The Exterminator (1980) User Reviews

It was fair could have been better, though.

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 23 November 2005]

In New York John Eastland an Vietnam Veteran turns vigilante when his best friend/Vietnam buddy is attacked by a group of thugs and left paralysed. Since his buddy saved his life in Vietnam, he thought he should do him a favour. So John becomes a one-man show and goes out and gives some of his own justice to these lowlifes. After taking care of that gang, he sets his sights higher, by trying to bring down the city's seedy and dark underground. He calls himself the Exterminator, but police see him as nothing than a psychopathic killer, but the CIA and Government officials see him more as a threat because they believe he could undermine an entire government administration. The media and public, see him as a (anti) hero and these corrupt officials don't want that.

This is one of the many vigilante/exploitation films that flooded the screens within 70's and 80's period… thanks to "Death Wish", which were only meant to shock you with relentless violence and grit. Well, this supposedly DVD I watch claims to be the director's cut, but some sequences definitely feel like they were trimmed… unless that was the director's choice, but I doubt it because they felt odd and was mostly around the violence.

Anyway what we got here is a remotely entertaining low-budget vigilante piece, but really it's nothing we haven't seen before. If your expecting a whole lotta' graphic violence, you might be disappointed as it was rather tame in spots where it could have been grisly to watch. But saying that it does have a couple of shocking moments, but really not enough to make it stand out from the rest of its field. It was rather comic book style violence, with it being more nasty than bloody. What makes it a little tiresome is that a lot of time it skews away from our vigilante doing his work, in favour for a budding romance between a cop and doctor, it just didn't add anything, well not for me. It could have scrap that idea and delve more into the Exterminator's psyche, or please more gripping action. Yes action, the film just lacked something big… I was hoping for more. Especially when we are thrown right into the action when the film begins, but I was sorely disappointed and the exploitative nature was just uneven and what was the deal with the wrenching images. Sometimes the material tries too hard to be moving and have a softer side. It just didn't work for me. You just think, oh this going to be great, with some promising torture scenes and tussles, but honestly you feel short changed with the outcome of most, as there seems to be more of a focus on the aftermath. What didn't help was that some moments are actually unintentionally humorous. But on the other hand there are some nice ideas in the bunch, but it just could've been executed in a better fashion. The plot tries to cover some social discussions involving the Vietnam War, Cheap labour, street crime, media, child prostitution corrupt officials and plenty of wry humour mixed in. Although, there's nothing about these messages that are exceptional or haven't been handled better.

What blew me away was that director James Glickenhaus pulls you into the seedy and dirty streets of New York. He truly makes the raw environment an unpleasant experience to view, along with the scum who walk it. Camera work was potent with some well established shots, with plenty of close ups and fast moving shooting. Also the director loved his slow-mow! Soundtrack was very 70's. A sample of the decade indeed. But there are some odd song choices in certain parts of the film, but they were reasonably groovy and swinging in mood. Although, the editing was annoying at times, it was real choppy and because of that there's several incoherent sequences and stuff left up in the air. Just like the unthinkable ending (that took me by the blue), which is messily put together. Performances are fair, even if Robert Ginty is bland as the crusader and Christopher George makes the most of his character. Though, those people playing the CIA agents really hammed it up with inane dialogue and hilarious appearances.

Mediocre at best, with some heart pounding moments and clever touches, but I just thought it could've been far better. Maybe I was expecting too much? Nonetheless, it did its job by keeping me entertained for the odd 90 minutes or so. That's good enough for me.

Has it's moments...

[hodwatt-20518 · 5/10 · 13 May 2017]

The Exterminator tells the story of John Eastland, a former Vietnam war veteran whom goes on a vigilante killing spree after his best friend is viciously attacked by a group of thugs. Meanwhile, a detective, James Dalton tries to stop him.

For the most part, this film is extremely dull. It draws itself out for far too long, and there is a subplot where the detective starts dating a nurse, which is completely unnecessary as it adds nothing to the plot. It's as if the director thought the film wasn't long enough so he tried to find excuses for it to be longer.

