John Matrix

Colonel John Matrix is a fictional character from the 1985 film Commando, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is widely considered a template for Schwarzenegger's future action roles, with this one of the first where he displays his trademark humour.
Biography
Born and raised in East Germany, Matrix went on to become a Colonel in the United States Army and led a Special Forces unit during Cold War operations in Syria, Latin America and the Soviet Union. He eventually retired from the military and went on to live in the mountains of California with his daughter, Jenny.
However, his former commanding officer Major General Franklin Kirby soon visits him with news that every member of his former unit have been killed, and he is likely to be targeted next. Kirby leaves two soldiers to guard his home and leaves by helicopter. A number of gunmen then ambush the house from the woods and kill both guards. Matrix tells Jenny to hide under her bed, while he retrieves his rifle from his shed. When he goes back into the house, he finds that Jenny has been kidnapped and only one of the attackers remains behind, Diaz. He sits calmly in a chair and tries to negotiate with Matrix, who promptly shoots him in the forehead. He then spots the kidnappers fleeing in vehicles and gets in his own car to chase them. However, his engine has been disabled and he is forced push the car downhill and use gravity to persue. After, a brief persuit, he crashes and is shot with a dart that knocks him unconsious by Captain Bennett, a former disgraced member of his unit.
He then awakes in a room with Bennet and another man, Arius. It becomes clear that Bennett has kidnapped Jenny to try to force Matrix to commit a political assassination for Arius and his gang of other former U.S. soldiers. Arius was El Presidente and dictator of Val Verde, but was overthrown by Matrix and the US Special Forces, and now wishes to lead a military coup of his own to get back into power. Since Arius will have Jenny killed if Matrix refuses, Matrix reluctantly accepts the demand. Matrix is then taken to Los Angeles International Airport by Sully and Henriques, two of Arius' henchmen, and put on a plane to Val Verde. Sully stays behind but Henriques accompanies Matrix on the plane. Sitting next to his guard, Matrix smashes his elbow into Henriques' face then breaks his neck. After asking the stewardess not to disturb his 'friend' as he is "dead tired", Matrix pretends to go to the bathroom but actually sneaks into the plane's underbelly and jumps out into a swamp through the plane's wheel just as it is taking off from the runway. Matrix then sets his stopwatch for the approximate time of the flight. Subsequently, he then goes to the airport's capark and commandeers the car of Cindy, an off-duty flight attendant, and eventually manages to enlist her help by explaining the disaster that has befallen him and Jenny. The two follow Sully, the henchman designated to watch the plane leave. After a car chase, Matrix flips Sully's car over and then kills him by dropping him off the side of a mountain where his corpse disappears without a trace.
Matrix and Cindy then drive to the motel where Sully was staying. Cooke, a former Green Beret and henchman for Arius, arrives at Sully's motel room and Cindy answers the door, pretending to be cleaning Sully's room while he's in the shower. He forces his way in, however, and is confronted by Matrix, who says he eats Green Berets for breakfast. After a hand-to-hand fight, which destroys not only their room but also their neighbours', Cooke is impaled on a metal spike. Matrix then learns where Arius' mansion is located, and where Jenny is likely being held. Using a bulldozer, he breaks into a gun store and steals a large arsenal. However, he is interrupted by the police, who have shown up to investigate the disturbance, and is arrested. Cindy then frees him by overturning the police van with a rocket launcher.
After commandeering a seaplane from a nearby marina run by Arius, Matrix and Cindy land the plane off the coast of the island where Arius is located. Matrix gears up in his commando uniform and instructs Cindy to contact General Kirby before proceeding to Arius' villa, fighting and killing his private army on the way. He subsequently confronts and kills Arius in a gunfight. Matrix then finds Jenny in the basement, but he is shot in the arm by Bennett. Matrix then taunts Bennett into facing him in a knife fight, an invitation Bennett cannot resist. After a fierce struggle, Matrix gains the upper hand and Bennett, defeated, reaches for a machine pistol, but is impaled with a steel pipe by Matrix before he can fire. Matrix then proclaims "let off some steam, Bennett!". After Kirby arrives with a military detachment, he offers Matrix another term of service in the Force. Being tired of fighting, however, Matrix declines, and he, Cindy, and Jenny fly off into the sunset. It is likely that Matrix then makes Cindy his wife, and Jenny's new mother.
Reception
John Matrix's dry sense humour and reckless attitude have made him a cult legend among fans of the film. He is also widely considered a template for future Schwarzenegger roles, such as Mark Kaminsky in , Major Alan "Dutch" Schaeffer in , Captain Ivan Danko in Red Heat and Jack Slater in Last Action Hero. He is also considered one of the all-time classic action heroes, along with the likes of John Rambo, John McClane and Casey Ryback.

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See Also

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