I don't suppose that anyone was desperately waiting to see a sequel to James Glickenhaus' modest exploitation cult-hit "The Exterminator", but it sure is more than welcome! Besides, can you honestly blame director Mark Buntzman and the good people at Cannon Film Group for wanting to cash-in further on the still immensely popular trend of violent and rancid early '80s vigilante movies? Of course not! Charles Bronson kept on making inferior sequels to "Death Wish", the theme got used in a sequel to the "Dirty Harry"-series ("Sudden Impact") and there were numerous other vigilante flicks being unleashed on the market ("Vigilante", "Fighting Back", "Suburbia"
), so why shouldn't "Exterminator II" have the right to exist? The problem – or the coolest part, it depends how you look at it - with this film is that it doesn't have an actual plot. Protagonist John Eastland, a former Vietnam veteran living in New York, still roams the streets at night with his indispensable flamethrower and barbecues all the criminal scumbags that he encounters. His main opponents now are the self-declared drug lord X and his posse. X is a flamboyant psychopath slash aspiring ballet dancer – or so he behaves – and murders innocent people for fun! John finds a new best friend and partner in crime in the persona of garbage truck driver Bee Gee and he falls in love with nightclub dancer Caroline. You can imagine that John gets very, very angry when they are both annihilated by X and his gang
Obviously "Exterminator II" is a worthless and totally redundant piece of '80s trash, but it is incredibly fun to watch with friends and plenty of beer & pizzas! The film is utmost politically incorrect, racist and sexist, but that's exactly why it guarantees unforgettable entertainment! Robert Ginty is the action-movie hero with the least charisma and worst acting skills in cinematic history, but I inexplicably love him and all his work. There are awesome supportive roles for Mario Van Peebles, Frankie Faison and familiar face Irwin Keyes, while actress Deborah Geffner has the questionable honor of appearing half- naked most of the film and share a very anti-erotic sex sequence with Ginty. There's blood, nihilistic violence and sadist burning aplenty, while at the same time there is absolutely no emphasis on suspense, dialog or character development. The ideal late-night entertainment, in other words!
Review of Exterminator 2