While this film does have it's share of exciting scenes from time to time, it really doesn't have much else going for it. The acting isn't bad; not top notch, but acceptable.

If you are after a good vigilante thriller, you could do worse than 'The Exterminator.' Then again, you could do a lot better too.

Grindhouse Classic

[Falconeer · 6/10 · 16 January 2019]

This is not a great film, in fact it can't even be considered a "good film," when you take into account the poor, confusing editing, ugly cinematography and some bad acting. What makes "The Exterminator" a valuable movie, is it's "grindhouse credibility. This is one of the few movies of it's kind that actually makes me a little sick when I watch it, and similar films like "Death Wish" and "Vigilante" don't succeed in doing that. Yes, they are both way superior films, but they don't pack the punch that this sleazy movie from 1980 achieves in spades. You have the Vietnam Vet, still feeling the effects of one jungle, when he is thrust into another jungle, the urban jungle of New York city at the very end of the 1970's. The film's anti-hero is hunting the true filth of the Earth, mafioso, child molesters and murdering gang members. At the heart of the story is an ongoing struggle between him and "The Ghetto Ghouls," a hyper violent gang that is terrorizing New York. Offering some great, vintage location scenes of New York landmarks, like the West Side's meat packing district, the crime ridden Central Park, and the slime ridden Times Square. For these qualities the movie has value. It's a rough movie, but this one should be appreciated by fans of violent revenge movies from back in the day. The version I saw on Bluray appeared kind of choppy, like some scenes were missing. If there is an even nastier version of this one in existence, I can't even imagine what they cut..

A product of its time period

[cody1216 · 26 June 2008]

Although highly derivative of both Death Wish and Taxi Driver (and with a climax stolen directly from Badge 373), The Exterminator still successfully depicts a dirty, crime-ridden, God-forsaken New York City of the late '70s in ways that no other film has before or since.

Robert Ginty portrays John Eastland, a disillusioned and apparently disturbed Vietnam vet working the night shift at the Bronx Terminal Market with his old army buddy, Michael Jefferson. One morning, John tries to stop a group of gang members ("The Ghetto Ghouls", apparently based on the notorious South Bronx street gang The Savage Skulls) from stealing cases of beer from a storage container at the market, and nearly gets his throat cut for his trouble. Jefferson rescues Eastland once again (as he did in Vietnam), but of course their trouble is far from over. When the gang catches up with Jefferson and leaves him paralyzed and fighting for his life at Lincoln Hospital, Eastland begins his campaign of vengeance. During the course of this extremely violent movie, Eastland avenges not only his old friend, but other victims as well, using blowtorches, a meat grinder,an M-16 and a .44 Magnum loaded with mercury-filled dum-dum bullets as he systematically takes out mobsters, chickenhawks and other assorted street scum.

Critics of this movie have contended that Eastland's violence is too randomly directed after initially taking out the gang bangers who hurt his friend. My feeling is that Eastland had been suppressing a lot of rage since Vietnam, and had been seething over the deteriorating conditions of his city, and that the mugging of Jefferson was the last straw. After avenging his friend, Eastland decides to wage war against every criminal and degenerate that he sees. Of course, this being the cynical seventies, the NYPD detective assigned to the case (himself a Nam vet) would just as soon let The Exterminator continue to clean up the streets, but it is an election year, and public officials are embarrassed by the fact that The Exterminator is succeeding in eliminating crime where they have failed. The federal government actually believes that The Exterminator may be a foreign agent working to undermine the current administration, and sends a CIA operative into the city to investigate. By the end of the story, the CIA assassin only THINKS he has exterminated The Exterminator - and, as Eastland has promised in the past, "I'll be back".

When creating the character of John Eastland, James Glickenhaus was obviously influenced by Robert DeNiro's deranged Vietnam vet Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver and by Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey character, who was affected by violence to the point that he was himself driven to violence in Death Wish. But in spite of this (and in spite of criticisms that Ginty's character is stiff and wooden), The Exterminator emerges as an interesting character study of a traumatized man who unravels under the stress of life in inner-city New York after the senseless violence of that place strikes a little too close to home.

