Predator 2

Predator 2 is a 1990 American science fiction action horror film[3] written by brothers Jim and
John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Ruben Blades, Gary
Busey, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hall. It is the second installment of
the Predator franchise, serving as a sequel to 1987's Predator, with Kevin Peter Hall reprising the
title role of the Predator. Set ten years after the events of the first film, in Los Angeles, the film
focuses on the Predator, a technologically advanced extraterrestrial hunter, and the efforts of a
disgruntled police officer and his allies to defeat the malevolent creature.
 Predator 2

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Stephen Hopkins

Written by Jim Thomas

John Thomas

Based on Characters

by Jim Thomas
John Thomas

Produced by Lawrence Gordon

Joel Silver

John Davis

Starring Danny Glover

Gary Busey

Rubén Blades

María Conchita Alonso

Bill Paxton

Robert Davi
 Cinematography Peter Levy
Edited by Mark Goldblatt

Bert Lovitt

Music by Alan Silvestri

Production
20th Century Fox
companies
Silver Pictures

Gordon Company

Davis Entertainment

Distributed by 20th Century Fox

Release date November 21, 1990

Running time 108 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Budget $20–30 million[1]

Box office $57.1 million[2]

At the time of release the film received generally negative reviews. It earned a moderate return at
the box office, grossing $57 million worldwide, compared to the previous film's $98 million gross
on a smaller production budget. The film was viewed more positively over time, and became a
cult classic.[4][5]

This would be the last film appearance of the Predator until 2004's crossover film Alien vs.
Predator, followed in 2007 by Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. A sequel, Predators, was released in
2010, followed by The Predator in 2018.

Plot

In 1997, Los Angeles is suffering from both a heat wave and a turf war between heavily armed
Colombian and Jamaican drug cartels. A Predator watches a shootout between the police,
Jamaicans and Colombians, observing as Lieutenant Michael R. Harrigan charges into the
firefight to rescue two wounded officers and drive the Colombians back into their hideout.

The Predator assaults the Colombians, causing a disturbance that prompts Harrigan and
detectives Leona Cantrell and Danny Archuleta to defy orders and enter the hideout. They find
the Colombians have all been killed. On the roof, Harrigan shoots the crazed gang leader and
catches a glimpse of the camouflaged Predator, but dismisses it as a consequence of the
extreme heat and his acrophobia. At the station, Harrigan is reprimanded by his superiors for his
disobedience. He is introduced to Special Agent Peter Keyes, leader of a task force investigating
the cartels, and Detective Jerry Lambert, the newest member of Harrigan's team.

Later that evening, Jamaicans enter the Colombian drug lord's penthouse and murder him, but
they are then slaughtered by the Predator. Harrigan's team sees the drug lord's body and the
Jamaicans' skinned corpses suspended from the rafters, noting the similarity to the earlier
Colombian massacre. Keyes arrives and kicks Harrigan's team out. Danny later returns to
continue investigating, but right after he finds one of the Predator's speartip weapons in an air
conditioning vent, the lurking Predator kills him. An enraged Harrigan vows to bring down
Danny's killer. Forensic analysis reveals the speartip is not composed of any known element on
the periodic table. Seeking answers, Harrigan meets with Jamaican drug lord King Willie, a
voodoo practitioner. King Willie tells Harrigan that the killer is supernatural, and that he should
prepare himself for battle against him. Harrigan leaves before the Predator kills King Willie,
taking his head as a trophy.

Tracing a lead indicating Danny's killer had recently been in a slaughterhouse, Harrigan arranges
to meet his team at a warehouse district to investigate. Cantrell and Lambert take the subway to
the rendezvous when the Predator, hunting Harrigan's subordinates, suddenly attacks. Lambert
and numerous armed passengers are killed, but Cantrell is spared after the Predator's scan of
her body reveals that she is pregnant. Arriving on the scene, Harrigan chases the fleeing
Predator but is intercepted by Keyes' men. Keyes reveals that the monster is an extraterrestrial
hunter with infrared vision that uses active camouflage and has been hunting humans for sport
throughout armed conflicts, the recent being a decade earlier in Central America. Keyes and his
team have set a trap in a nearby slaughterhouse, using thermally insulated suits with mounted
ultraviolet lights and cryogenic weapons to capture it for study.

