Sent into the fictional South American country Val Verde, Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team of crack mercenaries hunt and kill guerilla forces responsible for the kidnapping of presidential cabinet members of Guatemala. But once they discover there’s more to the mission, another enemy surfaces in the jungle, and one by one they die a horrible death—everyone except Dutch.
Today, Wednesday Warriors salutes Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer, the man who single-handedly defeats the ultimate fighter in a place that for lack of a better term some may call hell.
Having served in Vietnam during the Battle of Huế with former teammate Agent George Dillon (Carl Weathers), Dutch’s only concern when receiving a mission, is to get in and out in one piece, taking his team along with him. Confidence is high, his team also fought in Afghanistan and survived. Who would suspect they couldn’t pull though for this mission? After all, everyone of the old crew shows up for the party:
Jorge “Poncho” Ramirez (Richard Chaves) is the Spanish translator whose ever-present sarcastic wit graces the team.
Billy Sole (Sonny Landham) is the one who senses something amiss when he feels the presence of another entity hunting them. Little does he know how right he is.
Blain Cooper (Jesse Ventura) is the tobacco-chewing cowboy whose weapon of choice is a modified M134 Minigun. He calls it “Ol’ Painless” but in reality, within seconds it can punch a hole in a huge swath of jungle forest.
Sergeant “Mac” Eliot (Bill Duke) is Blain’s best friend, and the man who eventually administers the first wound to the unknown creature. Who are we kiddin’? He’s the guy who takes the first shot and wounds the predator.
With his whole team by his side, Dutch doesn’t suspect what lies before him in the jungle to be a threat. Yet, once his team slowly breathes its last, and Dutch has no one but himself to rely on, he takes matters in his own hands. A trained soldier, a survivalist, a gambler, he seizes the opportunity in the environment around him to blend in, vanish, disappear. Little does he know the predator hunting him also has an advantage, and that is to find its prey using its own skill sets at its disposal.
Warrior against warrior, the battle lines are set and the cat and mouse game is on.
Dutch’s keen sense of anticipating his enemy’s next move is what keeps him alive time and time again. Nowhere does it say he should play fair. And to that end, he takes advantage of everything he comes across, rigging it to meet his needs. Dutch will not go down without a fight.
Dutch’s resilience is what makes his character unique. As a formidable opponent—even if the creature he battles is more cunning and better equipped than he is—Dutch will do anything to survive. No matter what the obstacle, no matter what the situation, he will win. It’s within his nature to conquer. He will not go without taking anything and everything with him.
Predator‘s Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer—Wednesday Warriors’ ultimate survivalist.
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What did you think of Predator and the subsequent movies?
Looking to God 
Just an interesting fact that we could have almost gotten a Dutch cameo in the new Predator movie released last year, but they opted for another ending instead, which was quite awful.
Arnold comes back again… and again…!
“Dillon, you son of a bitch!”
One of my favorites is Arnold vs The Predator. Has some of the best one liners in the movie. I enjoyed this movie growing up. I like how Dutch uses his environment around him to take down the Predator.
Great action,great cast and great effects. I think I’ll go watch it again now.
Thanks Jack, your the best.
It’s one of the few movies I saw when it came out in the theaters. Love the whole premise.
I loved this one. Of all the “Predator” movies in my opinion was the best one.
Although the “Predator versus Alien” was pretty good.
AVP also rocked, for sure!
I think I’ve only seen Arnie in the Terminator films. Was never really a fan of the Schwarzenegger/Stalone type movies, running round jungles and all that. Whatever happened to old Arnie? (Rhetorical question.)
This is Arnold at his peak. Like any truly good action film, Predator thrills you to the core and leaves you with something to chew on.
Sweet tribute to one of the best movies ever, Jack, and to an unforgettable team of warriors, not excluding Mr. Invisible himself…the dreaded Predator (and I am talking about his hairstyle AND his otherworldly meanace)! Kudos once again!
Thanks. Every couple of years this film crops up on my viewing calendar!
MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!! “Kill me already! Do it!” Said in terrible Arnauhd voice.
I was a big fan. The best for action. Commando was one, I loved the line, “but you promised me I would die last.” His response, “I lied”
The Predator gave us a unique perspective on hunting & the animal kingdom.
A bit like the film version of ” War of the Worlds ” as a commentary on human superiority.
Absolutely, and that’s why I love it so…
Love the original movie, probably my favourite Arnie film of all time. Really enjoyed the sequel, swapping the real jungle for the concrete one made it feel like a fresh take on the first. Not so keen on Predators though, apart from the duel between the Yakuza dude and the Predator, which was rather cool.
That recent one spent too much time visually quoting the original. But it had so much promise! It was one of those super frustrating movies where I left the theater saying “it could have been so good!” But instead it was just ok instead.
I would agree with that, so much wasted potential … such a shame.
I remember my first time ‘seeing’ Predator. I was 9 and someone was watching it in the living room. I caught the death of Carl Weathers in a mirror and had nightmares for a month. Took me until late teens to see it entirely. I liked the 2nd movie only for the new Predator toys. The newest one was interesting too. Amazing how far the Predator has come.