Those of us New Yorkers who are old enough to remember that city back in those bad old days of the late '70s - early '80s will agree that The Exterminator captures the grit and grime of places like the South Bronx and Times Square, as well as the lawlessness and general chaos of the place. Thank God the place has been cleaned up somewhat.

Grim, but a great movie.

[bannonanthony · 6/10 · 23 October 2004]

Yes, THE EXTERMINATOR is a nasty picture and there is hardly any humour, but that's not to say it's bad. It's actually quite enjoyable.

Robert Ginty is good as the titular vigilante and Christopher George is also good as the cop who is on the case (but seems to be more interested in shagging an attractive doctor). All the bad guys who are the Exterminator's victims are all made as reprehensible as possible (a violent street gang, child molesters, gangsters). But I must say, the meat grinder bit was totally uncalled for.

Why do all the CIA guys talk with English accents, though? THE EXTERMINATOR may be grim, but it's worth a look. It's just a shame that the late Steve James, a great actor and martial artist, didn't have more to do.

Nostalgia Maybe Isn't What It Was

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 20 October 2009]

Robert Ginty isn't a name that means much to most film aficionados but for people of a certain age he was something of a movie god . People often emulate DeNiro in the bathroom mirror by saying " You talking to me ? " but for those of us who watched video nasties in the early 1980s we were far more fond of looking at the bathroom mirror rubbing our hands together and saying " Hey you really are a sick mothf--ker " . We didn't want to be weirdo Travis Bickle . We wanted to be stand up guy John Eastland . Somewhat ironic that Ginty died very recently and it wasn't until last night I chanced upon a viewing of THE EXTERMINATOR a film I loved when I saw it as a sixteen year old many years ago . Unfortunately it was nowhere as good as I remembered

One problem is that the copy I saw seemed to be edited with some of the most explicit scenes such as maimed gang members being eaten alive by rats censored out . Considering this is an exploitation classic and much of the selling point is the gore it works against the film's favour in 2009 . It's not the main problem though . The main problem is that there's much implausibility . For example who do the police /hospital call when someone has been the victim of a mugging ? Normally it's the spouse of the victim but here it seems to be the victim's best buddy from 'Nam . What makes it even more unbelievable is that the hospital seem to have told the buddy that the victim will never walk again . Other ridiculous aspects include a cop saying " The only way this guy could have got a M16 is if he stole it from the army " . If that is a statement of absolute fact ( Which it almost certainly isn't ) that must have meant Eastland predicted the future and stole the weapon knowing fine well he'd need it to clean up New York a few years down the line . Perhaps the most unbelievable thing is the state senator who spends most of his time in a paedophile brothel raping young boys while the head pimp brings back prostitutes for a pegging session

It's an entirely dumb film which will be of little interest for those who can't remember the early 1980s or those people who hate exploitation cinema . That said it's not entirely awful either and far better than its sequel . Ginty isn't a bad actor , similar to Christopher Walken without the annoying mannerism and overacting and seems unfortunate that this movie was the highlight of his fame . Christopher George as Eastland's nemesis cop is also good and is convincing until he gets caught up in a romantic subplot . Despite the low budget writer/director James Glickenhaus brings a very strong feeling of time and place to the movie . There is no doubt that we're watching a film that is set in late 1970s New York City . Scorsese and Woody Allen receive praise from critics for the same thing so certainly Glickenhaus deserves some faint praise for THE EXTERMINATOR

Overrated, non-violent disappointment!

[johanim · 4/10 · 13 May 2001]

'The Exterminator' must be one of the most controversial American revenge movies of the 1980s but I truly wonder why it has gained such a reputation. Those who want to see a rough, violent action movie shouldn't bother to check out this one. Yes, many critics said it was violent and disgusting but if they deem this film violent, they obviously haven't seen many films.

'The Exterminator' starts during the Vietnam war. John Eastland (Robert Ginty) is nearly killed by evil Viet Cong warriors but his life is saved by his army buddy Michael Jefferson (Steve James). This pre-title sequence also includes a graphic (though fake looking) decapitation and is the best and most effective part of the film. Putting the scenes with the best impact first is never a good idea, though, and the rest of the film can't live up to this opening.

