Character: Douglas Quaid
Year: 1990
I don't know why Arnold is so well suited to Science Fiction. Maybe it's because his unrealistic physique just doesn't make that much sense unless he's a cybernetic organism or fighting predators from space, or, in this case, is a secret agent from Mars.
It would be hard for him to play a mild-mannered computer programmer from Iowa because at some point you as the audience would have to ask: 'Wait? This nerdy computer guy works out for 4 hours every day?' And as much as we're willing to suspend disbelief from time to time, that might just be too hard of a pill to swallow.
As such, almost all of Arnold's movies have had a Fantasy or Sci-Fi undercurrent to them, and often these movies are the best of his filmography. Of course, sometimes they can be the worst as well (I'm looking at you Batman & Robin…)
But Total Recall definitely falls under the 'best' heading, and if you couldn't already tell by it's ranking on this list, I love this movie. Not just for the classic Arnold elements, not just for a young Sharon Stone, not even for the three-breasted mutant prostitute. Nope, this just a good movie (although when you're 12, a three-breasted mutant prostitute never hurts…)
Now if we can only stop Hollywood from shamelessly trying to remake such a cinema classic, we'll be a better society overall. (Actually, I hate to say it, but a gritty, realistic, toned-down version of Total Recall could actually be really good, no matter how much it spits in the face of one of my all-time favourite movies growing up… that said, I still can't see Colin Farrell doing proper justice to the all-important delivery of the line 'Come on, Cohaagen! You got what you want. Give those people air!')
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