Macho, muscular and a whole lot of fun, Predator is two-fisted action filmmaking at its finest. Major Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) leads an elite team on a mission in the Central American rainforest to rescue a politician kidnapped by insurgents. When the commandos stumble on the grisly remains of a Green Beret unit it becomes clear this is no ordinary mission, but their assigned CIA operative Dillon (Carl Weathers) insists they push on to find the guerrilla group he claims is responsible. As they travel deeper into the jungle the squad realises they're not alone— and someone, or something, is picking them off one by one.

“I had the feeling that people had a perverse fascination with guns firing, literally almost a pornographic desire. So I said to myself, OK, if you want pictures of guns firing I’ll give you pictures of guns firing.” John McTiernan doesn't have the longest list of directing credits, but between this and Die Hard he set the standard for elevating B-movie material to delirious heights through kinetic violence and moments of unexpected humour. Predator is a rare beast that works as both a joyous excess of masculinity and a sly deconstruction of it, featuring the biggest guns and biceps you've ever seen but also a sober reflection on how those weapons can fail their users.