Talk:Commando

Miscellaneous

Life Support System I

The knife used by Matrix is called the Life Support System I (or LS-1, for short) and was custom-made by late knife-maker Jack Crain. Apparently, Arnold saw one and liked it so much that he wanted it featured in the movie.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Jack Crain Life Support System I custom survival knife

Ballistic Knife

Matrix uses what appears to be a Soviet ballistic knife on Arius's men.

It's a Jack Crain Ballistic knife. Funny enough this film is what got Ballistic Knives Banned in the US.

https://blademag.com/knife-history/the-most-illegal-knife-in-america

Trivia

Goofs and Continuity Errors

Commando is well known for its blatant goofs and continuity errors. In addition to the ones already mentioned on the main page, here are some additional ones:

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Stuntmen are flung into the air with very poorly concealed launchers.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

The wire is visible on the ballistic knife.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

The soldiers seen here are clearly mannequins.

Discussion

Are the shots I added okay? I tried to keep it down on the shots MPM. I bet we now how the most indepth analysis of the armory on the net. - Gunmaster45

Could i add some screencaps to this page?-Oliveira 14:47, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Widescreen/Fullscreen

I'm watching this on AMC now and realize I missed guns in the armory because they are only visible on full screen, and I only own the widescreen movie. For instance, I saw a Beretta AR-70 rifle. If someone with a keen eye has the full screen DVD, please feel free to upload. :) - Gunmaster45

What does this mean?

The text below the screencap with Bennet and his Scoremaster:

"Apparently he was instructed to act enough for himself and Arnie."

What does that mean?-Oliveira 14:07, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Probably in reference to Vernon Wells' horrendous overacting of this scene. --Clutch 14:16, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

I think you mean AWESOME overacting.-Oliveira 14:30, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

You've got to like Bennett as a bad guy though. I mean, not only does this guy wear a M1940 military holster for 1911 style pistol, but he's wearing chain mail! Talk about old school! Plus they use maybe my favorite airplane of all time, the Grumman Goose. -harleyguy

Y'know, a man with a moustache, wearing chain mail and leather pants, doesn't really seem like a match for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Just my .02 -SasquatchJim.

He isn't actually wearing chain mail, it's a normal T-shirt with a pattern that looks like chain mail. --cool-breeze 21:12, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

Wrong, Bennet really is wearing a WWII era chain mail "commando" vest. Rockwolf66 00:37, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Bennett is actually wearing cotton knit vest. It only appears as chain mail from a distance. If you watch the scene where he and his men hold Arnold down in that room, in close up shots you can see it is clearly not chain mail.

Rockwolf66 please check the facts first. The director himself has said numerous times that the shirt was not chain mail. Plus what this anon man above me has said confirms that it's not chain mail. --cool-breeze 05:38, 26 May 2011 (CDT)

Ballistic Knife

At the beginning of Matrix's assault on Arius' estate he uses a ballistic knife to depatch a sentry, should'nt this be included on this page?--The Mercenary 16:34, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

It's not a firearm. Hence it shouldn't be here.--Oliveira 20:17, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

Grenades are not firearms, so technically they shouldn't be included either.... If your read the guidelines, as long as it is military equipment it can be included in a trivia section at the end of the page. --AdAstra2009 20:56, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

guys this sort of confusion is entirely our fault (i.e. the mods) for not putting up a guideline. I speak for all (well actually I don't) but I sincerely apologies to our members who have had to put up with mystical and sometimes nonsensical rules that haven't been posted yet. I am trying, and I was actually surprised, new members were actually READING the rules and applying them. I kinda feel guilty in getting pissed off at new guys for screwing up when it was us VETERAN members who screwed up in not formally listing rules and guidelines. I am completely humbled now and (when I get time) will strive to continue with the rules listing (all gleaned from months (has it been years yet?) of consensus from Mods and Veteran users about what should be on the rules listing. :) MoviePropMaster2008 22:27, 31 October 2009 (UTC)

My point about this particular weapon is in its name, BALLISTIC knife. Its not a ordinary knife as it fires out of a sheaf/handgrip so should be included as it is as relevant as a crossbow and would complete an excellent page.--The Mercenary 16:34, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

I think it would be appropriate to include it. It is military weaponry/equipment and I am sure that people would be wondering what it is -heck I was when I first saw the movie. --AdAstra2009 20:08, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Remington 870

hey what model 870 is matrix using and what are the plate on the left side of the reciever and the brace above the slide for?dalemac37