Anyway, the films picks up again some years later in New York. Michael gets beaten up and ends up paralyzed after he gets into trouble with some low-life punks. John swear revenge over his best friend and conducts a terrible revenge. He doesn't stop there, though; he also goes after mobsters, pimps, a gay phedofile etc.

His ways of murder are often brutal. They consist of (Oops! BEWARE OF SPOILERS!) flame thrower, letting punks get eaten by rats and most notoriously: a meat grinder. But those who hope for gore galore will be thoroughly disappointed as this films is not nearly as blood soaked as it is reputed to be. The killings are often just suggestive; we usually just see the wall while the victim screams in pain. So with most of the killings occurring off screen, this movie has little to recommend it by. It's just an average exploitation film, with the exception that it's not really very exploitative.

Relatively good cast, though. Robert Ginty gives an intense and believable performance and so does Christopher George as the cop on his trail. Steve James' part as the Nam buddy who dies is all too brief but good. At last there's Samantha Eggar as Christopher George's doctor-girlfriend. Eggar also gives a strong performance but her character serves no purpose in the plot what so ever. She is completely wasted and seem to be in the film only to fill up the time.

I guess, 'The Exterminator' is OK but it remains a big disappointment none the less. 4 1/2 out of 10.

Rambo, Travis Bickle and Paul Kersey all rolled into one is....the Exterminator!

[asgard-5 · 6/10 · 18 October 2008]

The plot.

John (Bob Ginty) is just a working man who clicks and starts to wreck havoc on all the wrongdoers of New York. Christopher George plays detective Dalton who's about to stop this nutcase that calls himself The Exterminator.

The film.

Despite its strong points The Exterminator is very bland in places. Everything: the dialog, writing, shooting, acting and editing varies from very good to very bad. It stands a step higher than the films of likes of say William Lustig who made films for Glickenhaus' production company. But it's obvious that the crew didn't get enough shots to cut the film together to make it look more presentable. At times the movie takes itself way too seriously.

Advice.

Starts out as a slow low budget movie, turns out to be a fast and mostly effective actioneer. Death Wish it is not, but certainly is worth your time. Watch out for Christopher George cooking his meal!

Ginty, George and a flamethrower.

[revival05 · 5/10 · 4 October 2009]

B-movies have their own little universe of classics and razzies. A really bad movie can be really good if it's bad for the right reasons and a better movie can be a lot worse for some other reason. When you're counting with camp and schlock, the sum will definitely come out a little different.

Sometimes a B-movie can be talked-about, banned in Britain and regarded as a balls-to-the-walls-gorefest even though it's really not that graphic. The Exterminator is an example of this. It's a vigilante action/thriller, your average take on Death Wish, but despite having quite an eye-catching cover, and despite being banned in Britain and despite being pretty brutal, there are a lot of more shocking movies out there. If you are a gorehound, and I know there's a lot of you out there, I think maybe you're looking for something like Fulci's Contraband or New York Ripper. That's intense. In The Exterminator, we do get a mob boss in a meat grinder and some messy executions to be sure, but nothing that will shock anyone who will actually go looking for a movie like The Exterminator.

In this take on civil disobedience on steroids, the late Robert Ginty plays a normal guy who totally flips when his buddy from Vietnam gets paralyzed due to an attack from one of those batches of racist, anarchist scum who randomly act out mayhem in broad daylight. As the "exterminator" Ginty's character have a few things on his agenda. Steal money from the soon-to-be-bolognese-mob. Check. Kill sodomizing pervs. Check. Shotgun away at guys who rob old ladies. Check. Interrogate his way ahead with a very talk-efficient flame thrower. Double-check. Hum, what else? Oh, right, pull the plug on his veggie buddy without asking his wife and kids about it. Yeah, check.

