Exterminator 2 - #5 of the 150 Movies of 1984

We're serving up fried criminals tonight in this cheesy, action-packed B-movie that promises to blow your mind... but maybe not in a good way. The first Exterminator was a decent, no-nonsense flick with a killer anti-hero, but this sequel can't hold a flame to it. They toned down the violence and threw in a bunch of corny jokes with some wacky characters. Sometimes it's funny, but mostly it falls flat.

Exterminator 2 was directed by Mark Buntzman and William Sachs. Buntzman is an actor that had appeared in the first Exterminator film and had a short career spanning only a few titles. He was not supported by the Cannon Group and this movie suffered for it. His indecisiveness no doubt led to the failure of this film. I mean, Mario Van Peebles’ name in the film is X because Buntzman literally couldn’t decide on what his name should be. Reshoots, rewrites, and censorship plagued the entire production. The owners of Cannon, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus actually hired director William Sachs to shoot the mended material. And the film would finally be released to theaters on September 14th, 1984.

Ruthless gangs have been pushing drugs and assaulting random people on the harsh streets of New York City. And a new gang led by the enigmatic X has been taking over the streets and putting fear back into the hearts of New Yorkers. Behavior that a vigilante like The Exterminator just doesn’t approve of. Now it’s a battle between X’s cult of weirdos and New York’s fiery new punisher.

The film stars Robert Ginty who again dons the welding mask and picks up the flamethrower as the vigilante, John Eastman. Under James Glickenhaus’ direction, Ginty did great. He was a badass that mirrored a Chuck Norris-esq type character. However, with a less experienced director like Mark Buntzman, Ginty is laughable. You just don’t get the same performance. He’s a goof. He tries way too much and doesn’t come off as genuine. It’s bizarre that this second outing just feels like a vanity project for him. We watch him float around from scene to scene but it doesn’t feel natural. There is a sex scene between Ginty and Deborah Geffner that feels off putting and wrong. Zero chemistry.

We also have a very young Mario Van Peebles who is hilariously bad. I really don’t know what’s going on with him. Nothing about his character makes any sense. The ceremonial killings, the weird hand movements, the odd retro/futuristic costume, the whining. The scene when they throw an armored truck worker onto electrified tracks and then Peebles puts up the X sign. It's corny as all hell. But okay, I'll still be on board. The one actor that I had a great time with was Frankie Faison. He’s terrific as Be Gee, an old army buddy of Eastman’s that acts as the film’s comedy relief. Every scene he was in was great. He’s one of my favorite character actors and I was more than happy to spend time with him in this movie.

Breakdancer Scott 'Slow-motion' Randolph showcases his signature breakdancing move, a slow-motion pantomime of walking against the wind, performed repeatedly on roller skates. While impressive, his usefulness in the film is limited, with one exception: a scene where he kidnaps a woman on his skates. That was pretty entertaining. Eagle-eyed viewers might catch John Turturro who makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-him cameo. Ron Taylor, who appeared in Trading Places, is also in this movie buying a gold watch from John Eastland. Taylor's excitement after the purchase is fun as he races across a busy New York street to deliver the watch to a weird-looking stylish woman. The way the crowd parts around is no doubt accidental but still my favorite shot of the movie. Kudos to whoever directed this (Sachs or Buntzman).

The first Exterminator boasted decent effects and a story that wasn't entirely terrible. While not a masterpiece, it certainly surpassed this half-baked sequel. I sympathize with Mark Buntzman, who likely had a vision but lacked the necessary skills to execute it. With proper rewrites and more experience, he might have delivered a halfway decent film. The special effects work with the full-body fire suits was commendable. The stunt performers clearly put in a lot of effort. While flamethrower kills are scarce, explosions and fiery demise are plentiful.

This isn’t a family friendly movie and it’s not something to throw on for a light date-night. However, if it’s late and you just want to turn your brain off and watch bad-guys getting burnt to a crisp, then this might be what you are looking for. The kind of movie you would find playing on USA Up All Night or on TNT’s Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater. But it’s not really worth seeking out or hunting down unless you're a completist like me.

Exterminator 2

Release Date: September 14th, 1984

RottenPop Rating: ★½

Directors: Mark Buntzman & William Sachs | Writer: Mark Buntzman & William Sachs | Starring: Robert Ginty, Deborah Geffner, Frankie Faison, and Mario Van Peebles

Studios: The Cannon Group

Country: USA

Genres: Action Thriller

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