When the Predator arrives, the trap is sprung. However, the suspicious Predator uses its mask to
scan through various electromagnetic wavelengths to identify the team's flashlights, and it easily
outmaneuvers and slaughters the men. Harrigan attacks the Predator, badly wounding it before
it rallies, destroys his weapon, and closes in. Harrigan is saved by the sudden reappearance of
Keyes, who tries to freeze the creature but is bisected by its throwing disc. The Predator chases
Harrigan to a roof and the two foes clash, leaving them hanging from a ledge. The creature
activates a self-destruct device on its forearm, which Harrigan severs with the throwing disc,
rendering the device harmless. The Predator falls through an apartment window, treats its
wounds and flees.

Harrigan follows it down an elevator shaft and finds a spacecraft in an underground chamber.
Inside the ship, after discovering a trophy room with different skulls, including that of a
Xenomorph, Harrigan battles the Predator in a final duel and kills him with the throwing disc. A
whole group of Predators suddenly appear and collect their dead comrade, while one of them
presents Harrigan with an antique flintlock pistol as a trophy. Harrigan escapes from the ship as
it takes off, and reaches the surface just as the remainder of Keyes' team arrives. As Keyes'
subordinate Garber curses their lost opportunity to capture the creature, Harrigan privately
muses that the creatures will return.

Cast

Danny Glover as Lieutenant Mike Harrigan, an LAPD Officer who is investigating rival
Jamaican and Colombian drug cartels. He is stubborn and often is criticized by the superior
officers for not obeying orders.

Kevin Peter Hall as City Hunter / The Predator, a member of a alien warrior race which hunts
aggressive members of other species for sport, uses active camouflage and a plasma
weapon, and can see in the infrared spectrum. Hall also played the Elder Predator, the leader
of the Predators at the end of the film.
Hal Rayle provides the voice of the Predator, replacing Peter Cullen from the first film.

Gary Busey as Special Agent Peter Keyes, posed as a DEA agent leading a special task force
investigating a drug conspiracy as a cover for his attempts to capture the Predator. The
character is a replacement for "Dutch," the protagonist of the first film, after Arnold
Schwarzenegger declined to reprise the role.[6]

Ruben Blades as Detective Danny Archuleta, a member of Harrigan's team and a long time
friend of his.

María Conchita Alonso as Detective Leona Cantrell, an LAPD cop involved in the Jamaican-
Colombian gang wars.
 Bill Paxton as Detective Jerry Lambert, an LAPD cop, transferred from another precinct into
Metro Command. His role is often that of comic relief.

Lilyan Chauvin as Dr. Irene Edwards, the chief medical examiner and forensic pathologist of
Los Angeles. She aids Harrigan, in spite of being completely cut out of the official
investigation by Keyes' team.

Robert Davi as Deputy Chief Phil Heinemann.

Adam Baldwin as Agent Adam Garber, a member of Keyes' task force.

Kent McCord as Captain Brent Pilgrim, an LAPD cop and Harrigan's immediate boss.

Steve Kahan as Sergeant Neil Reeger, an LAPD SWAT Sergeant.

Henry Kingi as "El Scorpio", a violent member of the Colombian Scorpions.

Morton Downey Jr. as Tony Pope, a journalist who reports the gruesome and murderous
homicides left by the Predator. He is constantly criticized by the police for interfering with
investigations.

Calvin Lockhart as Willie "King Willie", the boss of the Jamaica Voodoo Posse. He appears to
be psychic because of his voodoo beliefs.

Sylvia Kauders as Ruth Albright, an elderly lady.

Billy "Sly" Williams as Jackson, a paramedic.

Jsu Garcia (Credited as Nick Corri) as Dvorkin, an LAPD detective.

Michael Wiseman as Zinck, an LAPD officer.

Teri Weigel as Mary, Ramon Vega's Colombian mistress.

Thomas Rosales Jr. as El Scorpio Gang Member

Michael Papajohn as Gang member in the subway.