For what it is, The Exterminator is a pretty decent exploitation movie. You can't expect much more than what the cover says. Ginty is an odd hero to boot, but I can't help but liking him. Probably due to his offbeat appearance. Who could ever take him for a lone ranger type action hero? I don't know if he looks like much of anything at all. For something as definitive as an action star, Ginty was fascinatingly bland. And ironically, that comes off as very original! Looking at his resume, somehow, despite any given logic, I feel tempted to check out a movie with the title Maniac Killer.

Another thing I have to mention is Christopher George, one of my all time favorite B-movie actors. He was always so suave and self-aware, as if he wasn't really convinced he was actually doing the schlock movies he was doing. In The Exterminator he plays the cop who goes after Ginty. Once again, he wanders about the movie with this self-ironic smirk, as if he's just doing the role, not asking questions and just getting on with it (not entirely unlike Sean Connery in Highlander II). I especially like one dialog scene he has with Samantha Eggar where she asks him about the Vietnam war. "It was bad" he says with a pause, as if he's amazed at the stupidity of the line. It's as if he's thinking; really? It was "bad"? Shouldn't I say something else?? "It was.... bad" he tries to continue, and eventually says "Not as bad as New York City... but... it was bad...". The movie makes parallels to the war, but I still can't help but wonder if that was actually in the script, or just some kind of joke from Mr. George. In another scene he misses a line but laughs it off while the camera keeps rolling, and for a moment there you can see him realizing what kind of production he's in. It's a special kind of movie magic that you will only find in a movie like The Exterminator.

Best Watched On Grainy VHS

[John-Jude · 6/10 · 11 October 2013]

The Exterminator is a borderline video nasty from the 80s heyday of the genre.Cheap looking in parts though overall shot with a higher budget than usual for this type of fare-I have to admit I was kinda rooting for Ginty's trigger happy anti-hero.Unfortunately he is given little in terms of character development but shows a good way with a one liner and handles the few sensitive moments well(surely he deserved better than ending his career on Baywatch Nights!).But it's the graphic violence that is the film's selling point-sometimes nasty other times a bit laughable.Villains are straight from central casting though manage to be unpleasant nonetheless.Movie takes an unexpected dark turn with a sequence involving a vice den-which will leave you feeling like you need a shower.I enjoyed it-with reservations.The makers of the Jason Bourne trilogy were certainly paying attention to the ending-I'l say no more than that!

A different Era

[damianphelps · 5/10 · 3 September 2020]

I remember watching this movie as a young teenager and it was quite something. Gritty, gross, crappy mega violent.

Similar to a lot of movies at that time (although this was one of the first) the violence was more of the film than the actual plot.

If you are looking to watch a classic movie, this isn't it, enjoyable now for a bit of a trip down memory lane to revisit an era of movie making (like Bronx Warriors and Class of 84), like watching classic horror movies . Does have some memorable scenes and does have a sequel (which is not worth looking at).

Grim but effective vigilante tale

[lovecraft231 · 8/10 · 8 November 2012]

I love Synapse films. Along with Blue Underground, these guys are pretty much Criterion for fans of horror and exploitation, with movies like "Thriller: A Cruel Picture", "Frankenhooker" and "Maniac Cop" under their belt. So it makes perfect sense that they would release the vigilante movie favorite "The Exterminator" on a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. This is a mixed bag for me, as I don't have a Blu-Ray player, but I do have a DVD player, so I can watch the movie but not judge the two discs. I can however, judge the movie.

John Eastland (Robert Ginty) is a Vietnam vet whose war buddy and long time best friend Michael Jefferson (Steve James.) When Michael is fatally wounded by thugs, Eastland decides that not only those responsible should pay: the pimps, pushers and filth of the streets must be exterminated. Thing is, this is bad for the mayor, whose got an election coming up, so it's up to Detective James Dalton (Christopher George) to stop the man known to the city of New York as "The Exterminator."

