This signifies a respect for the audience. While characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Fast and the Furious films tend to insert self-aware jokes that reflect on the implausibility of the scenarios, Schwarzenegger plays even the silliest moments completely straight.
There’s a sincerity to Schwarzenegger that is absent from most modern action stars. It’s humorous to see him cast as a gentle giant when you know it won’t be too long before he starts blasting bad guys away. At this point in Schwarzenegger's career, his audience knew what to expect from one of his films. The opening sequence showing Matrix and Jenny bonding together and caring for the animals is sickeningly sweet, suggesting that this melodrama will ultimately make way for an outburst of elaborate violence. Army Colonel John Matrix, a retired military veteran who now resides in the countryside (complete with animal friends) with his loving daughter, Jenny ( Alyssa Milano).
Commando might not be the best film that Schwarzenegger starred in, but it's the purest distillation of his skills. He seems only somewhat aware of how corny the material is, but it works nonetheless. Even if he’s absolutely terrifying in his brutality, he’s still oddly charming in his sincerity.
He was both a merciless assassin and a loving, sensitive father. However, the simplicity allowed Schwarzenegger to show all aspects of his personality and the inherent contradictions of his persona. If you placed any other star at the center, the film would collapse under its lack of nuance. Yet, this is precisely why Commando works so well. RELATED: From 'The Terminator' to 'Total Recall': 12 Essential Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies Commando doesn’t have any of those added complexities, as the plot is pretty much indistinguishable from dozens of other action thrillers that both preceded and followed it. The Terminator films work because of James Cameron’s complex mythology and commentary on technological oppression Predator is John McTiernan’s grim reimagining of the Vietnam War through the eyes of helpless soldiers in unfriendly terrain True Lies required Schwarzenegger to contend with the comedic charms of Jamie Lee Curtis Conan the Barbarian was a more straightforward medieval epic.
Commando is easily the most streamlined of Schwarzenegger's films, as it’s the film that relies on him the most.
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