Arnold Schwarzenegger Birthday Special: 5 unconventional films of the action hero

Has there ever been a more unorthodox American movie star than Arnold Schwarzenegger?

With his heavy accent and unreal, barrel-chested physique, the idea that Schwarzenegger was once America’s biggest film star seems surreal.

When Schwarzenegger decided to pursue his passion for acting, producers were impressed by his physique but not his mouthful of a last name, so it was as Arnold Strong that he made his film bow in the low-budget spoof Hercules in New York (1970, with a dubbed voice).

He reverted to his own name and achieved stardom as “himself” in the 1977 documentary “Pumping Iron”. On the Terminator’s birthday, we bring you some of Schwarzenegger’s most interesting movies, barring the obvious.

The Running Man

Based very, very loosely on the Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) novel of the same name, “The Running Man” is set in the dystopian near future of 2017. Schwarzenegger was at peak quippiness at the time, so each baddie is dispatched not only with a violent death, but a one-liner, too: “Give you a lift?” he asks before tossing a guy to his death. “He had to split,” he remarks after a chainsaw-wielding stalker gets cut in two.

Conan the Barbarian

Not since Bambi’s mother was killed has there been a cannier movie for kids than “Conan the Barbarian”. As Conan, Mr Schwarzenegger looks overdressed even when he is undressed, but then there is no way he can unzip that overdeveloped physique and slip into something more comfortable. At his best, the actor appears to be good-humoured. The film is, at least very least, bombastically entertaining.

Total Recall

The best “bad” movie ever or a sly, subversive treatise on cinematic escapism? You decide. Here, Arnold plays Quaid, a construction worker dissatisfied with his mundane life and wishing for more excitement in his structured existence. People debate the true nature of the movie to this day. Yet, one thing’s for sure, between some striking practical effects, a high body count and the infamous three-breasted bar patron, this is one Arnold venture that deserves to be called essential.

Kindergarten Cop (1990)

He dominated the box office with that shtick, until, people started to realize what was happening and move on. Schwarzenegger smartly did the same, giving comedic roles a shot as his body got older.  Kindergarten Cop, however, marked Arnold’s first attempt at carrying a comedy on his own and serves as one of Arnold’s more endearing performances.

True Lies

Despite its mile-wide streak of misogyny and its gaping plot and logic holes, was one of the major hits of that summer’s movie season. Arnold was rarely better than when he was under director James Cameron’s guidance. In this loose remake of the French comedy La Totale! Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis’ chemistry in addition to Cameron’s full throttle-pacing make it a roller-coaster worthy of anyone’s time.