While there are flaws in this movie (the relationship between Dalton and a nurse played by Samantha Eggar feels unnecessary), this is a prime example of early 80's exploitation. While gore-hounds will be let down (only a gnarly decapitation in a Vietnam flashback), the violence here is vicious and unrelenting-in fact, largely skimping on splatter actually helps enhance the brutality on display-and boy is it a vicious little movie. Eastland is not a man who plays around, setting people ablaze, dropping them in meat-grinders, shooting them with mercury laced bullets-he means business. Also, exploitation fans will more than likely enjoy this, as this is the type of movie that shows you New York before it was cleaned up. This is a world of drug pushers, murderers, and more-the scum of the Earth, and The Exterminator has had enough of them.

It also helps that this is a well directed and mostly well acted movie. James Glickenhouse* films the whole thing in a matter of fact style-no flashy editing or tricks here, just the worst the city has to offer and ugly violence pushed into your face, which aids the already gritty tone of the movie. Meanwhile, Ginty (who most may remember from the MST3K movie "Warriors of the Lost World") has a kind of Charles Bronson like quality-not as good of an actor, but he doesn't really look like an action star. He just looks like a regular guy, and the actor thankfully manages to make Eastland human but not too sympathetic. If anything, he's a psychopath. George meanwhile, plays the guy who may be the most likable character. He doesn't want The Exterminator killing people, but he understands why he's doing it, and doesn't seem to care much for the corrupt political and police establishment around him.

For fans of revenge movies and exploitation, "The Exterminator" is something that must be seen. Is it a perfect movie? No, but it get's the job done without any added bulls#!t.

*Glickenhouse also wrote this movie, and directed the Christopher Walken action movie "McBain", Jackie Chan's ill-advised U.S. debut "The Protector" and the Peter Weller/Sam Elliot cop movie "Shakedown." He also produced "Basket Case 2", "Frankenhooker", "Maniac Cop" and the Joe Don Baker vehicle "Ring of Steel."

Somehow more than just a violent exploitation film

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 10 July 2016]

A tough, adult exploitation film in which violence and retribution are the main themes, this is still as relevant today as it was thirty-odd years ago when the film was first released. Essentially the story of one man's war against crime, this is pretty depressing viewing with a downbeat ending, so be warned. The words tough and gritty have never been so apt and the graininess of the film adds to the harsh, cold feel throughout.

Robert Ginty (SCARAB) - in probably his most notorious role - is the everyday kind of hard-working guy who just happens to be a ruthless cold-blooded murderer when the time comes at night, when he goes out to "clean the scum off the streets" as Travis Bickle might say. Ginty pulls off the character of the disturbed but honourable John Eastland very well, and manages to be both frightening and almost likable, certainly believable, in his quest. Underrated stuntman Steve James (VIGILANTE ) gives good support as the best friend, while Christopher George fits the role of a hard-bitten detective like a glove, dressed in a dirty vest and blue anorak, and makes the role his own.

The film concentrates on the various ways that Ginty dispatches his victims, with only George's slow investigation in between (there is a pointless sub-plot about George's relationship with one of my least favourite actresses Samantha Eggar, and also some charming scenes of him frying a sausage over the mains which sum up his matter-of-fact on-the-street character as a whole).

Although the film only has one scene of strong gore, the series of deaths are impactful and pretty disturbing which is why it gained its reputation as a hard-edged exploitation thriller, nastier even than DEATH WISH. One gore scene is at the beginning of the movie and was one of Stan Winston's first effects - a captured soldier has his throat slashed. Disturbing stuff. A sequel followed three years later, but with little of the impact of this no-budget quickie. THE EXTERMINATOR is a very frightening film, in the portrayal of a man at his wit's end, the horrors of the Vietnam war, and the mentally scarred soldiers, the powerlessness of the authorities and the depths to which society will succumb. Essential viewing for vigilante fans, I think.

"Jesus, looks like he got hit with napalm."

[bensonmum2 · 3/10 · 26 June 2015]

John Eastland (Robert Ginty) sets out to avenge the death of a buddy at the hands of a gang of street thugs.

