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 espite offering up more violence, blood, killings, and a
lot more gore, 1990's "Predator 2" somehow doesn't come close to
approaching the coolness that the original "Predator"
radiated from every pore of its over-the-top skin. Maybe it's because lead Danny
Glover doesn't look up to the task, or maybe it's because the characters,
despite being just as shallow and simplistic, are not nearly as memorable as
those of the original.
Danny Glover stars as Mike Harrigan, a police Detective in
1997 Los Angeles, which has been turned into a war zone. Drug gangs rule the
streets, carrying more firepower than the police, and with the summer heat
topping 107 degrees, a killing machine called a Predator is in the vicinity,
skinning victims left and right. Still hunting for the sport of it and
collecting skull and spinal columns as trophies, the Predator sets its sight on
Harrigan, the luckiest cop on the force.
The first thing you'll notice about "Predator 2"
is that, despite being more expensive and more elaborate, lead Danny Glover is
no Arnold Schwarzenegger. Depending on your perspective that may be a good thing
or a bad thing. In the case of the "Predator" franchise, it's a bad
thing. Glover has always looked old to me, even when he was young. And seeing
Harrigan perpetually skipping through his scenes, as if he's in physical
discomfort, doesn't exactly "sell" that Harrigan is supposed to be a
match for the lethal Predator.
In a movie that calls for a tough-as-nails hero, Danny
Glover, well, just isn't. This despite the fact that Glover's Harrigan is a man
of action, prone to fits of violence and rage, and a general sore on the
"good name" of the L.A.P.D. In short, Glover is playing the Martin
Riggs character his frequent co-star Mel Gibson played in the "Lethal
Weapon" movies. Also, I could have used less of Harrigan whining like an
old man throughout the movie, which is incidentally not unlike his Roger
Murtaugh character from the "Lethal
Weapon" movies. Do I detect a
Riggs-Murtaugh hybrid happening here?
Action-wise, "Predator 2" offers more bodies and
more Predator stalking sequences. Director Stephen Hopkins ("Lost in
Space") uses mostly nighttime, as well as the grungy streets and penthouse
lofts of a "futuristic" Los Angeles, to frame his killings. At one
point the Predator even takes on gangs in a subway car. But it has to be said
that Stephen Hopkins is no John McTiernan. Hopkins' action scenes never come
close to the orchestrated chaos of McTiernan's "Predator",
which sometimes borders on being downright balletic.
Making up maverick detective Harrigan's crew are Maria
Conchita Alonso as Leona, Ruben Blades as Danny, and perennial '80s smartass
Bill Paxton ("Aliens")
as Jerry. Taking the whole "Lethal Weapon" homage even further,
Harrigan is constantly harassed for his "loose cannon" ways by a
cartoonish boss, a supporting Captain, and Gary Busey ("Soldier"),
who show up as a government jerk bent on capturing and (what else?) studying the
technology of the Predator. He will, of course, end up dead for his
"dumb" ideas.
"Predator 2" was written by Jim and John Thomas,
the same people who wrote the original. With the sequel, we get to see, and
learn, more of the Predator as a species. For instance, we learn that the
Predators have been coming to Earth for centuries now and not just the couple of
decades the original movie had led us to believe. Also, there isn't just one
Predator on Earth at any one time, there are actually dozens, all sharing the
same spaceship.
Despite being one of the better characters in Slasher
cinematic history, the Predator has not resurfaced since this 1990 outing. There
seems to be no "Predator 3" coming out anytime soon, which is a shame
considering that the Predator species is more deserving of further exploration
than the already stale aliens of "Alien"
or any of the sea of masked killers out there.
With summer on the horizon, a good Predator would be most
welcome.
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