When Arnold Schwarzenegger
Peaked with Commando

In his heyday, Arnold Schwarzenegger was untouchable. He was the best action movie star we ever had, releasing one banger after another in the 1980s. One that I feel doesn't get as much love nowadays as it should is his 1985 film, Commando, which also starred Alyssa Milano and Rae Dawn Chong.

I honestly believe that Commando is Schwarzenegger's best movie. He was in his element here, tearing through a small army of mercenaries to save his daughter. I think people forget just how big a star he was in the 80s because he's since become a bit of a caricature of his old self.

Around the time Commando came out, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a real leading man. He may not have acted in anything other than action, but by golly, he was the best at it. His only rival was Sylvester Stallone, and in my opinion, he came out on top.

I even got to test that theory myself when I met both of them at the LA premiere of The Expendables 2 in the summer of 2012. They were both the biggest stars in the film, but I only paid attention to Schwarzenegger.

Don't get me wrong, I like Stallone too, but Schwarzenegger was more up my alley, both as a movie star and as a childhood hero. I don't know; I think the German accent added something.

Anyway, I was so excited when I saw him in person at the premiere. I asked him to sign two posters, one for Commando and the other for The Expendables, and he wrote on both. He was pretty nice about it, too, and I felt like a kid again.

Schwarzenegger may have peaked in Commando, but he was still a force in 2012. He also never lost the accent, thank God!

I only wish he'd reunite with the rest of Commando's cast someday, maybe at a convention or something. It may not be Terminator-level iconic, but it was still a hit when it came out. And I'm sure there are just as many people who loved it, too.

As I wait for that possible reunion, I'll just relish in the fact that I actually got to meet a lot of them over the years. Through Hollywood events, conventions, and more, I met and even got autographs from Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Dan Hedaya, Vernon Wells, and David Patrick Kelly. All of them were nice when I interacted with them, and I'm grateful to every one of them for signing my poster.