If you can't tell by rating, I'll spell it out - I'm not much of a fan of The Exterminator. Let me start by saying that I don't have anything against low-budget or violent films. If you look through some of the other reviews I've written you'll see plenty of glowing comments for movies with lower budgets than this one. You'll also see that I've got a lot of positive things to say about a number of very violent films. But it doesn't work here. The problems:

1. No plot - I gave the movie a one sentence plot summary at the start of this, and that's probably more than The Exterminator deserves. Instead of a coherent plot, it's one of those movies with a series of set-pieces randomly thrown together. There's no flow to the film and definitely no logic. Things happen more for shock value than to move the story along.

2. Acting - I realize this is a personal preference, but I'm not a fan of Robert Ginty's style of acting. I know he has fans, but to me, he's just doesn't fit the part he's asked to play here. He doesn't look like a killer - he looks more like a car salesman. One small example is the scene where he's prepping bullets. Look at his hands. Those aren't the hands of a killer. Those hands haven't done the things John Easland has done. He's the wrong guy for the part.

3. The love story - I was really annoyed by the love story subplot with Christopher George and Samantha Eggar. I didn't necessarily have a problem with them as actors, but their screen time together was stomach churning. A midnight picnic in Central Park, love- making in a empty hospital room - ridiculous.

I really wanted to like this movie. As I said, low-budget violence is okay with me. But I had way too many problems to rate this higher than a 3/10.

A brutal 1980s Semi-Grindhouse Revenge Flick

[Keeneyedwatcher333 · 6/10 · 21 July 2011]

"The Exterminator" is a film that has many flaws but also has high entertainment value, The Story is nothing new, the characters are only half developed, and the film was made on a low budget, however it has a certain charm to it that makes it an entertaining watch.

The Plot of the film involves A Vietnam vet named John Eastland (Played by Robert Ginty, RIP) Taking the Name of "THE EXTERMINATOR" and Going out onto the streets of New York to hunt and kill a bunch of thugs that killed his best friend, and in the process try to rid new york entirely of crime. A policeman played by (Christopher George RIP) is out to catch him, but unknown to both of them the CIA is also after THE EXTERMINATOR its just a matter of time who will get to Him first.

Like i said the Plot isn't that Original, and the subplot involving the CIA is hugely Underdeveloped, and like i mentioned the characters are half developed, in other words they are only half interesting, but the sole Savior of this film is the violence and gritty atmosphere in which the Director James Glickenhaus Creates, the violence in this film is Raw and nasty and the Villains are extremely Despicable and when they get whats coming to them it Effectively pays off, The Film is what it is, an Exploitation film and a good one at that, in fact it has some truly powerful scenes as well as some emotional ones and if you see the film you'll know what I'm talking about.

OVERALL (6/10): "The Exterminator" is a Film to be viewed with caution, as it is very Depressing and Brutally Violent, But it does have its moments of being effective, and the violence is not Over the top in gore, its nasty and disgusting, I would say its on the level of TAXI DRIVER's violence, For general film goers I would probably say Skip this film but for fans of revenge movies and exploitation films I would suggest checking out this fairly controversial flick.

"Joe" meets "Taxi Driver" in "Death Wish" mode with gruesome / explicit scenes straight from "Don't Go in the House"...

[DeuceWild_77 · 7/10 · 22 May 2018]

"The Exterminator", James Glickenhaus' second feature film after the way obscure "The Astrologer" ('75), is for sure a product from its time, a modestly budgeted exploitation / vigilante flick, showed in the glory days of the lost Grindhouses of Times Square and 42nd Street, where the low-budget New York filmmakers could display their harsh works.

Reusing elements from cult movies that worked also as social commentaries such as John G. Avildsen's "Joe" ('70) starring Peter Boyle; Michael Winner's "Death Wish" ('74) starring Charles Bronson and Scorsese's "Taxi Driver" ('76) and the extreme psychological horror films in vogue during the late 70's (the so-called 'video nasties') such as Joseph Ellison's "Don't Go in the House" ('79) starring Dan Grimaldi, "The Exterminator" is a grim tale about a Vietnam vet, John Eastland (played by Robert Ginty from "Coming Home", released 2 years before and also related to the Vietnam war), who works in a warehouse with his best friend, Michael Jefferson (Steve James from "American Ninja" fame), a tough soldier, but now a family man responsible for saving his life during the war. When a group of street thugs, "The Ghetto Ghouls" sadistically, paralyze Jefferson, Eastland becomes a vigilante, embarking on a mission to cleanse New York of all the criminals and perverts, but a quick witted veteran cop, Det. James Dalton (Christopher George, a notable character actor from classic westerns such as "El Dorado" and "Chisum", both starred by John Wayne) is given the mission to stop the activities of the unknown vigilante who calls himself "The Exterminator"...

