The Totally Unofficial Top 10 Arnie Movies

Over the last 40 years one man has stood head and shoulders above the rest in Hollywood. All the way from Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger is an unforgettable film icon who could well become the leader of the free world. So here is my top ten Arnie films:

10. Hercules in New York

The title character is played by Arnie, though he is credited as Arnold Strong. The film marked Arnolds first foray into the world of acting. With an incredibly strong Austrian accent, Hercules finds himself on the streets of New York, with his pal Pretzie. Arnie was only 23 when he played this role. Very often overlooked, this film is definitely worth viewing. If for no other reason to check out the governors first stab at acting.

9. Jingle all the Way

I dunno if it’s coz the festive season is here, but I felt that this family-friendly comedy had to make the list. Released in 1996, the film sees Arnie play the role of a father who’s work commitments have led to him disappointing his son (played by Jake Lloyd, who would go onto play Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars, Episode 1). Determined not to disappoint once again, Arnie goes on a fun-filled mission to get Jake a ‘Turbo-man’ for Christmas. A classic Christmas film that’s fun for all the family. Definitely worth viewing over the holiday period.

8.  Commando

Released in 1985 with the tagline; ‘If there’s a mission that no man could survive…then ‘he’s’ the man for the job’. Commando has all the ingredients for a classic 80’s action flick. Arnie plays retired soldier John Matrix who’s daughter is kidnapped, forcing Arnie to get back into action and save his daughter. The film was clearly influenced by ‘Rambo: First Blood,’ yet none the less a good film. An attempt to make a sequel resulted in Die Hard. Many fans would love to see a Commando 2, however if that does ever happen it’s unlikely that Arnie would star in it.

7. Kindergarten Cop

Forever remembered for the immortal line ‘who is your daddy and what does he do.’ Arnie, a cop goes undercover to work as a Kindergarten teacher in order to find the estranged ex-wife of a drug dealer. Aided by his pet ferret, the stiff cop adapts police techniques to cope with the children in his class. Eventually Arnie saves the day and catches the evil drug baron. The film concludes with Arnie deciding to pack in his career in the police force to become a Kindergarten teacher full-time.

6. Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian was written by Oliver Stone who would go on to direct films such as Wall Street, Any Given Sunday and Platoon. Conan is only a child when his parents are killed and he is enslaved. After growing up a slave the fully grown Conan (Arnie) manages to escape is life as a gladiator and ends up in the far east. There he is schooled in swordsmanship. Conan eventually finds his way back to his homeland where he is forced to come face to face with the forces that killed his parents and enslaved him. This magical fantasy adventure is essential viewing for all Arnie fans.

5. The Running Man

Directed by the same man who played Starsky in the 1970’s TV series ‘Starsky and Hutch’ and written by the legendary Stephen King. The Running man sees Arnie running the gauntlet in a barbaric TV show known as ‘The Running Man.’ Often overlooked, when discussing Arnie films, this truly is a classic. The movie is very 1980’s in its look, the plot and the characters are delightfully 80’s as well.

4. True Lies

James Cameron of Titanic and Avatar fame, was the director for this Arnie classic. Arnie plays an undercover agent who has his wife believing he has a boring job in IT. After revealing his secret to his wife, he ends up being kidnapped by a terrorist group called Crimson Jihad. After escaping from the terrorists with his wife Arnie discovers that his daughter has been kidnapped, resulting in Arnie having to borrow a jet fighter to save her. A sequel was in pre-production but was scrapped after the events of September 11th. An awesome film with awesome special effects.

3. Terminator

The first film in the series saw Arnie team up with James Cameron for the first time to produce this iconic film. Arnie plays the bad guy in this film, the terminator. The film explores the ideas of destiny, time travel and of course the rise of the machine. One of the most influential films of the era, the film was shot on a relatively low budget of $6.5 million dollars. The film is best remembered for the line ‘I’ll be back’. In 2008 the film was deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

2. Predator

Predator hit the screen in 1987 and saw Arnie play the character of Dutch. Arnie leads a group of special forces into the Central American rainforest to investigate some strange on-goings. After finding the mutilated bodies of many men and losing all of his own men, Arnie discovers that the cause is extra-terrestrial. Arnie soon finds himself the last man standing, having to fight a superior enemy. Managing to out smart the predator, Arnie eventually manages to capture the ‘Predator.’ This film has some awesome Arnie moments as well as some great filmography. The film spawned a sequel and in-turn led to the ‘Alien VS Predator’ films. Surely it’s only a matter of time till we get a re-make.

1. Terminator 2

James Cameron directed the sequel that saw Arnie return as the good guy. Released in 1991, the special effects on display were considered ground breaking at the time. With Robert Patrick the new T-100 trying to kill John Connor whom Arnie must protect.T2 had a big impact on popular culture and won four academy awards. While the character that Arnie played in T2 probably required the least amount of acting ability it was his best film and the role that immortalised him.