Exterminator 2 (1984)

The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York of a drug lord and his gang.

Director:

Mark Buntzman

Writers:

Mark Buntzman, William Sachs,

Stars:

Robert Ginty, Mario Van Peebles, Deborah Geffner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Ginty	...	John Eastland
Mario Van Peebles	...	X
Deborah Geffner	...	Caroline
Frankie Faison	...	Be Gee
Scott 'Slo-motion' Randolph	...	Eyes (as Scott Randolf)
Reggie Rock Bythewood	...	Spider
Bruce Smolanoff	...	Red Rat
David Buntzman	...	Head Mafioso
Kenny Marino	...	Tony
Derek Evans	...	Squealer
Irwin Keyes	...	Monster
Robert Louis King	...	Philo
Arye Gross	...	Turbo
Janet Rotblatt	...	Mom
Steffen Zacharias	...	Pop

Storyline

The flamethrower-wielding vigilante John Eastland returns to rid New York of a drug lord and his gang.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | vigilante | drugs | new york | mafia | 

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Taglines:

Robert Ginty is the Exterminator... and he's back. This time he just can't fight them, he must destroy them!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

El exterminador 2

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Group, Golan-Globus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mario Van Peebles originally auditioned for the role of Be Gee.

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Goofs

In the scene where X summersaults of the roof of the armored car he clearly jumps onto a blue madras and not the asphalt (visible in the 4:3 VHS release).

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Quotes

Philo: Look at this shit man! 13 dollars and some change, this fucking broad!
Turbo: This watch ain't nothin' to brag about, it's phoney cartier!
Philo: Lets go man!
Turbo: Did you see the look on her face when I put it through her?
Philo: [Laughs]
Turbo: I like it when their faces go crazy like that, when they think the world has gone psycho and there's no way out.
[The Exterminator shows up and torches them both]

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Connections

References A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Shake It to Bake It"

User Reviews

Cheesy and sleazy fun.

"Exterminator 2" brings back the great Robert Ginty as flamethrower wielding vigilante John Eastland, but has nowhere near the impact as the first film. That's not to say that it's not enjoyable, but overall it's silly stuff.

Directed by Mark Buntzman, who produced the first film, it sees Eastland start to date an exotic dancer named Caroline (Deborah Geffner) and make friends with an outgoing garbageman named Be Gee (the excellent veteran character actor Frankie Faison). Eastland agrees to take on a job as a garbageman (!), but finds his happiness threatened by the activities of a street gang led by the fiendish "X" (Mario Van Peebles, in a breakthrough role). Of course, Eastland has already been up to his old tricks by torching various criminal scum, but is he going to be ready for this particularly sadistic gang?

The viewer can have an interesting time checking out the early appearances by actors who would go on to become busy and recognizable if not famous: Irwin Keyes, Arye Gross, Thomas Calabro, and John Turturro, who has a bit. The gang members basically come across as cartoons and there's a certain goofy quality to a lot of the dialogue, performances, and situations. (If nothing else, the audience may find "Exterminator 2" laughable enough to be entertaining.) The music is also particularly amusing, providing the perfect accompaniment for assorted violent goings on. Ginty is reasonably engaging although his character of Eastland was a more compelling individual the first time. Faison is superb and shows off a natural charisma. And Van Peebles makes the most of his demented & depraved role, making for a pretty good antagonist.

Especially entertaining is seeing Ginty turn Faisons' garbage truck into an assault vehicle and watching the final cat-and-mouse chase between hero and villain. There's plenty of characters going up like Roman candles to keep the viewers interested.

All in all, this is decent enough, and it might be worth watching it along with, say, "Death Wish II" and/or "Death Wish 3" for a dose of vigilante vs. gang escapism.

Six out of 10.