History Trivia / Commando1985

* NoStuntDouble: Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot.

** Jeph Loeb originally wrote the script with the intention of having [[Music/{{KISS}} Gene Simmons]] play Matrix, but Simmons passed on it early in the developmental stage. Loeb then rewrote the script with Creator/NickNolte in mind as an out-of-condition former Commando. The storyline was to concern a special forces agent working in the Middle East who becomes sick of the continuous death and destruction. He leaves Israel, returns to the United States and retires, but he is then forced out of retirement after the kidnapping of his daughter.

* ForeignRemake: ''D-Day'', 2008 Russian remake of the film.
* HeyItsThatPlace: The mansion where the final shootout between Matrix and [[BigBad Arius]] took place is the same mansion where the final shootout between Axel Foley and Victor Maitland took place in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop''. It was also Jack Woltz's house in ''Film/TheGodfather''.

** Creator/JenniferConnelly, Creator/ShannenDoherty and Creator/WinonaRyder auditioned for Jenny.

* NamesTheSame / RecycledTitle: ''Commando'' is also the name of a long running British ComicBook series set in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* DuelingMovies: Relased in the same year of similar OneManArmy movie ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII''. Though making less money, it was also a massive success and a successful vehicle to market Arnie as a hero after his StarMakingRole as a villain in ''Film/TheTerminator''.

** Arnold once stated on Reddit that he wanted a scene where he would cut of a man's arm and then kill him with it. Unfortunately, studio head Larry Gordon thought it was too much.

* DuelingMovies: Relased in the same year of similar OneManArmy movie ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII'', Though making less money, it was also a massive success, a successful vehicle to market Arnie as a hero after his StarMakingRole as a villain in ''Film/TheTerminator''.

* DuelingMovies: This film was an attempt to capitalize on the growing popularity of the OneManArmy genre (started by Stallone's ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII'', which, like this film, was set during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar), and simultaneously a vehicle to market Arnie as a hero after his StarMakingRole as a villain in ''Film/TheTerminator''.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: The villains kidnap John Matrix's daughter and try to use her as leverage to get him to do an assassination for them. He rebels (of course) and begins trying to get her back by tracking down the members of the group and getting them to reveal where she is. One of the first such members, Sully, frantically tries to get to a phone booth to inform his superiors about what's going on and in one case is in the middle of dialing when Matrix destroys the phone booth to stop the call from going through. Starting about 10-12 years later, Sully would almost certainly have had a cell phone and could have placed the call within seconds of seeing Matrix, leading to the grisly demise of his daughter.

* StillbornFranchise: In 1986, a sequel was written by Steven E. de Souza, and revised by Creator/FrankDarabont, with an eye to having Creator/JohnMcTiernan direct. The plot of the abandoned sequel would had seen Matrix being hired by a big corporation to oversee their security to protect their executives from being kidnapped. To stop people breaking into their building and to make sure their computers are secure. So he sets it up and hires the most dangerous people to be guards in the building and then lo and behold - he discovers the people he's working for are in the illegal arms business and the big corporation is a simply a front. The end of the movie would see Jenny and Cindy, who is now a lawyer, trapped in the building and Matrix now has to defeat all the people he hired - all the meanest, toughest guards - as well as the security systems, the guard dogs, everything. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger wasn't interested, and the sequel became ''Film/DieHard''. Although de Souza [[https://movieweb.com/die-hard-not-based-on-commando-2-script/ has denied this]].

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Matrix's daughter would have been dead within ''seconds'' of him being spotted by Sully at the mall if this film was set in the late 1990s. Also Matrix could've called General Kirby on a cellphone once he got off the plane.

* VisibleBoomMic: Seen in the reflection of a car window when Bennett's vehicle drives away after dropping off Matrix at the airport[[note]]In other words, after Arnold utters, "I'll be back."[[/note]], along with the reflection of the boom operator in a lavender shirt.

* NoStuntDouble: Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger performe0d many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot.

* NoStuntDouble: Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger performed many of his own stunts, as producers found it difficult to find a stunt double for the bodybuilder. The actor suffered a dislocated shoulder and several stitches during the shoot.

** Mark L. Lester initially wanted Creator/RaulJulia for Arius, but producer Joel Silver insisted on casting Dan Hedaya.

* RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor: Of all people, Bennett the psycho villain was played by an actor who is a very nice person off camera, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjkp-Qtq2Ss as Arnie himself recalls]].

* StillbornFranchise: In 1986, a sequel was written by Steven E. de Souza, and revised by Creator/FrankDarabont, with an eye to having Creator/JohnMcTiernan direct. The plot of the abandoned sequel would had seen Matrix being hired by a big corporation to oversee their security to protect their executives from being kidnapped. To stop people breaking into their building and to make sure their computers are secure. So he sets it up and hires the most dangerous people to be guards in the building and then lo and behold - he discovers the people he's working for are in the illegal arms business and the big corporation is a simply a front. The end of the movie would see Jenny and Cindy, who is now a lawyer, trapped in the building and Matrix now has to defeat all the people he hired - all the meanest, toughest guards - as well as the security systems, the guard dogs, everything. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger wasn't interested, and the sequel became ''Film/DieHard''.

* DeletedScene: Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger & Rae Dawn Chong shot a love scene, but this was so unconvincing it was dropped from the movie.

* ThrowItIn: Rae Dawn Chong's reactions to the motel fight were filmed separately and were completely ad-libbed.

* HeyItsThatPlace: The mansion where the final shootout between Matrix and [[BigBad Arius]] took place is the same mansion where the final shootout between Axel Foley and Victor Maitland took place in ''Film/BeverlyHillsCop''.

* TechnologyMarchesOn
** Matrix's daughter would have been dead within ''seconds'' of him being spotted by Sully at the mall if this film was set in the late 1990s. Also Matrix could've called General Kirby on a cellphone once he got off the plane.

** Originally, the lead role was written for [[Music/{{KISS}} Gene Simmons]].

** This was originally offered to John [=McTiernan=] of ''Film/{{Predator}}'' and ''Film/DieHard'' fame.
** A sequel was planned, but Arnie didn't want to do it, so the concept was recycled into ''Film/DieHard''.

* NamesTheSame / RecycledTitle: There's also the later Capcom game called [[{{VideoGame/Okami}} Okami]], and Capcom adopted the name from the games. ''Commando'' is also the name of a long running British ComicBook series set in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Bennett is Vernon Wells, a.k.a. [[PowerRangersTimeForce Ransik]] and [[MadMax Wez]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: Bennett is Vernon Wells, a.k.a. [[PowerRangersTimeForce Ransik]] and [[MadMax]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: Bennett is Vernon Wells, a.k.a. [[PowerRangersTimeForce Ransik]] and [[MadMaxRoadWarrior Wez]].