Casey Sander as an OWLFP Member

Pat Skipper as an OWLFP Member

Jim Ishida as A Reporter

Elpidia Carrillo reprises her role as Anna Gonsalves from the first film in a cameo appearance.
She is seen aiding government agents in a video tape, showing the devastating after-effects of
the first Predator's self-destruct device to the U.S. Army. Carrillo filmed an additional scene in
which she talks to the camera and describes the events of the first film, but this scene was cut.
 Production

Once 20th Century Fox approached Predator screenwriters Jim and John Thomas to write a
sequel, they pitched six ideas, one of which was "putting the creature in an urban jungle", which
the studio liked.[7] The eventual setting was Los Angeles, portrayed as a city blighted by gang
warfare in the midst of a severe heat wave, creating the ideal "hot spot" in which the Predator
would search for hunting targets. The script was then developed in just three weeks.[8] A goal of
the sequel would be to expand on the Predator's origins and motives, showing the creature has
been visiting the planet for centuries, is not psychopathic, but just interested in hunting, and
depicting its spacecraft on screen.[7]

Producer Joel Silver invited director Stephen Hopkins, who drew his interest while directing A
Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.[9] As Hopkins joined production before the
screenplay was finished, he worked closely with the Thomases in the script revisions and
storyboarding the sequences they had written. For the lead role of LAPD police officer Harrigan,
Hopkins had originally envisioned Patrick Swayze playing the role, teaming up with a returning
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred as Dutch in the first film.[10] Hopkins also met with Steven
Seagal for the role; although the actor was interested in starring in the film and had his own
ideas about the character, wanting to portray him as a CIA psychiatrist and martial arts expert,
Hopkins ultimately decided against it, as he wanted the character to be an Average Joe type.[11]
Due to a dispute over salary, Schwarzenegger declined to return to the sequel,[12] and Silver
ultimately brought in three actors he had worked with in Lethal Weapon: Gary Busey, Steve
Kahan, and Danny Glover, who would end up playing the role of Harrigan.[13] Production was split
between location shooting, mostly at night, and soundstage filming.[9]

The main Predator was designed to look more urban and hip than its predecessor. Design
changes included tribal ornamentation on the forehead, which was made steeper and shallower,
brighter skin coloration and a greater number of fangs.[14] Describing the new Predator's design,
Stan Winston said, "Broad concept's the same. The difference is, this is a different individual. A
different individual of the same species. As in a snake is a snake, but different snakes are
different. Their colorings are different, different parts of their characteristics, their facial
structures, subtle differences."[13] Production designer Lawrence Paull said that with the
Predator ship, he attempted "a space vehicle unlike anything that had ever been designed
before", a snail-shaped vessel whose interior was "both technological and reptilian, where the
creature and its ship blend and work together". Given the Alien franchise was also by Fox and
featured effects work by Winston, the crew decided to add an Alien head among the trophy
skulls in the Predator ship.

The writers decided to set Predator 2 ten years after the original, which was the then-future of
1997, leading to some developments like new video technology and a then-nonexistent subway
in Los Angeles (the Los Angeles Metro Rail started operating the same year the film hit
theaters). For the set design, Paul aimed for a "kind of retrograde future that's equal parts Brazil
and Blade Runner mixed in with modern-day technology", with "big and outrageous" structures
but simpler prop design, such as boxy and colorless cars.[9]

The MPAA initially gave Predator 2 an NC-17 rating, so several cuts were made to bring it down
to an R rating.[15]

A short unofficial music video was made towards the end of filming; Danny Glover can be seen
dancing with the Predator and others.[16]

Music

Alan Silvestri returned to score the sequel, conducting the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra.
Whereas the first film did not have its music released until years later, a soundtrack album for
the sequel was issued on December 11, 1990 from Varèse Sarabande. On December 1, 2014, the
label issued Predator 2: The Deluxe Edition.[17]

Release

Home media

Predator 2 was released on VHS in 1991,[18] on DVD in 2003,[19] a two-disc special edition in
January 2005,[20] and on Blu-ray on June 9, 2009, in North America.[21] The film was released on
4K UHD Blu-Ray on August 7, 2018.[22]

Reception

Box office
Released on November 21, 1990, Predator 2 was #4 at the US box office in its opening weekend,
with a gross of over $8 million behind the films Dances with Wolves, Three Men and a Little Lady,
Rocky 5, and Twentieth Century Fox's own film Home Alone. The film grossed a total of $57
million, $30 million of which was from the United States.[2] The worldwide box office revenue
totaled $57,120,318 in ticket sales.

