Predators (2010)
Directed by Nimrod Antal
Written by Alex Litvak
Starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne
Release Date July 9th, 2010
Published July 8th, 2010
The idea of Adrian Brody, the Oscar winner for “The Pianist,” as a mercenary action hero does not sound promising. Known for his gaunt, lithe, boney physique and offbeat taste in films, Brody doesn't leap immediately to mind as the man to take the reigns of a franchise that originated with the testosterone heavy likes of Carl 'Action Jackson' Weather, Jesse 'the Body' Ventura and the ultimate muscled action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This fact makes Brody's unusual success in “Predators” such a delight. With an ironic wink, a comic growl and an actor's commitment Brody nails the role of an unnamed mercenary dropped into an alien game preserve to play out a sci-fi version of Richard Connell's “Most Dangerous Game.”
Seven bloodthirsty killers find themselves falling from the sky with only moments to open an unusual looking parachute. The 8th man is a doctor (Topher Grace) and he is something of an anomaly against the 7 who are made up of a mercenary soldier (Brody), a South American freedom fighter (Alice Braga), a Mexican drug dealer (Danny Trejo) a Russian Special Forces soldier (Oleg Taktarov), an African mercenary (M. Ali), a death row inmate (Walton Groggins) and a member of the Yakuza (Louis Ozawa Changchien).
The mystery of the doctor character will be revealed eventually but first this ragtag band of characters must work through some highly inferential and often expositional dialogue while we in the audience engage in the “Predators” drinking game, which involves guessing the order in which the killers will be killed. Fun game if you bring alcohol to the theater.
Now, my irreverence might indicate that I didn't like “Predators” but au contraire, I actually loved Predators. This is some of the most fun you will have at a theater this year. Some of the joy may not be intentional on the part of director Nimrod Antal and writer-producer Robert Rodriguez but there is an undeniably intentional level of cheese, especially from star Adrien Brody.
Taking to heart the fact that no one sees him as an action hero, Brody bulks up a little and lays on a thick growl to sell the tough guy persona. That it kind of works is, I think, part of the joke. Brody is ingenious in Predators bringing an actor's flourish to one dopey action hero role. It is a brilliantly, wonderfully, odd performance and the main reason “Predators” is so much goofy fun.
There is more than a little cheese and winking irony in “Predators” plus a guy gets his spine ripped out (Awesomely). What more can you ask from a completely over the top action and effects spectacular? “Predators” may not be great cinema but it is a terrifically fun summer movie.
