Predator 2 Movie

This special effects-heavy science fiction sequel moves the action from the first film's Amazon forest to the urban jungle of L.A. Danny Glover stars as Lt. Mike Harrigan, an LAPD detective baffled by his latest case, the ritualistic slaughter of several drug dealers by a devastating killer who leaves no traces. As Harrigan and his partners, Danny Archuletta (Ruben Blades), Leona Cantrell (Maria Conchita Alonso), and Jerry Lambert (Bill Paxton), try to figure out who or what killed the criminals, FBI investigator Stephen Keyes (Gary Busey) attempts to warn the team away from investigating further. When two of his team are killed in a particularly grisly way, Harrigan uncovers the truth -- their quarry is an alien creature that hunts humans for sport. Attracted to violence, its latest choice of prey is gun-toting Jamaican drug dealers. Keyes and his team know all about the nasty extraterrestrial and its bloody pastime because they've been studying it for ten years, and they've come up with a possible means of dispatching the beast. When that plan backfires, however, it comes down to Harrigan and an extremely irritated otherworldly foe, slugging it out in a rooftop confrontation.

Predator 2 is one of those solid sequels that gets the short end of the shaft when people tend to talk about this series, which is really too bad because it delivers in a fun and refreshing way. Not only does it continue the creature's mythology, but it also has a fresh story that's full of big action, gobs of style, and more than enough spooks to get you on the edge of your seat. It also isn't afraid of over-the-top indulgence, as with the lightning striking the monster and the few cornball lines where the Predator actually talks (used solely as a nod to the first film). Written by the same writing duo as the first film, Predator 2 extends a further mystery to the character, but just like its predecessor, the movie hinges on gusto action performances -- supplied here by a rough and buff Danny Glover and his motley team of tough butt-kickers, amply filled out by Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, and freshly riding on his newfound Aliens fame, Bill Paxton. While Paxton a little much, he still milks likability out of his brash character, while the other two make more of a mark here than in most of their other film roles combined. Aided by a few other inspired casting choices, including Morton Downey Jr., a scene-chewing Gary Busey, and Calvin Lockhart as the classic Jamaican drug lord King Willie, the film is littered with colorful actors spouting off iconic dialogue left and right. With a charging Alan Silvestri score that carries over the original themes while consistently moving the action forward, the film is graced with a rhythm that rarely lets up. Drawbacks include some uneven optical effects and a laughable performance by the #2 FBI baddie, Adam Baldwin, who's front row in one of the most blatant Aliens rip-off scenes in movie history. Still, Predator 2 knows what it needs to be and it provides the gory goods in full, thanks to some superb direction by Stephen Hopkins, who later moved onto more serious fare in his career.