Dateline Movies Presents: Top 5 Movies of Arnold Schwarzenegger

When one thinks of action movie stars, the first person that naturally comes to my mind is the "Austrian Oak", Arnold Schwarzenegger.  With those big biceps of his and menacing looks, actions and explosions on screen will definitely follow.  So without much further ado, herewith are Arnold Schwarzenegger's Top 5 highest grossing films:

5.  Twins 
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Starting the countdown is not an action movie but a comedy movie - Twins, that partners Arnold Schwarzenegger with comedian Danny DeVito.  It was produced and directed by Ivan Reitman and also stars Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb and Bonnie Bartlett.  It was released on December 9, 1988 and has a running time of 105 minutes.  

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It tells of two twins, Julius (Arnold) and Vincent (DeVito) Benedict that were separated during birth.  They were the result of the US government experiment of developing the perfect genetic child.  But instead of developing just one embryo, it splits into two.  The result were the birth of two completely different and opposite twins.  

Arnold and Danny would pair again in the 1994 movie Junior which was also directed again by Ivan Reitman.  Arnold has a total of three films that was directed by Ivan Reitman - Twins, Junior and Kindergarten Cop in 1990.

4.  Total Recall 
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Next on our list is Total Recall that was released on June 1, 1990 and has a running time of 113 minutes.  It was directed by Dutch born Paul Verhoeven who also directed the popular film Robocop.  The movie is based on the story written by Philip K. Dick titled We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.

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Also starring on this film are Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
and Ronny Cox.  The movie also did well on the 63rd Academy Awards winning 1 of the 3 categories it was nominated in.  It won the Special Achievement Award for Best Visual Effects for Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern & Alex Funke.

The story revolves around Douglas Quaid and his mysterious dreams about the planet Mars and a woman living there.  He travels to Mars and founds out that he is a former secret agent whose memory was removed and that everything that he does and have, including his wife is not real.  

3.  True Lies 
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Partly based on the 1991 French comedy film La Totale! which was written and directed by Claude Zidi, True Lies is written, screen played, produced and directed by James Cameron. It also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and the iconic star Charlton Heston. It was released on July 15, 1994 and has a running time of 141 minutes. It was nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects category but unfortunately it didn't win. It was a great film however for Jamie Lee Curtis, winning for her the Best Actress Award at the 52nd Golden Globe Award and the Best Actress Award at the 21st Saturn Awards.
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In this movie Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the role of Harry Tasker, a computer salesman on one side but acts as a double agent for the Omega Sector of the government tasked to perform covert operations against terrorist.  He uncovers a plot by Palestinian operatives known as the Crimson Jihad, to sow terror and destruction on the United States. 

2. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines


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Unlike in The Terminator and its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, James Cameron no longer directs and writes the third installment of the Terminator franchise.  A new director,  Jonathan Mostow takes over.  
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The film also stars Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.  It has a running time of 109 minutes.  It has an opening day gross of $44,041,440 and a worldwide gross of $150,371,112.

After failing to eliminate Sarah and John Connor, another terminator was sent. This time, a female terminator, a T-X was sent. It is a more advanced version of the T 1000 complete with more built-in weapons and more advanced liquid metal exterior whose main purpose is to eliminate John's future wife, who is the resistance's second in command as well as majority of the resistance's officers.

1.  Terminator 2: Judgment Day


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And now the number one movie for Arnold Schwarzenegger which was also written, produced and directed by James Cameron and released on July 3, 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day also stars Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick and Edward Furlong. 
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It has a running time of 136 minutes and was distributed by TriStar Pictures. Its opening day gross is $31,765,506, while its total worldwide gross is $ 204,843,345.

In the second part of the Terminator franchise originally released in 1984, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as the cybernetic half human/half robot T 800, but this time he is on the good side trying to protect John Connor's mother, Sarah, as well as young John Connor from a menacing and rather more advanced terminator, the liquid-metal and shape-shifting T 1000 played by Robert Patrick.

The movie also did well in the 64th Academy Awards winning four of the six categories it was nominated in. It won the Best Make Up Award for Stan Winston and Jeff Dawn, Best Sound for Tom Johnson, Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers and Lee Orloff, Best Sound Editing for Gary Rydstrom and Gloria S. Borders and the Best Visual Effects for Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Gene Warren Jr. and Robert Skotak.
  

Another movie that is worth mentioning and I think is Arnold's best is the movie Predator which was released on June 12, 1987.  His role in this movie fits him very well.  He is the only person capable of doing a hand-to-hand combat with an alien.

How about you?  What's your favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie?

Box office records courtesy of Box Office Mojo

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