The Exterminator (1980)

Director:

James Glickenhaus

Writer:

James Glickenhaus (writer)

Release Date:

19 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

A one man army. A new kind of soldier in a new kind of war. [Video] [Australia]

Plot:

A man's best friend is killed on the streets of New York. The man (Robert Ginty) then transforms into a violent killer, turning New York into a great war zone and Christopher George is the only one to stop him.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Vietnam | Sexual Sadism | Burned Alive | Bullet Proof Vest

Cast

Samantha Eggar	...	Dr. Megan Stewart
Christopher George	...	Detective James Dalton
Robert Ginty	...	John Eastland
Steve James	...	Michael Jefferson
Tony DiBenedetto	...	Chicken Pimp
Dick Boccelli	...	Gino Pontivini
Patrick Farrelly	...	CIA Agent Shaw
Michele Harrell	...	Maria Jefferson
David Lipman	...	The State Senator from New Jersy
Cindy Wilks	...	Candy
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Frankie
Roger Grimsby	...	Himself
Judy Licht	...	Herself
Stan Getz	...	Himself
George Cheung	...	Vietcong Leader

Runtime:

Norway:101 min | UK:99 min | USA:104 min (director's cut) | 101 min (original uncut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:(Banned) (1981-1984) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) | Australia:(Banned) (1983-1984) | Finland:(Banned) (1981) | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (K-20) (video version) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-18 (heavily cut) (1984) | Finland:K-18 (heavily cut) (1985) | Finland:K-18 (director's cut) (2000) | UK:18 (re-rating) (uncut) (2000) | UK:18 (cut) (2000) | UK:18 (cut) (1985) | UK:18 (cut) (1991) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:(Banned) | Australia:MA (re-rating) (2005) | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1982) (uncut version) | Norway:18 (DVD release) (re-rating) (2001) (uncut version) | Norway:(Banned) (video) (1984) (uncut version) | Norway:(Banned) (1981-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

At the time of its release, the movie was haunted by controversy, as the censors thought it was too violent, and many minutes had to be cut away. Certain countries wouldn't allow movies where bad guys got away, and wanted them brought to justice, to make it clear for the audience that "crime does not pay".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: At the very beginning, when Eastland's friend saves him from an imminent beheading, they fire on an enemy soldier standing at the water's edge. The man is blown backwards not by the impact of the bullet but from a clearly seen rigged see saw that throws him into the air.

Quotes:

John Eastland: If you're lying, I'll be back.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shakedown (1988)

Soundtrack:

Disco Inferno

Dark and Vengeful

Dark as a panther's kiss, this top notch killer thriller pops all the right tubes and leaves you dancing like Sullivan. There's something about a good vigilante film to get the old blood pumping and your mouth salivating. When I watched it as a youth, it made me want to track down Barry Bargeld, the school bully, and grip his coat collar. I spoke to Christopher George shortly after he'd completed work on this picture; he was tired and emotionally drained. He didn't have a very good relationship with the film's director, James Glickenhaus. Glickenhaus kept getting Christopher's name round the wrong way and kept calling him George!