Action movie 'masterpiece' to air on TV this weekend - when and how to watch

An action movie dubbed a 'masterpiece' is on free-to-air TV this weekend for the perfect evening viewing.

Also considered a cult classic, the 1987 original Predator sees a rescue team in the jungles of Latin America cross paths with an intergalactic hunter in search of human prey.

Dutch, a soldier of fortune, is hired by the U.S. government to secretly rescue a group of politicians trapped in Guatemala but when he and his team, land at the location, something is wrong.

After finding a string of dead bodies, the crew discovers they are being hunted by a brutal creature with superhuman strength and the ability to disappear into its surroundings.

The film surprised audiences upon its initial release as viewers thought it was a generic war movie until the alien creature starts taking out the soldiers one by one.

Directed by Die Hard's John McTiernan, the film was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier roles which would help cement him as a Hollywood action star.

It is one of his most quoted films, as it includes his famous line: "Get to the chopper."

Earning nearly $100 million at the box office from a budget of less than $20 million, it has inspired a number of sequels and even reboots, with the franchise continuing nearly four decades on from the original film.

Good news for fans of the sci-fi action classic is that it is on UK television to watch for free this weekend.

The film will be shown on Film4 on Saturday (November 2) beginning at 9pm.

A critic, reviewing the film years after its release for Flickering Myth, acknowledged its place in cinema history, posting on Rotten Tomatoes: "Pure action cinema at its most efficient and charmingly unpretentious, Predator remains a lean masterpiece over three decades on."

Another reviewer agreed as they said: "A year before the release of Die Hard, McTiernan captured loads of suspense, terror, and sheer testosterone. They simply don't make them like this anymore."

If that isn't enough, 2018 sequel The Predator directed by Shane Black is also on television on Sunday, November 3 in the same time slot of 9pm.

Black also co-wrote the script in his return to the franchise as he had a small role on screen in the original film, as Richard Hawkins, the first victim of the alien Predator in the film.

Predator is on Film4 at 9pm on Saturday, November 2. The Predator is on Film4 at 9pm on Sunday, November 3. They are also streaming on Disney+.