Epic Handshake

About

Epic Handshake, also known as the “Predator Handshake,” is a memorable scene from the 1987 science fiction action film Predator, in which two men greet each other with an arm wrestle handshake. Due to the campy nature of the scene, it has inspired many parody and remix videos on YouTube, often featuring background music using popular songs from the 1980s.

Origin

In a scene from the 1987 film Predator, the character Dutch (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is surprised to see his old friend Dillon (played by Carl Weathers) and greets him by exclaiming “Dillon! You son of a bitch” followed by a strong handshake that turns into an arm wrestling match (shown below, left). On August 25th, 2007, YouTuber kreshjun uploaded a video titled “A tribute to the handshake in Predator,” featuring a live action reenactment of the handshake scene (shown below, right). Within the next six years, the video received over 370,000 views and 1,000 comments.

Spread

On September 28th, 2008, YouTuber BeefMcDoogle uploaded a remix of the handshake video, featuring the 1983 song “Push it to the Limit” by Paul Engemann (shown below, left). In the next five years, the video received more than 195,000 views and 250 comments. On April 30th, 2009, YouTuber jotoOAK uploaded a Spanish language version of the scene (shown below, right), which garnered over 199,000 views and 100 comments in the following four years.

On October 23rd, 2010, YouTuber ImKyserSoze uploaded a parody video in which the handshake from the Predator scene causes a massive nuclear explosion (shown below, left). Within the next three years, the video accumulated more than 420,000 views and 460 comments. On November 28th, YouTuber itsybitsy113 uploaded a remix of the scene using Guile’s theme from the video game Street Fighter 2 (shown below, right), receiving over 300,000 views and 650 comments in the following three years.

On February 2nd, 2011, YouTuber ArnoTrek uploaded an edited version of the scene, in which Dutch and Dillon engage in a farting match (shown below, left). Within the next two years, the video gained upwards of 280,000 views and 280 comments. On October 4th, 2012, YouTuber NightmareCinemas uploaded a pixel art rendition of the scene, in which the handshake kills Dillon in a huge explosion (shown below, right). In five months, the video received over 23,000 views and 100 comments.

Notable Examples

Fan Art

On May 5th, 2012, Flickr^[1] user thisisrorydean uploaded a photograph of a watercolor painting depicting the handshake (shown below, left). On September 6th, DeviantArt^[2] user MILOSLAVvonRANDA uploaded a chalk drawing titled “EPIC handshake by Dillon and Dutch” (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References