Arnold Schwarzenegger 4K Double Bill at CULTPLEX

As Manchester’s self-proclaimed home of cult movies, CULTPLEX was never going to let the 4K restoration of two Arnold Schwarzenegger classics go un-celebrated. So this February, they’re going full-Arnie with a double bill featuring two fan favourites that should play like gangbusters in front of a packed house.

First up is 1982’s bloodthirsty revenge tale, Conan the Barbarian. The film was directed by John Milius, who co-wrote the script with Oliver Stone, and early considerations for the lead role included Charles Bronson and Sylvester Stallone. It wasn’t until producers saw a rough cut of body building doc Pumping Iron that Schwarzenegger barged his way into the picture. The hulking strongman was an easy match to the titular barbarian as seen on the covers of the pulp novels the film was based upon — although Milius had the actor embark on a training regime that included horseback riding and rope climbing in order to add an athleticism to his muscles.

Following Conan is a screening of James Cameron’s 1994 action comedy True Lies. Schwarzenegger had famously worked with Cameron twice before in 1984’s The Terminator and its 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but he’s allowed a few more lines here as an all-action spy who leads a double life as a dull salesman, keeping his true profession a secret even from his wife, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. With epic action set pieces, classic Arnie one-liners and explosions for days, True Lies has all of the ingredients for a perfect Saturday night flick.