Stop 32 minutes and 27 seconds into the final action hero and take a good look at Schwarzenegger’s back!

In the late 1980s, director John McTiernan established himself as a leading director of the action genre. With Predator , Crystal Trap , and The Hunt for Red due in October, he’s ditching the genre and completely reinventing the Hollywood hero.

In the early 90s, the director was at the peak of fame. He is preparing to shoot a new movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Last Action Hero! The two men are teaming up again after Predator and the project looks very interesting on paper, mixing comedy and action.

Schwarz was the king of the box office at the time, especially after the triumph of Terminator 2 and Total Recall. Therefore, his meeting with McTiernan will be very difficult! Last Action Hero follows Danny Madigan, a teenager who receives a magical movie ticket that allows him to enter the world of his favorite hero: Jack Slater.

Together they face great danger and always win. But things get complicated when people with bad intentions grab a magic ticket and reach New York, where crime pays more than movies.

A pastiche of an action movie

This highly engaging pitch is an excuse for McTiernan and Schwarz to mock every action movie cliché while delivering an adrenaline-pumping performance. With the filmmaker of Crystal Trap at the helm and the hero of Terminator 2 in the title role, the film could only be a success.

Unfortunately, the film will be a failure burdened by the demands of the studio, in open conflict with the director. Additionally, the production made the monumental mistake of releasing the film on June 18, 1993 in the US, one week after Jurassic Park. the result Last Action Hero was literally eaten by Steven Spielberg’s dinos.

However, the feature film will have a second youth on video and will become iconic over time. Packed with chilling lines, Dantesque action sequences and cinematic references, Last Action Hero is a veritable gold mine for genre fans.

References abound

For example, if you keep your eyes open at 32 minutes and 27 seconds, you’ll see two very familiar characters! First off, it’s Catherine Trammell, the ice-picking assassin from Basic Instinct, who appears outside the police station where Danny and Jack Slater are headed. Starring Sharon Stone, she lights a cigarette before continuing on her way.

An anxious young man, who entered the world of his hero’s film, is surprised to discover this amazing world. The next second, another iconic pop culture character crosses her path, tripping her up in the process.

Danny, stunned, immediately recognizes one of the greatest villains in movie history: the T-1000 from Terminator 2. Played by Robert Patrick with his steely blue eyes and his determination, the mimetic polyalloy robot is right on track, probably still. Looking for John Connor.

Thus, in a few very fleeting seconds, John McTiernan pays homage to two iconic works of the 90s, Basic Instinct (1992) and Terminator 2 (1991). However, he wasn’t content with that, referencing the film with many other references, parodying the action genre with unusual self-mockery, especially Schwarzenegger’s impulse to have fun like crazy.

If you want to have fun spotting these little hidden details, Last Action Hero is available on Netflix and Max platforms.