Red Scorpion (1989)

Director:

Joseph Zito

Writers:

Jack Abramoff (story)
Robert Abramoff (story)

Release Date:

19 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Tagline:

He's a human killing machine. Taught to stalk. Trained to kill. Programmed to destroy. He's played by their rules... Until now.

Plot:

A Russian KGB agent is sent to Africa to kill an anti-Communist black revolutionary. However, he has...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Agent | Anti Communist | Africa | Tribe

Cast

Dolph Lundgren	...	Lt. Nikolai Rachenko
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Dewey Ferguson
Al White	...	Kallunda Kintash
T.P. McKenna	...	General Vortek
Carmen Argenziano	...	Colonel Zayas
Alex Colon	...	Sgt. Mendez
Brion James	...	Krasnov
Ruben Nthodi	...	Ango Sundata
Vuzi Dibukwana	...	Guerilla Officer
James Mthoba	...	Guerilla Officer
Dinky Motsemme	...	Guerilla Officer
Ernest Ndhlovu	...	Guerilla Guard & Guerilla (as Ernest Ndlovu)
Thapelo Mofokeng	...	Guerilla (as Thapeld Mofokeng)
Mxolisi Hulana	...	Guerilla
Nicky Rebello	...	Occupation Officer (as Nicky Rebelo)

Also Known As:

Red Exterminator (Philippines: English title) (new title)

Runtime:

105 min | Germany:98 min (cut version)

Country:

South Africa | USA | Namibia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

West Germany:16 (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (cut) (video premiere) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | France:U | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Namibia

Company:

Abramoff Production

Trivia:

The film was shot in South Africa, thereby breaking an international boycott against the country for its practice of apartheid. At one point, funding for the film was pulled, leaving the cast and crew stuck in Johannesburg for three months while they waited for the film's budget to be reclaimed.

Quotes:

Colonel Zayas: [Menacing Nikolai with a grenade] This is such a small space... and this is such a very big grenade!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Resident Alien (1990)

Soundtrack:

Jenny, Jenny

Have you ever seen a bushman?

If there is something I connect to the 80's more than anything it's movies like this one. It came at the shivering end of the decade, when the cold war was nearly over. But it shows a technique honed through literally dozens of cold war action movies. A genre of it's own.

The Russian KGB-agent Nikolai (Dolph Lundgren) is sent to Africa to kill a native revolutionary. However he is betrayed by his own people and instead befriends the man he was to kill. Soon he exacts his vengeance on his deceitful commanders.

Dolph Lundgren is known from cold war epics like Rocky IV and Pentathlon. It seems his blonde Swedish looks are very Russian in the eyes of the American audience. Also his garbled accent might be appropriate as a substitute for real Russian. Here he shoots, explodes and slices half the Russian and Cuban armies in his quest for vengeance on the men who betrayed him. The machine of the communist party just needed one small deceit to see the error of his ways and instantly team up with natives and guerrillas to fight for their freedom.

A touching story if you don't think about it. So, you've seen Rambo II and III? You've seen Missing in action with Chuck Norris? You've seen dozens of other cold war action movies where Russians are killed in the hundreds and the hero hardly flinches when he is shot? Then you KNOW what this is about. And this might just be the best of the lot. This is simply 80's propaganda-action in it's most purified form. Entertaining to say the least. Rating is 1/10 for quality, 7/10 for entertainment and 10/10 for accents.