Cyborg (1989)

A martial artist hunts a killer in a plague-infested urban dump of the future.

Director:

Albert Pyun

Writer:

Albert Pyun (as Kitty Chalmers)

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Gibson Rickenbacker
Deborah Richter	...	Nady Simmons
Vincent Klyn	...	Fender Tremolo
Alex Daniels	...	Marshall Strat
Dayle Haddon	...	Pearl Prophet
Blaise Loong	...	Furman Vux / Pirate / Bandit
Ralf Moeller	...	Brick Bardo (as Rolf Muller)
Haley Peterson	...	Haley
Terrie Batson	...	Mary
Jackson 'Rock' Pinckney	...	Tytus / Pirate / Bandit
Janice Graser	...	Vorg
Robert Pentz	...	Base / Pirate / Bandit
Sharon K. Tew	...	Prather / Pirate / Bandit
Chuck Allen	...	Vondo / Pirate / Bandit
Stefanos Miltsakakis	...	Xylo / Pirate / Bandit

Storyline

Gibson Rickenbacker is a hired fighter living in a plague-ravaged apocalyptic America where a plague has infested most of the United States and the rest of the world. In New York City, Gibson encounters a woman named Pearl Prophet. Pearl reveals to Gibson that she is a cyborg who is carrying vital-information for a group of scientists in Atlanta who are working on a cure to the plague and Pearl hires Gibson to escort her back to Atlanta. But Pearl is kidnapped by "Pirates" a murderous gang led by Fender Tremolo, who wants the cure for themselves and they decide to take Pearl to Atlanta themselves. Gibson, joined by a young woman named Nady Simmons, goes in pursuit of Fender and his gang, as Gibson sets out to rescue Pearl, stop Fender and his gang from reaching Atlanta and defeat Fender who slaughtered Gibson's family.

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Plot Keywords:

plague | pirate | cyborg | mercenary | vengeance | 

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Taglines:

He's the First Hero of the 21st Century...And He's Our Only Hope.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Masters of the Universe 2: Cyborg

Filming Locations:

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,179,811, 9 April 1989, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,166,459

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Entertainment, Golan-Globus Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Albert Pyun stated that Henry Fonda's character in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) influenced Fender Tremolo's otherworldly feel.

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Goofs

Early in the film, Nady and Gibson meet up with a group of masked men in an abandoned concrete building. One of them jumps down onto a concrete table and scares Nady, who is wearing blue jeans. In the rest of the film, she wears gray pants.

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Quotes

Fender Tremolo: First there was the collapse of civilization: anarchy, genocide, starvation. Then when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, we got the plague. The Living Death, quickly closing its fist over the entire planet. Then we heard the rumors: that the last scientists were working on a cure that would end the plague and restore the world. Restore it? Why? I like the death! I like the misery! I like this world!

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Alternate Versions

In the original theatrical version, it was not explained what Slingers were. In the film, Slingers are hired warriors whose jobs are to safely escort people out of cities and to protect them from Pirates. The director's cut explained this in the opening crawl.

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Connections

References Blade Runner (1982)

User Reviews

Action, mayhem, and drivel

The biggest mistake they made here was not stretching the fight scenes as much as possible.

The dialog was horrid and the plot itself was a very abbreviated Road Warrior retread. The attempts at sentimentality (the burning wedding cake, the scared kids) didn't even work. The opening narration only let you know you were seeing an extended chase scene.

However, the fight scenes ROCKED. Van Damme proves that he may be better off as a man of few words. The endless bone breaking and face busting kept attentions. The revenge plot was just there for an excuse.

Van Damme's best? No way. (That would be Bloodsport.) But worth a look as long as your FF button works.