Critical response

In 1990, the film's reviews were generally negative, though reviewers were generally impressed
by the casting of Danny Glover as an action hero.[23][24][25] On review aggregation website Rotten
Tomatoes, the film received an approval rating of 30% based on 30 reviews, with an average
rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus states: "The thrill of the hunt is gone in this hackneyed
sequel."[26] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 18
critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[27] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film
an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[28]

The reviewers for The Washington Post were split: Rita Kempley enjoyed the film, saying she felt
that it had "the dismal irony of RoboCop and the brooding fatalism of Blade Runner", and felt
Glover "brings an unusual depth to the action adventure and proves fiercely effective as the
Predator's new nemesis."[25] Desson Howe felt the film was "blithely unoriginal" and numbingly
violent, but also praised Glover's ability to bring warmth to the center of a cold film.[24]

In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the film "an unbeatable contender" for
the "most mindless, mean-spirited action film of the holiday season".[29] Chicago Sun-Times critic
Roger Ebert, in giving the film two out of four stars, suggested that it represents an "angry and
ugly" dream. He also felt that the creatures' design had racist undertones where "subliminal
clues [...] encourage us to subconsciously connect the menace with black males."[30]

The film is often viewed as being underrated and has come to be considered a cult classic.[31][32]

Other media

Sequel

A sequel titled Predators, was released in 2010.

Novelization

A novelization of the film written by Simon Hawke was released on December 1, 1990 by the
publishing company Jove.[33] The novelization provided a small amount of information regarding
the fate of "Dutch" from the first film. Keyes recalls memories of speaking with the battered
Major while infirmed in a hospital, suffering from radiation sickness. "Dutch" is said to have
escaped from the hospital, never to be seen again. Furthermore, the novel tells a great deal of
the story from the Predator's point of view, such as its humiliation of having its mask removed by
Harrigan, and its reasoning for not killing Cantrell due to its discovery of her pregnancy.

Video games

The film was adapted twice as a video game; the first for computer in 1990 and the second for
Sega Genesis in 1992.

References

1. "Predator 2 (1990)" (http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/58654) . catalog.afi.com. AFI.

2. "Predator 2 (1990)" (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=predator2.htm) . Box

Office Mojo. Retrieved July 8, 2010.

3. "Predator 2 (1990) - Stephen Hopkins | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie"
(https://www.allmovie.com/movie/predator-2-v39014) . Retrieved November 23, 2020 – via
www.allmovie.com.

4. "Predator: 5 Ways Predator 2 Is The Definitive Sequel (& 5 Ways It's Predators)" (https://screenrant.com/r
easons-predator-2-best-sequel-predators-better/) . ScreenRant. November 15, 2020. Retrieved
November 23, 2020.

5. https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/predator-2-30-misunderstood-masterpiece-161709172.html

6. "Why Arnold Schwarzenegger Didn't Return for Predator 2" (https://screenrant.com/arnold-schwarzenegg

er-predator-2-movie-no-return-why/) . ScreenRant. February 4, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.

7. Shapiro, Marc (December 1990). "Predator Season" (https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-161/1

61_djvu.txt) . Starlog (161).

8. Jim & John Thomas (2005). Writers Commentary track. Predator 2 DVD: 20th Century Fox.

9. Shapiro, Marc (December 1990). "Predator 2 Stalks The Concrete Jungle" (https://archive.org/stream/Fan
goria_099_c2c_1990_Predator_2_FemaleBikerSweat-DREGS/Fangoria_099_c2c_1990_Predator_2_Femal
eBikerSweat-DREGS_djvu.txt) . Fangoria (99).
10. Cody Hamman (November 25, 2020). "PREDATOR 2 DIRECTOR SAYS STEVEN SEAGAL WAS DESPERATE
TO STAR IN THE SEQUEL" (https://www.joblo.com/horror-movies/news/predator-2-director-steven-seagal
-was-desperate-to-star-in-the-1990-sequel) . joblo.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.

