Directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn, The Terminator follows Sarah Connor as she is hunted through Los Angeles by a cyborg assassin sent back from a machine-dominated future. Kyle Reese, a human soldier from that future, is sent to protect her before the Terminator can prevent the birth of resistance leader John Connor. The film introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator and launched the Terminator series.