Exterminator 2 (1984)

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Judging by all the negative reviews floating around the internet concerning this movie, it seems that it is almost universally despised by genre fans and movie fans in general. I beg to differ. While it doesn't have the same originality or edgy suspense as the first in the series, EXTERMINATOR 2 is very similar to other early '80s vigilante cinema, take DEATH WISH II for example. I would even go so far as to say that this is the better film, and at least it's not so unpleasant. EXTERMINATOR 2 is an action-fuelled follow-up to the infamous cult classic that finds our hero Robert Ginty arming himself with a welding mask and a flamethrower to continue his campaign of justice on the streets at night. Except this time he's up against one gang only (but it's a big gang), a gang who end up murdering two of the people he is closest to.Once again this is a very nihilistic film, indeed at the end, it turns out that of the entire cast (that's every character to appear in a speaking part) only Ginty is alive! The formula is very predictable, with an act of violence being carried out on one of Ginty's friends or family and Ginty following it up with an act of violence on the bad guys, and so on with things culminating into a huge (and impressively staged) battle in a warehouse where all of the bad guy gang end up getting deep fried! The acting isn't brilliant but it'll pass, with Ginty actually getting a chance to smile occasionally unlike in the original movie. Actually, Ginty makes a good focus point for the movie, a likable and charismatic hero, not to mention a believable one (at least to me). There's strong support from Frankie Faison playing a garbage collector who becomes an ally. Jennifer Brandon has a worthless role as the girlfriend who gets crippled and killed, while Mario Van Peebles certainly seems to be enjoying himself as he goes way over the top as 'X', the leader of the punk gang who delights in death, destruction, and torture.The violence is pretty strong and gritty with it, although as this film was released uncut in the UK you can tell straight away that it in no way matches the original's brutal, grisly bloodshed. Lots of people get fried in loving slow motion, while another character is killed off screen by getting run over by train! The stickiest fate is left for the end of the movie, unsurprisingly. The modified garbage truck that Ginty creates is an impressive piece of weaponry and there's a fair amount of explosions and mindless destruction to enjoy. Also, you've gotta love that BREAKDANCE-inspired interlude in the park; cool stuff! While not on par with the original, EXTERMINATOR 2 successfully carries the same kind of gritty on-the-street atmosphere and you could do a lot worse, so if you like the first then give it a go.

Mario Van Peebles makes his debut in Exterminator 2...the lackluster sequel to the "blockbuster" Exterminator. Okay, so it wasn't really a blockbuster, so what? You still had a vigilante Vietnam vet going around eliminating people that had no right existing. Lowering a godfather into a meat grinder. Knocking off a pedophile. How can this not be good? Unfortunately, none of the kills in Exterminator 2 are worth remembering. In fact, I think it's an insult. Mario plays "X", a character so silly, it's literally laughable. He doesn't even come off remotely as tough, appearing as a gang leader for an extremely violent group of people ( sorry, didn't want to use the word "gang" again.) All quotes aren't worth remembering. Script is awful. Violence seems toned down quite a bit, leans more towards being an action/ adventure rather then being a violent vigilante flick such as Exterminator. Make no mistake, the goods are on the original. If you want to see an early appearance from Peebles, go ahead and have a look, just don't expect to be wowed too much. And, I'm sorry, ummm...break dancers? Did a few cast members leave Electric Boogaloo to star in this? What did you expect, it was the 80's. And the ending? I'm still laughing 30 plus years later! I'd give Exterminator 2 three thumbs down, but I only have two hands.

Troubled Vietnam vet John Eastland (Ginty) returns in this Cannon-made sequel. For those that don't know, Eastland has been dubbed by the media as "The Exterminator" because he goes around the streets of New York City with a flamethrower, taking the law into his own hands and roasting street punks into a pile of ash. His friend Be Gee (Faison) drives a garbage truck for Knight Waste Removal and offers John a job. Plus he and his dancer girlfriend Caroline have a budding romance. It seems all is looking up for the termina...er..I mean EXTERMINATOR, but there's a problem: the charismatic leader of a criminal underworld named simply X (Van Peebles). This guy has messiah-like delusions and is a ruthless commander of seemingly every punk in the city. X doesn't take kindly to Eastland barbecuing his compatriots, so all-out war is declared. Eastland is putting a serious dent in X's ambitions to control the city entirely, a lot of which is dependent on his drug dealing involving the local Mafia. When Caroline is assaulted by X's gang, shattering her dreams of dancing on Broadway, John and Be Gee soup up the garbage truck Gauntlet-style and go for the ultimate revenge yet: X himself.Exterminator 2 is the only directorial credit for Mark Buntzman, and there is a certain lack of confidence behind the camera that that would imply. Plus different countries have different cuts, many have the more violent scenes trimmed. It is said the Greek VHS is the most intact to date. But despite some of its technical flaws, the movie has great 80's atmosphere and music that cannot be duplicated today. X and his gang wear some of the best outfits since Knights of the City (1985). Interestingly, there are some great break dancing scenes in the movie too, which bring up the level of interest for the viewer.Faison as Be Gee is lovable and sympathetic, especially for this down-and-dirty type of exploitation film. The name of his truck, "Knight Waste Removal" is a not-too-subtle representation of the movie itself: He and/or Ginty is the "Knight" in shining armor (or some kind of armor) that will save the day, and "Waste Removal" clearly implies X's gang of no-good-niks. They even put one in the trash compactor, and at one point while they are cruising around in the truck, and they spy some baddies, Be Gee says "looks like there's some trash right there".Ginty is as taciturn as ever but that's why we love him. Plus his alter-ego "The Exterminator" is just too awesome for words. You want to stand up and cheer every time he appears on screen with his metal mask, brandishing his flames of death. Playing a complementary opposite to Ginty's phlegmatic nature is the bombastic, over-the-top Van Peebles as X. His big line, which he says more than once, is "I am the streets!" He makes a great bad guy because of his energetic performance.Pretty gritty, fans of revenge movies or 80's nostalgia will like Exterminator 2, and if you are a big fan of both, like me, any flaws the film may have are glossed over nicely.NOTE: It was released on VHS in the U.S. on one of those silver MGM-Cannon big boxes, with a stated running time of 88 minutes. Presumably due to the aforementioned cuts, it just barely reaches that time even after the slow-moving end credits.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

The first EXTERMINATOR movie was pretty good, but this sequel is totally lame. The Exterminator beats the bad guys in the end but he has lost everything he held dear in the process. His methods of killing are one-note here as he uses only a flamethrower for most of the picture and as one review I read once pointed out, he never actually shows up in time to save anyone. He just shows up to punish the bad guys by torching them.Mario Van Peebles does the best he can as bad guy X but even he couldn't save this film. The music is crap, the acting is crap and the whole product is totally worthless. Maybe if James Glickenhaus himself had been involved in the production of this sequel it would have been watchable. But it isn't. Avoid at all costs.