Michael Biehn is at his best playing men trained to cope with danger who still seem capable of being hurt. We rate him for that vulnerability, especially in James Cameron's films; the repeated uniforms can obscure how much he contributes.
Fi1m perspective
In Aliens (1986), Michael Biehn's Corporal Hicks looks capable without looking invulnerable. We felt reassured by him because his competence came with enough vulnerability to make him someone worth worrying about. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley gives James Cameron's film its human centre, and Biehn does not need to compete with her. Some of the marines are scarcely more than types; Hicks benefits from Biehn's willingness to let a soldier seem fallible. He makes us want this particular man to get through the danger.
Cameron is the director who makes the strongest case for Biehn, beginning with his breakthrough as Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984). Their three films together include The Abyss (1989), which casts him as the unstable antagonist Lieutenant Hiram Coffey. Coffey allows his intensity to become threatening, a useful change from the competent Hicks. These parts ask for more than someone who looks qualified to carry a weapon.
The 1990s brought supporting work, including Johnny Ringo in Tombstone (1993) and Commander Charles Anderson in Michael Bay's The Rock (1996). We like The Rock for its willingness to be loud, implausible and entertaining, though its editing sometimes makes the action harder to follow than it should be. Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris supply much of the pleasure; it would be misleading to sell it chiefly as a Biehn film. Anderson does, however, belong to the pattern of military and law-enforcement parts that came to define his casting.
That repetition can make Biehn seem a narrower actor than the Cameron films suggest. The caveat is worth keeping in mind: being convincing in uniform is not, by itself, enough to make a part interesting. His physical presence is useful, but Hicks stays with us because we can worry about the man as well as trust his judgement. Start with Aliens for that performance, and let Weaver remain the centre of attention.
Biography
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He was born on 31 July 1956 in Anniston, Alabama, and attended the drama programme at the University of Arizona before moving to Hollywood to pursue acting.
Biehn is known for his roles in several films directed by James Cameron, including Kyle Reese in The Terminator (1984) and Corporal Dwayne Hicks in Aliens (1986). He played Commander Charles Anderson in The Rock (1996) and Johnny Ringo in Tombstone (1993). Other credits include The Abyss (1989) and Planet Terror (2007).
On television he has appeared in series such as The Magnificent Seven (1998–2000) and The Mandalorian (2019).