I believe it is a copy of the Tactical model designed for the U.S. Marine Corps back in the 1980s. And it's really hard to get nowadays. The extended tube has a clamp on the end. In the USMC version, the end clamp has a bayonet lug. What is difficult is that the shotgun changes (hence the comment about continuity breaks in the film). In some shots it has a rifle rear sight and in some shots the rifle sights are obviously gone. MoviePropMaster2008 07:46, 8 January 2011 (UTC)

Actually it is not intended to be a copy of the Remington 870 Mark I (the USMC designation of the shotgun MoviePropMaster2008 describes). The "tube" under the barrel is actually a commercially sold laser sight designed specifically for the Remington 870 shotgun that had a proprietary "clamp". For the life of me I cannot remember who sold them (or for that matter, who manufactured them). But if someone has access to Guns & Ammo magazines from the mid to late-1984 period you will probably find an advertisement for one. Further in the bottom image in the section on the weapon you can see part of the power cable that was attached between the magazine tube and barrel. The cord snaked down the gun to the power supply which was stored inside a specifically-modified buttstock. Remember this was during the "Terminator" laser sight craze and laser sights were large and the power supplies bulky. --Sgtmonroe 16:10, 30 July 2011 (CDT)

I did some more digging on the laser sight. It is a Laser Products Corporation (later Surefire) laser sight. This is the same type laser sight used in The Terminator and Wanted: Dead Or Alive. The laser sight is easily distinguished by the proprietary LPC "clamp" as well as the actual sight's "bell-shaped" end. --Sgtmonroe 14:40, 31 July 2011 (CDT)

I think this shotgun setup was also used in a film called "American Justice" that starred the guys from Simon & Simon as border patrol officers, one played a bad cop, one a good cop. They added a sound, like a tone, when the laser was on.--James3 01:22, 11 September 2011 (CDT)

The "bell-shaped" rear of the LPC laser sight (circled in red).

LPC laser sight (stainless) like the one from the film but instead mounted on a Ruger Mini-14. This Mini-14 version used a special "sleeve" that slid over the barrel to which the sight was clamped.

MGC M16 replicas

I'm confused, what does it mean that the flash hiders are "upsidedown"? is it like 1 prong on top instead of 2?

Poster

Is that poster which is currently up for real? That tagline, "Let's party" looks like a bad joke made by someone --Jackbel 06:17, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

I guess you didn't see the ending of the film. --Ben41 02:02, 21 July 2011 (CDT)

It's a line from the film. --cool-breeze 07:35, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

I'm not seeing that version of the poster on IMDB... Evil Tim 07:47, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

There are five versions of that file. We can just revert to an earlier version. But yeah, this is the only version with "Let's Party" on it. --Funkychinaman 08:14, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

The one I uploaded was the final one-sheet for the film. One of the files was the dvd cover that was a reversed shot of Arnold and the other was of a lesser quality. --Ben41 02:02, 21 July 2011 (CDT)

Desert Eagle

I think the Desert Eagle is a .44 magnum because it appears to have a fluted slide in one of the screen shots. I might be wrong though. --cool-breeze 15:11, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

The fluted slides are only on the most recent Mark XIX model Deagles, which wouldn't be around 'til several years after this film's release. Indeed, the earliest Mark I Desert Eagle itself was practically brand-new when this film was shot. On a related-note, is it proper to call the Deagle in this film a 'Magnum Research Inc.' one? I was under the impression they didn't handle making the Desert Eagle until some time later (Like the 90s). StanTheMan 16:12, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

No it's correct to call it Magnum Research (even though you don't really have to). Most are made in Israel by IMI (now IWI). But they are always going to marked Magnum Research whether it was built in the US or Israel. Because they are the ones who designed it. --Predator20 16:30, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

Ah. Well that's fine. I generally don't like calling it specifically MRI or IMI though, just to avoid that. Whatever though. StanTheMan 18:16, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

Yeah, you typically call it after the company that designed it rather than the manufacturer, and I think that's a good precident; here, that would be MR. As an example, we have the DSR-1 at DSR-precision GmbH DSR-1 rather than AMP Technical Services DSR-1 because AMP just marketed it. Evil Tim 18:56, 20 July 2011 (CDT)

Bianchi UM84 Holster

A question about the black Bianchi UM84 (the holster was not adopted by the US Government until 02 February 1988 and then given the designation Holster, Pistol, M12) holster Major General Kirby is carrying. Is this the first film appearance of this holster? Or does someone know of an earlier film with this type of holster in it? Bianchi applied for the patent on 26 September 1984 for the "Universal Military Holster" so the time frame would fit that this could possibly be the first film to have a UM84 in it. --Sgtmonroe 16:45, 30 July 2011 (CDT)

