Action movie master John McTiernan. What is the nightmarish scene that made “Predator” a masterpiece?

Even Schwarzenegger lost a lot of weight!

Through repeated trial and error, filming did not proceed as planned, and the cast and staff became extremely fatigued. McTiernan lost more than 10 kilograms, and one of the producers and others lost nearly 20 kilograms due to illness. Schwarzenegger, who plays the lead role, also lost a lot of weight. After eating at a local restaurant, he developed severe diarrhea and became dehydrated, so he avoided eating local food as much as possible. That's why when you watch the movie, Schwarzenegger's cheeks are sunken in the later scenes.

However, this experience had an unexpected effect. Filming while overcoming hardships created a sense of solidarity on set, and strangely enough, there was no feeling of hardship. The proof of this can be seen in the end credits of ``Predator.''

“Predator” (C)2018 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

McTiernan's thoughts in the end credits

During the end credits of ``Predator,'' each of the main cast members is shown and introduced one by one, similar to a movie from the 1950s. McTiernan said that he wanted to have the main cast appear again at the end of the film, like in `` Kamikaze Daisakusen '' (1967/director: Robert Aldrich). It looks like an off-shot taken between filming, and the cast members are smiling from ear to ear to the audience. This is quite an unusual end credits for a horror movie, but the director had a certain passion behind this production.

"I wanted to convey the fun atmosphere of the scene. It was a great shoot, and I wanted the audience to enjoy it too. The tone is different between the first half and the second half, but I like the second half. The film company was satisfied with the first half. I made it so that it would happen.In the second half, I realized what I wanted to do!''Just as he said, the big explosion at the end was based on a dream McTiernan had in the past.

McTiernan, who was a new director and had little authority, used his own wisdom and ingenuity to successfully bring this absurd sci-fi horror to life, and instead of following the dictates of the film company, he imbued the film with his own vision. Thirty-one years after its production, ``Predator'' is still talked about as a legendary work, and the reason it continues to have a growing number of fans is probably because the audience can feel the passion of craftsman McTiernan.

McTiernan was released from prison four years ago. It is currently unclear whether the 67-year-old is preparing for a new work, but I will continue to wait, believing that the day will come when we can see his passionate craftsmanship on screen again.

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"Predator" Blu-ray, audio commentary by director John McTiernan

Text: Tetsuya Inagaki

TV director. My personal goal is to realize a documentary project that depicts the obsessions of manga and movie creators. Programs he has directed in the past include ``Gekiga The Godfather : The Man Who Revolutionized Manga'' (WOWOW) and ``Takeshi's Birth: Master of Oira and Asakusa'' (NHK). Currently, he is planning a documentary about a famous manga artist.

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