The Terminator

The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd and produced by Hurd. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cybernetic assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn son will one day save mankind from extinction by Skynet, a hostile artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic future. Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) is a soldier sent back in time to protect Sarah. The screenplay is credited to Cameron and Hurd, while co-writer William Wisher Jr. received an "additional dialogue" credit. Cameron devised the premise of the film from a fever dream he experienced during the release of his first film, Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), in Rome, and developed the concept in collaboration with Wisher. He sold the rights to the project to fellow New World Pictures alumna Hurd on the condition that she would produce the film only if he were to direct it; Hurd eventually secured a distribution deal with Orion Pictures, while executive producers John Daly and Derek Gibson of Hemdale Film Corporation were instrumental in setting up the film's financing and production. Originally approached by Orion for the role of Reese, Schwarzenegger agreed to play the title character after befriending Cameron. Filming, which took place mostly at night on location in Los Angeles, was delayed because of Schwarzenegger's commitments to Conan the Destroyer (1984), during which Cameron found time to work on the scripts for Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Aliens (1986). The film's special effects, which included miniatures and stop-motion animation, were created by a team of artists led by Stan Winston and Gene Warren Jr. Defying low pre-release expectations, The Terminator topped the United States box office for two weeks, eventually grossing $78.3 million against a modest $6.4 million budget. It is credited with launching Cameron's film career and solidifying Schwarzenegger's status as a leading man. The film's success led to a franchise consisting of several sequels, a television series, comic books, novels and video games. In 2008, The Terminator was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

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LOS ANGELES 2029 A.D.

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THE MACHINES ROSE FROM THE ASHES OF THE NUCLEAR FIRE. THEIR WAR TO EXTERMINATE MANKIND HAS RAGED FOR DECADES, BUT THE FINAL BATTLE WOULD NOT BE FOUGHT IN THE FUTURE. IT WOULD BE FOUGHT HERE, IN OUR PRESENT. TONIGHT...

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LOS ANGELES 1984 1 :52a.m.

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What the hell...? Goddamn son-of-a-bitch... What the hell...?

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Hey, my turn.

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Hey, what's wrong with this picture?

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Nice night for a walk? Nice night for a walk. Wash day tomorrow. Nothing clean, right? Nothing clean. Right. I think this guy's a couple of cans short of a six-pack. Your clothes, give them to me. - Now. - Fuck you, asshole.

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Hey, buddy, did you just see a real bright light?

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- See that guy? - Hold it right there. - He's rabbiting. - Hey! I said hold it! Go.

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That son-of-a-bitch took my pants.

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- What day is it? The date. - 1 2th May. - Thursday. - What year?

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He's got my gun. Let's go.

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Guard it for me, Big Buns.

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Hi. I'm late.

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So am l.

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- I'm in it. - So am l.

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- Honey, can I have that coffee now? - Yes, sir. - OK. Who gets the burly-beef? - I ordered barbecued. That's mine, but I didn't order fries. - Mine's the chilli beef deluxe. - Who gets the burly-beef? - We're ready to order now. - Yes, ma'am.

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I'm so sorry.

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This isn't real leather, is it?

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Nice going, kid. I ought to give you the tip.

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