Hardened after the events of THE TERMINATOR (1984) and by the burden of raising the future leader of mankind’s resistance against the machines, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor returned to forge her own fate in TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) – the groundbreaking sequel from director and co-writer James Cameron, which was included on the American Film Institute’s list recognizing the most thrilling movies of all time. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as an inversion of his iconic role from the first film, the Terminator was ranked by AFI among cinema’s greatest screen heroes – its previous incarnation from the earlier film having also landed on the Institute’s list of “heroes & villains,” albeit on the other side. The inexorable machine – taught the nuances of human behavior by Edward Furlong’s teenaged John Connor in the film – also earned a place on AFI’s greatest movie quotes with his climactic “Hasta la vista, baby.” Cameron’s science-fiction masterpiece was executive produced by AFI Trustee Emeritus Gale Anne Hurd.

Visit the AFI Catalog to learn more about TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY.