In Predator, Dutch’s team is sent to the fictional Central American country of Val Verde.
John McTiernan’s 1987 action film follows an elite rescue team led by Major Alan “Dutch” Schaefer. The mission appears to involve rescuing hostages from guerrillas in a remote jungle, but the team soon discovers that it is being hunted by an invisible and technologically advanced extraterrestrial creature.
Val Verde is a fictional country used in Predator and several other action-film stories connected with producer Joel Silver and screenwriter Shane Black. The name gives the film a geopolitical setting without tying its military operation to a real nation.
The movie was filmed primarily in Mexico, including locations around Puerto Vallarta and Palenque. Arnold Schwarzenegger played Dutch, and the Predator was portrayed physically by Kevin Peter Hall. The film’s jungle setting and thermal-vision imagery became especially influential in later science-fiction action movies.