‹ All movies

Old Painless

Chris Ryan: Old Painless was the first choice.

The film

Predator (1987)

Directed by John McTiernan · Horror

107 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Arnold Schwarzenegger Alan "Dutch" Schaefer
Carl Weathers Al Dillon
Elpidia Carrillo Anna Gonsalves
Bill Duke Mac Eliot
Jesse Ventura Blain Cooper
Sonny Landham Billy Sole
Richard Chaves Jorge "Poncho" Ramirez
R. G. Armstrong General Homer Phillips
Shane Black Rick Hawkins
Kevin Peter Hall the Predator

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

56:33

Casting What-Ifs

Jean-Claude Van Damme as the Predator; conflicting firing accounts

Jean-Claude Van Damme as the Predator; conflicting firing accounts

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:33Read transcript
  • Van Damme was reportedly too short for the creature concept and may also have passed out or objected to the suit.
  • The finished Predator actor Kevin Peter Hall also appears as the helicopter pilot. — Chris Ryan
1:02:39

Recasting Couch

Ideas included Apollonia or Elisabeth Shue as Anna and Bill Paxton, Damon Wayans, or an early Chris Rock as Hawkins.

Ideas included Apollonia or Elisabeth Shue as Anna and Bill Paxton, Damon Wayans, or an early Chris Rock as Hawkins.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:39Read transcript
1:04:07

Half-Assed Internet Research

The miserable jungle shoot, arm-size prank, Predator blood/sound, Sunny Landham’s required bodyguard, screen time, Se...

The miserable jungle shoot, arm-size prank, Predator blood/sound, Sunny Landham’s required bodyguard, screen time, Seiko watch, and Kevin Peter Hall’s death

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:07Read transcript
1:16:55

Picking Nits

Dutch’s name, the missing team dinner, mud thermodynamics, absent extraction, restored bodies, Arnold’s durability, a...

Dutch’s name, the missing team dinner, mud thermodynamics, absent extraction, restored bodies, Arnold’s durability, and Old Painless’s stealth value

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:55Read transcript
  • The origin and full form of Dutch’s name were unclear.
  • Sunny Landham’s character could simply have been named Sunny rather than Billy. — Chris Ryan
  • The film could have used a pre-mission team dinner to deepen the ensemble. — Chris Ryan
  • MythBusters reportedly found that mud would not conceal body heat. — Chris Ryan
  • The lack of extraction effort for an elite team was questioned.
  • Mac’s destroyed head later appears restored.
  • The same weapon that removes Dillon’s arm barely harms Dutch.
  • A galaxy-traveling alien failing to understand mud camouflage seemed implausible.
  • Old Painless seems poorly suited to stealth extraction. — Kyle Brandt
1:21:50

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Billy’s perception, Predator biology, the Rock’s missing equivalent, the Predator’s mission, the opening spaceship, t...

Billy’s perception, Predator biology, the Rock’s missing equivalent, the Predator’s mission, the opening spaceship, the creature’s perspective, and a Sunny Landham documentary/life story

In the discussion (19)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:50Read transcript
  • Did Billy have supernatural perception or only elite tracking skill? — Chris Ryan
  • How did the Predator handle bodily functions?
  • Is Predator the movie the Rock most wishes he had made? — Chris Ryan
  • Was the Predator on a hunting trip?
  • Was the Predator on an exploration mission?
  • Did the Predator have a larger plan for humanity or the jungle?
  • Did the opening spaceship shot reveal too much?
  • Was the Predator’s echoed “what the hell are you?” evidence that humans were equally alien to it?
  • Did the invisible-Predator effects arrive at exactly the right point in visual-effects history? — Chris Ryan
  • Would a documentary about Sunny Landham’s volatile life be compelling? — Chris Ryan
  • What position did Sunny Landham play during his year at the University of Georgia?
  • Landham played football for one year at the University of Georgia.
  • Landham served in the Army and later worked in an oil field. — Chris Ryan
  • Landham worked as an ordained Baptist minister and model and appeared in adult films and Playgirl. — Chris Ryan
  • His cited film run included The Warriors, 48 Hrs., Predator, Action Jackson, and Lock Up. — Chris Ryan
  • Landham later ran for governor of Kentucky. — Chris Ryan
  • The discussion reported five marriages and a federal conviction for threatening phone calls to his wife. — Chris Ryan
  • A four-car crash badly injured Landham before his death at 76. — Chris Ryan
  • How should the darker parts of Landham’s political and personal record affect the documentary? — Chris Ryan