Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in so many popular movies, but there are several standout тιтles that really highlight the path his career took. Born in Austria, Schwarzenegger first introduced himself to the world thanks to his dominating career in bodybuilding. However, such accomplishments were just a stepping stone for Schwarzenegger.
Schwarzenegger defied the critics and built a career as one of Hollywood’s most popular action movie stars. From the Terminator franchise to his standalone action roles to his hilarious comedies, Schwarzenegger has appeared in many classics. However, his career took some interesting turns along the way, with some of his notable movies reflecting how it all shaped out.
While these are not necessarily all Schwarzenegger’s best movies, these are the films that helped him prove himself, become a star, and mark the different phases of his movie career would take over the years.
8
Conan The Barbarian (1982)
As Conan The Barbarian
Arnold Schwarzenegger had already proven himself a larger-than-life figure with his dominating presence in the world of bodybuilding. However, making the transition to acting raised a lot of doubts from people who felt his size, his name, and his accent would make it hard to believe him in any role.
However, Schwarzenegger was clever about choosing his first leading role, settling on an epic warrior hero in the swords and sorcery movie Conan the Barbarian. The film followed Schwarzenegger’s тιтular hero seeking revenge on the warlord who killed his father. While Schwarzenegger’s acting skills did not receive much praise, it was hard to deny that he had screen presence.
With it seeming so unlikely that Schwarzenegger could ever work as a Hollywood leading man, it could have been so easy to dismiss him if Conan the Barbarian hadn’t worked. However, the fun adventure made it clear that he was going to excel in movies, given the right roles.
7
The Terminator (1984)
As The T-800
While Conan the Barbarian got Arnold Schwarzenegger his first franchise, its success was nothing compared to the next character he would play. While Schwarzenegger originally wanted the role of the heroic human warrior, Kyle Reese, The Terminator director James Cameron wisely saw how perfect Schwarzenegger was for the literal killing machine, the time-traveling T-800.
The original sci-fi movie launched one of the most popular franchises of all time. Though he had few lines and showed no emotion in his performance, Schwarzenegger commanded The Terminator with his presence.
His iconic delivery of the famous Terminator line, “I’ll be back,” is one of the most famous quotes in movie history. It created the character that Schwarzenegger has become best known for, playing variations on the T-800 in five installments to date. It helped launch the actor as a true star.
6
Predator (1987)
As Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer
While Commando was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s big, silly action hero follow-up to The Terminator, it was Predator that truly cemented his status as the biggest action hero in Hollywood. The ’80s were really when the action genre became prominent, and Schwarzenegger quickly became the face of its over-the-top entertainment.
Predator was the perfect display of this new persona as Schwarzenegger was playing the leader of a squad of macho commandos taking on a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly alien. With Schwarzenegger placed as the toughest of the tough within this entertaining ensemble, he rose to the challenge of being the true hero of the story.
Predator also helped build that iconic status with some of the most quotable lines from Schwarzenegger’s career, from one-liners to unforgettable deliveries, like “Get to the chopper!” Predator also launched yet another franchise for Schwarzenegger, although one he has yet to return to.
5
Total Recall (1990)
As Douglas Quaid
Arnold Schwarzenegger continued on with his incredible streak of sci-fi movies with Total Recall. Schwarzenegger plays Quaid, a mild-mannered working man in the future who discovers that he is actually a secret operative whose mind has been wiped by his dangerous enemies.
Total Recall went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year and cemented Schwarzenegger as a mᴀssive box office draw. While it was another in a line of sci-fi action flicks for Schwarzenegger, Total Recall actually had the actor playing against type as the more vulnerable protagonist and a hero who was largely out of his element.
The success of the movie proved that audiences were willing to follow Schwarzenegger into roles outside of his typical one-man army characters, a sign that he was truly one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
4
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
As Detective John Kimble
While Arnold Schwarzenegger had already stepped into comedy with Twins, Kindergarten Cop saw him blending his action movie persona with the unlikely genre to great effect. The movie took the simple idea of Schwarzenegger having to deal with a bunch of little kids and understood the easy comedy of that situation.
He stars as a detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher in order to stop a bad guy. Schwarzenegger really proves himself a great comedic actor because of his willingness not to take himself too seriously. Reaching the heights of fame that he was at during this time, many movie stars would be concerned with protecting their public image.
Schwarzenegger committed fully to the jokes, willing to make a fool of himself and be the ʙuтт of all the jokes.
However, Schwarzenegger committed fully to the jokes, willing to make a fool of himself and be the ʙuтт of all the jokes. It opened up an entirely new category of roles for him, expanding his career.
3
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
As The T-800
After becoming one of the greatest villains in movie history as the T-800 in The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron took a big risk in reimagining him as one of the greatest heroes in action movie history for the sequel.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day had this protective Terminator serving as a bodyguard to young John Connor as he is hunted by a more advanced killing machine from the future. The bold move for the sequel paid off enormously. Terminator 2 is not only the highest-grossing movie of Schwarzenegger’s career, but it is also his best film.
Terminator 2 has been hailed as one of the greatest action movies ever made, while also packing a surprising emotional punch. Even with the mere mention of Schwarzenegger’s name, it brings to mind so many of the most iconic moments from the movie.
2
True Lies (1994)
As Harry Tasker
True Lies marks the first reunion between James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger outside of the Terminator franchise. Wisely, it is a much different film than their sci-fi adventures, with True Lies serving as another blend of Schwarzenegger’s skills in action flicks and comedy movies.
Schwarzenegger plays Harry, a family man who is hiding from his wife and daughter that he is actually a secret agent. However, unexpected marital issues with his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, cause his two worlds to collide.
The downward trajectory of Schwarzenegger’s movies eventually led to his stepping away from acting and becoming the Governor of California.
True Lies is hilarious in its mix of domestic comedy with thrilling action sequences. However, it is also a movie that marks the end of an era for Schwarzenegger, as it was his last great action movie.
While Eraser in the mid-90s was fun and Terminator 3 has some defenders, True Lies was followed by a lot of disappointing action movies, like End of Days and The 6th Day. The downward trajectory of Schwarzenegger’s movies eventually led to his stepping away from acting and becoming the Governor of California.
1
The Last Stand (2013)
As Sheriff Ray Owens
Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to acting after his time in politics was done, and he even returned to action movies. After smaller supporting roles in The Expendables franchise, Schwarzenegger’s first leading role in an action film in the 2010s was the neo-Western The Last Stand.
The movie stars Schwarzenegger as a lawman in a small border town who is the last line of defense when a drug lord attempts to escape the police by fleeing across the border. The movie is a fun, underrated action flick from the 2010s, elevated by the stylish directing of Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon.
Schwarzenegger also fit nicely back into the action hero role, bringing a lot of his same swagger as well as a bit more weariness as an older man. However, while The Last Stand was enjoyable, it gave a glimpse of this new era of Schwarzenegger’s career.
It also confirmed that he simply wasn’t going to return to that icon status he had before. Indeed, Schwarzenegger is still delivering the action, but it simply doesn’t match his classic earlier movies.
