We Fight for Love (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Commando 1985)

About Commando (1985)

Commando is a 1985 American action thriller film directed by Mark L. Lester and produced by Joel Silver. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, alongside Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Vernon Wells, Bill Duke and Dan Hedaya. The musical score was composed by James Horner. Commando was released in the United States on October 4, 1985, where it received praise for the action sequences and humor. The film became a commercial success at the box office and was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects, but lost to Back to the Future.

Principal photography began on April 22, 1985, and wrapped on June 6, 1985, after 45 days of filming. The film was shot on location in California. San Nicolas Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, to which Matrix flies to rescue his daughter, was filmed on the Pacific coast at San Simeon. The barracks that are “attacked” are actually beach properties belonging to the Hearst Castle Estate. The log cabin scenes, where Jenny is abducted, was filmed at Mt. Baldy. The house that Matrix storms at the film’s climax was actually the former main residence of the Harold Lloyd Estate in the Benedict Canyon district of Beverly Hills.

Commando was a box office success grossing over $57.5 million against a $9 million budget. The film debuted at number one on the weekend of October 4–6, 1985 in the United States and spent three consecutive weeks at the top position. Writer Jeph Loeb said his original script was about an Israeli soldier who had renounced violence. The lead role was originally written for Gene Simmons, but Simmons turned it down. Steven E. de Souza rewrote the script, tailoring it to Schwarzenegger.