10. Scene: The Biker Bar
A scene of absolute ambiguity that tells us one thing: whoever Arnold Schwarzenegger is playing this time, he is an absolute badass and a force to be reckoned with. Upon entering the biker bar and scanning around for body types that might match his own, he chances upon a surly biker and declares the iconic line, "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle". The amused biker retorts, "You forgot to say please", before Arnie's promptly dispatches the entire gang of bikers in relatively savage fashion, though importantly not killing any of them. His motives remain unclear, something intended to keep audiences on their toes after all of Arnie's heart-ripping in the last film.
11. The Clothes, The Boots and the Motorcycle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40_GLgTnDkU&feature=player_embedded The end of the above scene, as the T-800 leaves the bar decked out in black leather and shades, driving a bike while totting a shotgun, provides the finishing touches of one of cinema's most memorable heroes, as George Thorogood and the Destroyers' "Bad to the Bone" kicks in and he heads on his merry way, in pursuit of John Connor. It is a look that has been spoofed and parodied so much over the last 20 years - even strangely in the third film, as the T-800 dons fruity Elton John shades and rides around at one point on a puny looking police bike - but one that is immensely badass, especially in that opening action scene, but we'll talk about that later.
12. Robert Patrick
By his own admission a jobbing actor pretty much ready to give in, Robert Patrick's brilliant, apparently career-salvaging performance as the villainous T-100 in many ways makes the film, combined with the outstanding visual effects. Emotionless, fiercely intelligent, and seemingly unstoppable, this is how you top a villain, providing a more sophisticated and tenacious beast than Schwarzenegger's T-800. It is a turn that has been deemed iconic enough to be parodied in the likes of
Wayne's World, Arnie's own
Last Action Hero, and even an episode of
The Simpsons, to name just a few.
13. Edward Furlong
The squeaky-voiced Edward Furlong might be a little bit annoying to some ears, but he's an absolute charmer in the role, and thus it's no surprise that he later managed to land juicy roles for directors the likes of Adam Rifkin (
Detroit Rock City) and Tony Kaye (
American History X). In T2, he is an ultimate example of the everyman, sharing our bemusement at all the chaos, infused with a dash of knowing humour while embodying the rebellious attitude that would come to characterise Connor's life's work, while still appearing vulnerable. Amusingly, Furlong matured during filming, so his voice had to be pitched down for the sake of consistency, and his growth spurt was so noticeable that a hole had to be dug in the ground for him to stand in during some scenes.
14. Xander Berkeley
It was only relatively recently that I realised quite who it was that played John Connor's step-dad Todd. Xander Berkeley was not too well known at the time, though is now unquestionably a respected character actor, famed primarily for his role as grumpy CTU boss George Mason on hit show
24. Berkeley is hilariously dour as the bum stepdad who doesn't really give too much of a damn about John, but makes a cursory effort to keep his wife, played by Jenette Goldstein, happy. He also gets what is probably the best death in the film; pinned against the wall by the T1000 - who has disguised himself as Todd's wife - with his knife-arm. The carton of milk he was drinking doesn't survive either, unfortunately.