, there is an extra scene where Cindy asks Matrix what his name is and what he does for a living.

• After Matrix has killed Sully, there is a short scene of Arius, Bennett and Jenny arriving on the island, then a scene of Matrix explaining to Cindy what's going on. In the Director's Cut, this scene runs longer, with Cindy asking Matrix about Jenny's mother, who Matrix says died in childbirth. He then laments how he has missed all the important moments of her life due to his work around the world. Cindy asks him why he had to do so much traveling, and what he did, to which he replies, "Things you don't want to know about. Things that sometimes I wish I didn't know about. But that part of my life is over with, all that matters to me now is Jenny."

• The tool-shed scene is slightly longer. Included amongst the new material is a brief close up of a rake piercing a soldier's belly, a shot of a saw-blade slicing a soldier's neck, a shot of the soldier who is hit in the groin with the axe grimacing in pain, and a shot of the soldier touching the stump of his arm after Matrix has cut it off.