Michael Biehn: Saving John Connor’s mom

Michael Biehn as Kyle Reece in "The Terminator".

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/terminator-what-happened-star-michael-biehn-1228634/

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He has the ability to bring sensitivity and humanity to roles that don’t always offer it.

Whether it was Kyle Reece in “The Terminator”; Dwayne Hicks in “Aliens”; Hiram Coffey in “The Abyss”, or even the guy taking on a biker gang in “Hog Wild”, Michael Biehn makes the audience cheer for him.

However, he is so talented he can turn the tables and make you despise him, like his character Johnny Ringo did in “Tombstone”.

Yet, in the ‘80s, if James Cameron was directing a science fiction or fantasy movie, guaranteed Michael Biehn was in it, and hooking the audience.

It is Michael Biehn’s birthday today, and a chance to look at some great characters that really left a lasting impression.

Hog Wild
The first time I ever saw Michael Biehn was in a peculiar movie on Channel 13 on the peasant vision dial called “Hog Wild”. It was a Canadian movie, so for awhile I thought Biehn was Canadian, which is not the case.

In this comedy, he runs afoul of a biker gang, led by Bull, played by Tony Rosato. At first, they play tricks on him, such as running his car up a flag pole and letting it hang there, but he soon turns the tables on them. It seemed to be on every year, so one year I just decided to watch it.

Biehn was by far the best part of that movie.

The years before
Michael Biehn got his start on television in 1977 with a guest spot in “James at 15”. He would go on to have parts in “Logan’s Run”; “The Runaways”, for 17 episodes; “Family”; “The ABC Afterschool Special”; “Hill Street Blues”; and a number of television movies including “Zuma Beach”; “A Fire in the Sky”; “Steeletown”; “The Paradise Connection”; “China Rose”; and “The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian”.

His first movie role would be an uncredited turn in “Grease” in 1978. He would also appear in “Coach”; “The Fan”; and “The Lords of Discipline”.

Then, in 1984, came his big breakthrough.

Marked for termination
In a dystopic future, machines have taken over the world, but humanity is fighting them tooth and nail. The resistance is led by a man named John Connor. The machines decide to rid themselves of Connor, by sending an assassin, or terminator, back in time to prevent Connor’s birth by killing his mother Sarah Connor.

That terminator, played in a defining role by Arnold Schwarzenegger, arrives in 1984 and starts killing women named Sarah Connor. When John’s mother, played by Linda Hamilton, is in the terminator’s sights, a shotgun blast stuns her would-be assassin. This buys enough time for a shadowy figure to grab Sarah and help her escape.

His name is Kyle Reece, and he has been sent back in time by his good friend John Connor, to protect Sarah.

I still recall the first words I heard Reece say, “You’ve been marked for termination.”

Micahel Biehn played Kyle Reece.

He would protect Sarah Connor, ultimately giving his life in the cause of destroying the terminator. In the end, in a twist of temporal fate, he becomes romantically involved with Sarah Connor, and actually fathers her child – John Connor.

Biehn is brilliant as Kyle Reece.

I saw “The Terminator” in the summer of 1985. I had gone to Con-version, a science fiction and fantasy convention at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary. They had this room, acting as a theatre, that played movies all weekend. We were waiting for our ride, so I ducked into the theatre and “The Terminator” was just starting.

When I saw Reece for the first time, I immediately liked him, and wanted to know his name. That was the kind of presence Michael Biehn had on the screen.

It would not be too long until I saw him again, in another role where he was trying to stop a murderous entity.

Not you again
“Alien”, a science fiction horror film, came out in 1979, featuring a spaceship crew who encounter an alien entity that systematically kills them off. Only Ellen Ripley survives, by dispatching the alien into the depths and death of outer space. Ripley is played by Sigourney Weaver.

In 1986, that monstrous entity is back in “Aliens”. Ripley leads a team back to the moon, where the alien was initially encountered, to investigate what happened to a human colony there.

One of the members of that team is Dwayne Hicks. At first I did not recognize him, but he was played by Michael Biehn. Hicks at first believes the mission is a waste of time, and there will be a simple explanation for the loss of contact with the colony. However, he and all the other naysayers are wrong as the aliens are there – in droves. The team then begins a desperate fight for survival once again.

Hicks ends up being one of the Marines who does survive with Ripley.

Again, Michael Biehn makes Hicks an engaging character I wanted to root for. I hoped he would survive – and he did.

Incidentally, I always joked the next sequel should be called “Alienss”, but the producers went with the more standard “Alien 3”.

When I saw “Aliens”, it was at a house party of a high school classmate’s, which was not that far from our own farm. While we watched, and got immersed in the movie, our host’s brother threw a snow ball against the window, scaring many of us spitless.

I would recall distinctly where I was the next time I saw Micahel Biehn too, but much would happen before then.

In-between
After “Aliens”, Michael Biehn appeared in the movies “Rampage”; “The Seventh Sign”; and “In a Shallow Grave”.

He had also been in a couple television movies in 1985 called “Deadly Intentions” and “Die Nacht aus Blei”.

As the decade closed, James Cameron, the director who cast him in “The Terminator” and “Aliens”, came calling one more time.

Look down, look way down
An American submarine sinks in the Caribbean. A search and rescue team races against the Russians to retrieve the boat and save the crew. As they go deeper and deeper into the ocean, they discover an alien presence down there.

“The Abyss” came out in 1989. This time, Michael Biehn plays Hiram Coffey, the commander of the Navy SEAL team working to recover the submarine. Once again, he played an engaging character.

This time, I was in my third year of university and just moved on to a new floor where I hadn’t lived before. It was a great floor, as they were always doing something whether it was going out, playing games or going to movies. One of the first years was named Tony Carlsson, and he often organized those movies early on. I remember him just loving “The Abyss”.

So did I.

The years after
Michael Biehn keeps on working to this day.

He had a few more hit movies in the ‘90s including “Navy SEALs”; “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”; and his amazing portrayal of the villain Johnny Ringo in “Tombstone”. He was also in “The Rock”; “Mojave Moon”; “American Dragons”; “The Art of War”; “Grindhouse”; and much more.

On television he has been in a number of TV films, as well as 22 episodes of “The Magnificent Seven”; 22 episodes of “Adventure, Inc.”; eight episodes of “Hawaii”; “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”; “Criminal Minds”; “Dark Blue”; 12 episodes of “24 Hour Rental”; “The Mandalorian”; “The Walking Dead”; “Law and Order: Organized Crime”; and much more.

Parting thoughts
There is just something about Michael Biehn that I have always liked. He is just an engaging actor who creates likable characters, starting way back in “Hog Wild”, right through “The Terminator”, “Aliens”, “the Abyss”, and even as the bad guy in “Tombstone”.

What really drives that home for me is his portrayal of Kyle Reece, who was a good guy, but a killer and a mercenary too. 

As brutal as he had to be taking on the Terminator, he was tender and kind to Sarah Connor – and he saved John Connor’s Mom.