In the world of vigilante films, the Exterminator series can certainly hold its own against many others. But while having a fairly violent panache about it, "Exterminator 2" lacks some of the bits of grit and depth the original had.
In this sequel, Robert Ginty reprises his role as the ex-vet turned crime-killing vigilante. But when the Exterminator kills the brother of a revolutionary-minded gang leader, he'll find his private war on crime will become a lot more personal and costly!
Unlike the first film, this one is much more uneven in the delivery of the story. Some of the character relationships and connections are never properly developed. As a result, it lacks some of the raw emotion of the first film. Also, I missed having the point of view of the cop out to stop him. It was a dynamic that really helped to drive the drama and tension in the original. But here, no such dynamic exists. Writer/Director Mark Buntzman tries to fill such voids with the love story between the Exterminator and an exotic dancer with bigger dreams (played by Deborah Geffner), even to the point of putting in a less than necessary sex scene, perhaps to help punch up the exploitative and sleaze factors, but it just doesn't make the grade. Whereas the first film had more grit and complexity to it, this one never even gets close to anything like that. It's all a much more straight-forward affair, that doesn't try to go beyond being a b-grade action film.
That isn't to say there is nothing of enjoyment here. The film does have an ample amount of violence, as you would expect in a vigilante story. The opening scene in the liquor store and the Exterminator's "untimely" arrival is among the most visceral moments in the film and hearkens back a little to the original. Veteran character actor, Frankie Faison, fits in nicely as Ginty's "Man Friday." And Mario Van Peebles does all he can with the one-dimensional villain known simply as "X." The final cat-and-mouse battle between him and the Exterminator was very well done. The film does a decent job on the action stuff, which makes up a little, but not all, of the lacking in other areas the film has.
In a lot of ways, "Exterminator 2" falls into the pitfall many sequels do: They don't really give enough flavor to it, to make doing it feel like a worthwhile effort. It is just a pale and flame-scorched reflection of the original and it shows. It's not horrible, by any means, but it feels a little bland and formulaic. It lacks the depth and hardiness of the original. Genre fans will probably get some mild enjoyment from this outing. Otherwise, you are better off to stick with the first one. It is easily the better of the two!
In this sequel, Robert Ginty reprises his role as the ex-vet turned crime-killing vigilante. But when the Exterminator kills the brother of a revolutionary-minded gang leader, he'll find his private war on crime will become a lot more personal and costly!
Unlike the first film, this one is much more uneven in the delivery of the story. Some of the character relationships and connections are never properly developed. As a result, it lacks some of the raw emotion of the first film. Also, I missed having the point of view of the cop out to stop him. It was a dynamic that really helped to drive the drama and tension in the original. But here, no such dynamic exists. Writer/Director Mark Buntzman tries to fill such voids with the love story between the Exterminator and an exotic dancer with bigger dreams (played by Deborah Geffner), even to the point of putting in a less than necessary sex scene, perhaps to help punch up the exploitative and sleaze factors, but it just doesn't make the grade. Whereas the first film had more grit and complexity to it, this one never even gets close to anything like that. It's all a much more straight-forward affair, that doesn't try to go beyond being a b-grade action film.
That isn't to say there is nothing of enjoyment here. The film does have an ample amount of violence, as you would expect in a vigilante story. The opening scene in the liquor store and the Exterminator's "untimely" arrival is among the most visceral moments in the film and hearkens back a little to the original. Veteran character actor, Frankie Faison, fits in nicely as Ginty's "Man Friday." And Mario Van Peebles does all he can with the one-dimensional villain known simply as "X." The final cat-and-mouse battle between him and the Exterminator was very well done. The film does a decent job on the action stuff, which makes up a little, but not all, of the lacking in other areas the film has.
In a lot of ways, "Exterminator 2" falls into the pitfall many sequels do: They don't really give enough flavor to it, to make doing it feel like a worthwhile effort. It is just a pale and flame-scorched reflection of the original and it shows. It's not horrible, by any means, but it feels a little bland and formulaic. It lacks the depth and hardiness of the original. Genre fans will probably get some mild enjoyment from this outing. Otherwise, you are better off to stick with the first one. It is easily the better of the two!