11. Brad Miska (November 25, 2020). "Steven Seagal Nearly Starred in 'Predator 2'; Here's the Crazy Story!" (h
ttps://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3642761/steven-seagal-nearly-starred-predator-2-heres-crazy-stor
y/) . Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved March 7, 2021.

12. "Arnold Schwarzenegger - Money Stopped Arnold Schwarzenegger Starring In Predator 2" (http://www.co
ntactmusic.com/news/money-stopped-arnold-schwarzenegger-starring-in-predator-2_1224485) .
Contactmusic.com. June 8, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2014.

13. The Making of Predator 2 (Documentary). Predator 2 special edition DVD: 20th Century Fox. 2005.

14. Jody Duncan & James Cameron (2007). The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio.
p. 336. ISBN 978-1-84576-150-9.

15. Byrd, Matthew (August 14, 2017). "15 Movies That Were Originally NC-17" (https://screenrant.com/movie
s-originally-rated-x-nc-17-shocking/) . Screen Rant. Retrieved April 9, 2018.

16. https://movieweb.com/predator-2-outtake-danny-glover-dance-party/

17. "Predator 2: The Deluxe Edition" (https://web.archive.org/web/20141228011541/http://www.varesesarab

ande.com/servlet/the-1219/Predator-2-cln--The-Deluxe/Detail) . www.varesesarabande.com. Archived
from the original (http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1219/Predator-2-cln--The-Deluxe/Detai
l) on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 20, 2014.

18. "New Video Releases" (https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/16/news/new-video-releases-955891.html) .

The New York Times. May 16, 1991. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

19. Gross, G. Noel (February 9, 2003). "Predator 2" (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/5570/predator-2/) .

DVD Talk. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

20. Gross, G. Noel (January 31, 2005). "Predator 2: SE" (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/14283/predator-2-

se/) . DVD Talk. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

21. Zupan, Michael (June 20, 2009). "Predator 2 (Blu-ray)" (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/37654/predator-

2/) . DVD Talk. Retrieved June 6, 2016.

22. Hartman, Matthew (August 7, 2018). "Predator: 3-Movie Collection - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review |
High Def Digest" (https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/61275/predator3filmcollection4kultrahdbluray.htm
l) . ultrahd.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved March 25, 2019.

23. "23 Nov 1990, 226 The Miami Herald" (https://miamiherald.newspapers.com/image/635791029/?terms=

predator&match=1) . newspaper.com. The Miami Herald.

24. Desson Howe, 'Predator 2' (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pre

dator2rhowe_a0b2be.htm) , Washington Post, November 23, 1990, Accessed October 24, 2020.
25. Rita Kempley, 'Predator 2' (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/pred
ator2rkempley_a0a0b6.htm) , Washington Post, November 21, 1990, Accessed October 24, 2020.

26. "Predator 2 (1990)" (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/predator_2/) . Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango.

Retrieved February 25, 2021.

27. "Predator 2 Reviews" (http://www.metacritic.com/movie/predator-2) . Metacritic. CBS Interactive.

Retrieved May 13, 2018.

28. "CinemaScore" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041238/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicse

arch/index/title/) . Archived from the original (https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/) on
July 22, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.

29. Janet Maslin, Predator 2 (1990) Review/Film; The Quarry: Humans (https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/r
eview?res=9C0CE7DD143FF932A15752C1A966958260) , The New York Times, November 21, 1990,
Accessed January 6, 2011.

30. Roger Ebert (November 21, 1990). "Roger Ebert, Film Review for Predator 2" (https://www.rogerebert.co
m/reviews/predator-2-1990) . Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 9, 2007.

31. Martin Kessler (September 15, 2017). "In Defence of… Predator 2 (1990)" (https://www.film89.co.uk/in-de
fence-of-predator-2-1990/) .

32. Jonathan Barkan (November 21, 2015). " "You're One Ugly Mother F*cker…": 'Predator 2' Turns 25 Today!"
(https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3370679/youre-one-ugly-mother-fcker-predator-2-turns-25-to
day/) . Bloody Disgusting!. "Film ’89 Verdict – 8.5/10"

33. Predator 2: A Novel (https://www.amazon.com/Predator-2-Novel-Simon-Hawke/dp/0515105783) at

Amazon.com

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