S&W ASP 9MM

i can tell that's not a S&W Model 39,it has the cutouts in the front and rear of the slide,the guttersnipe sight,and if you look closely,clear grips,this is a heavily modified S&W Model 39 chop-and-channel conversion that was done by a guy named Paris Theodore back in the 70's called the ASP.Ziess 00:13, 4 February 2012 (CST)

Few Edits

Did a little text editing and moved a couple of images around for clarity, hope you don't mind. The Killer

The awesome hidden armory and hilarious implausibility of it

So was the owner of this "sporting goods" store supposed to be some kind of black market arms dealer or something? I also find it strange that the two cops didn't seem at all phased by the fact that the room had enough weapons, ammunition, explosives, and not to mention ROCKET LAUNCHERS to single handedly take over most of South America. Spartan198 11:22, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

Just your average gun store, right?--Leigh Burne 11:24, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

I always thought of it as the fact that everything in the film is over the top, the action scenes, the villains, the reality (or lack of) is all ramped up and shoved right over the top. That scene is just another part of how over the top it is. The gun store sequence is one of my favourites in the film along with the "gear up" scene. --cool-breeze 13:48, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

Exactly. You didn't think this film was supposed to make sense, did you? --Funkychinaman 15:01, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

It's dumb fun back when it was fun. Something the action films that emulate Commando lack are the really key ingrediants like if you're going to go over the top with it, for it to work everything needs to be over the top, including the violence. That's the problem with the dumb fun popcorn action movies of today, they're all PG13 suckfests. --cool-breeze 19:05, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

Beretta 92SB

Am I the only one who thinks in the first screencap there is something a little off with that grip. For starters it looks quite small to be an SB grip and it seems to be missing screws and the Beretta logo. They just seem to be holes where they should be. Could it be some sort of rubber prop? --cool-breeze 13:52, 11 July 2012 (CDT)

Remake

Apparently a "more realistic" remake is in the works starring Sam Worthington (Avatar) and written and directed by David Ayer, (Training Day and SWAT). While I'm sure it'll be entertaining, something just seems wrong with making a realistic version of arguably one of the most consistently and intentionally over the top action movies of all time. I hope they at least keep the neverending belt of 7.62.

It will be shit.--cool-breeze 18:08, 20 July 2012 (CDT)

In all likelihood, it probably will. But the same could have been said about The Expendables and Rambo, both 80s style OTT action flicks that took the new millennium and threw it out the window. I'll admit I'm a little bit unsure at the notion of a "realistic" approach (then again, we all know how terribly unrealistic Hollywood's idea of "realistic" really is), but I'm at least going to give it a chance and watch it before I decide on its quality rather than predetermining it based on absolutely nothing. Spartan198 (talk) 04:34, 5 August 2013 (EDT)

Addl

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Matrix chambers his HK91 after retrieving it from the tool shed.

Double screen of the Desert Eagle.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

First seen when surrounded at the tool shed, some soldiers have AKMs, later the AKMs are held by the numerous soldiers who die acrobatic ballet style deaths at the hands of Matrix.

Closeup details of the Valmet M78/83 when Matrix is preparing to attack.‎

M60E3 first used by Arius' men when trying to kill Matrix in the tool shed, then taken by Matrix and used against the soldiers.

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Kirby's men have Commercial CAR-15 rifles.

Though his shotgun is supposed to be a Remington 870, it has been heavily customized and unfortunately changes slightly from shot to shot. Note the LPC laser sight.

Continuity Error: Matrix fires an M16A1 rifle in one shot, and then the gun changes to an M16 (SP1) rifle in the next shot!

The Mines used by Matrix, note that the raised letters "M18 A1" are gone (ground off) as are the painted lot numbers (a feature of real Claymores). A faux radio controller and tiny light bulb is visible 'glued' into the side of the M18A1 which Matrix uses to radio detonate a series of these mines.

Matrix's Knife

The knife used by Matrix is called the Life Support System I (or LS-1, for short) and was custom-made by late knife-maker Jack Crain. Apparently, Arnold saw one and liked it so much that he wanted it featured in the movie. I have a good picture of the knife itself (or at least a replica) that can be used on the page if somebody can get a couple high-def pics of it from the movie. Preferred would be A) one of him picking it up in the surplus store and B) one of him holding it while goading Bennett into a knife fight. Spartan198 (talk) 22:58, 29 July 2020 (EDT)

Extended Cut

There's apparently an extended cut of the movie on Amazon, but it's not included with Prime and I can't buy or rent it since the account I'm using is my sister's. Has anyone seen this version? If so, how does it differ from the version (I assume theatrical) that this page was screencapped using? Spartan198 (talk) 14:10, 6 September 2020 (EDT)