IMDb RATING
4.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York City of a drug lord and his gang.The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York City of a drug lord and his gang.The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York City of a drug lord and his gang.
Scott 'Slo-motion' Randolph
- Eyes
- (as Scott Randolph)
- Director
- Writers
- Mark Buntzman
- William Sachs
- James Glickenhaus(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Cannon Group, Inc. wasn't pleased with Writer and Director Mark Buntzman's original cut of the film, so they had noted film doctor William Sachs do extensive re-shoots in Los Angeles to make the movie better. Also, a garbage truck from New York City had to be driven cross country to Los Angeles for the re-shoots because New York City garbage trucks are made out of steel, while ones from Los Angeles are made out of fiberglass.
- GoofsWhen the Exterminator sets fire to the gang members doused in gasoline, the flamethrower is a thin little blowtorch, then in the next scene, he's back to using the big bulky flamethrower he's been using throughout the film.
- Alternate versionsThe UK theatrical and video version was the heavily edited U.S R-rated print which was then cut by a further 2 mins 39 secs by the BBFC. All footage of nunchakus was completely removed and heavy edits made to scenes of violence including burnings, the shooting of an old woman during the opening robbery, Robert Ginty's girlfriend being beaten up by X's gang, and almost the entire scene of the killing of the guard under a subway train. The BBFC cuts were fully waived for the 2016 DVD release.
- ConnectionsEdited from Young Warriors (1983)
- SoundtracksReturn to Cinder
Written by Peter Bernstein
Featured review
Get the hook
My review was written in September 1984 after a Times Square screening.
"Exterminator 2" is a silly and tiresome revenge actioner, unlikely to repeat the freak hit status of its 1980 predecessor.
Formula, patterned after a successful line of Charles Bronson films, is to create audience antipathy against young street punks of mixed racial backgrounds, allowing a stalwart avenger to be motivated to wipe them out at intervals, with plenty of action. Mark Buntzman, who produced the original "The Exterminator", here wears (and shares with William Sachs) too many hats, taking over James Glickenhaus's writing and directing assignments from #1 and ending up with a contradictory mishmash.
Reprising his title role as Vietnam vet Johnny Eastland, an uncomfortable Robert Ginty is supposedly spurred into renewed vigilante action when his flashdancing girlfriend Caroline (Deborah Geffner) is at first savagely beaten and crippled, and later murdered by he all-purpose punks, led by a messianic leader ("I am the streets") X (Mario Van Peebles). However, the crudely constructed film has Ginty, in hismyhic steel helmet, army khakis and flamethrower uniform, randomly and unconvincingly incinerating punks rift from the outset, including X's brother.
Crassly violating the "lone avenger" formula, Eastland is teamed with an old mate from Vietnam, Be Gee, your friendly neighborhood black garbage man who eagerly endorses Eastland' murderous cleanup policy. Sole interesting element on view is the weird sight of Be Gee's vast Mack garbage truck, armored and refitted as a sort of tank with remote-control machine-gun turrets by Eastland for confrontations with punks, who meanwhile are trying to take over New York City via armored car robbery and peddling Mafia-supplied drugs.
Ginty has one good scene wherein he manhandles a punk for information, but generally, the sadisic element of the first film (which had him ingeniously feeding bad guys to a meat grinder, et.) has been toned down. Geffner gets to show her nude body and dancing ability, while acting honors go to Van Peebles, creating a solid physical presence with his male version of Grace Jones.
Technically, film adheres to an ugly look in keeping with its theme, though why it took such a huge crew (over 300 people are credited with behind-the-camea contributions) to ma=ke a B-picture is mighty strange. Only real sense of humor in this "serious" comic strip approach comes in the song titles: "Exterminate Me (with Your Flame)", "Shake It to Bake It" and the ever-popular "Return to CInder".
"Exterminator 2" is a silly and tiresome revenge actioner, unlikely to repeat the freak hit status of its 1980 predecessor.
Formula, patterned after a successful line of Charles Bronson films, is to create audience antipathy against young street punks of mixed racial backgrounds, allowing a stalwart avenger to be motivated to wipe them out at intervals, with plenty of action. Mark Buntzman, who produced the original "The Exterminator", here wears (and shares with William Sachs) too many hats, taking over James Glickenhaus's writing and directing assignments from #1 and ending up with a contradictory mishmash.
Reprising his title role as Vietnam vet Johnny Eastland, an uncomfortable Robert Ginty is supposedly spurred into renewed vigilante action when his flashdancing girlfriend Caroline (Deborah Geffner) is at first savagely beaten and crippled, and later murdered by he all-purpose punks, led by a messianic leader ("I am the streets") X (Mario Van Peebles). However, the crudely constructed film has Ginty, in hismyhic steel helmet, army khakis and flamethrower uniform, randomly and unconvincingly incinerating punks rift from the outset, including X's brother.
Crassly violating the "lone avenger" formula, Eastland is teamed with an old mate from Vietnam, Be Gee, your friendly neighborhood black garbage man who eagerly endorses Eastland' murderous cleanup policy. Sole interesting element on view is the weird sight of Be Gee's vast Mack garbage truck, armored and refitted as a sort of tank with remote-control machine-gun turrets by Eastland for confrontations with punks, who meanwhile are trying to take over New York City via armored car robbery and peddling Mafia-supplied drugs.
Ginty has one good scene wherein he manhandles a punk for information, but generally, the sadisic element of the first film (which had him ingeniously feeding bad guys to a meat grinder, et.) has been toned down. Geffner gets to show her nude body and dancing ability, while acting honors go to Van Peebles, creating a solid physical presence with his male version of Grace Jones.
Technically, film adheres to an ugly look in keeping with its theme, though why it took such a huge crew (over 300 people are credited with behind-the-camea contributions) to ma=ke a B-picture is mighty strange. Only real sense of humor in this "serious" comic strip approach comes in the song titles: "Exterminate Me (with Your Flame)", "Shake It to Bake It" and the ever-popular "Return to CInder".
helpful•00
- lor_
- Feb 12, 2023
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Exterminator 2
- Filming locations
- Vernon, California, USA(Industrial warehouse fight scene finale)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,739,406
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,204,197
- Sep 16, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $3,739,406
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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