This movie became notorious back in the day for his gruesome scenes such as an explicit on-screen decapitation and the shot via poisoned bullets straight to the liver of a pervert, which resulted being cut in some countries and banned in others.

Unfortunately, besides those infamous scenes the movie has very little to offer, it moves at a snail pace, the editing is kind of messy and the script is severely underdeveloped, consisting of ghastly vignettes in which Ginty is taking on the thugs who crippled his friend, then the Mob Boss, two repugnant pedophiles and more thugs that assaulted an old lady in Central Park (echoing Bronson in "Death Wish").

In terms of performances, Ginty fares well in some scenes and looks terribly awkward in others, but he looks and feels like an average joe (besides his tall stature) and gives some credibility and realism to his vigilante, showing vulnerability and even some kind of humanism, instead of a machine type taking on criminals.

Christopher George and the unnecessary love affair with the nurse played by Samantha Eggar (from David Cronenberg's "The Brood") which adds nothing to the main plot, both give satisfactory, yet routine performances.

Steve James, in an early appearance on-screen, started to prove here that he deserved much more than the sidekick part which he went doing for his entire acting career until his way premature death at age 41 in '93.

Even with its flaws, after all it's a low-budgeted Grindhouse flick, "The Exterminator" rules nowadays as a piece of nostalgia from the late 70's more realistic and depressing popular culture, showing the dark side of New York City (full of low lifes, street criminals, drug dealers, drug addicts, underage prostitution, disgusting pedophiles and slimy perverts), better (and cleverly) explored in the aforementioned "Joe" and "Taxi Driver", but not as gritty and explicit as Glickenhaus showed us here.

"The Exterminator" is a cult classic among the exploitation cinema and deserves to be respected for what it is, but like the other flicks from this genre it's not indicated for the general audience...

Entertaining little vigilante action flick

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 5/10 · 13 November 2004]

This film starts out with a bang... literally. We see a huge explosion. Then one more. And another one. And yet another one... and this goes on for a while; I don't know exactly how many explosions there are, just in the first two minutes, but the movie wastes no time, that's for sure. Then there are a few sequences of Vietnam, and soon thereafter, the real plot begins. As it did, I couldn't help but wonder: how many action films have an Vietnam vet(short for veteran... obviously, as I doubt that there were many animals, and thereby veterinarians, in the Vietnam war) as the hero, especially in the time right after the war ended. This is exceptionally violent, and the violence is almost disgustingly gratuitous. However, it's mostly also so over-the-top that it almost winds up having a comical effect. Regardless, no one who thinks they might be freaked out by the violence should see it. The plot is decent. A Vietnam vet snaps and starts killing a bunch of criminals systematically after his friend is attacked. He kills a very large amount of various criminals, half of them not having anything to do with his friend at all. I enjoyed the vigilante theme, and found it far more interesting than the usual Hollywood pretty-boy out to save the world from a terrorist from some country the American director can barely even pronounce. The acting is ridiculously bad. Only one actor, the one portraying the main character, can be said to give a decent performance... and even that's a stretch. The humor is decent. The action is pretty good, but the daft filming and editing manages to make several of the sequences seem dull. The cinematography and editing is unimaginative. The dialog is the typical 80's one-liner crap half of the time, and the rest of the dialog is either filler or something hinting at a point or a moral that never seems to appear. Overall, a decent 80's action exploitation flick. I recommend it to fans of 80's action films, but be warned that's it very violent. 5/10

Okay, at best.

[poolandrews · 20 September 2004]

A vigilante revenge thriller set in New York (why is it that about 90% of films are shot at least in part in New York, everything is set there!) that for some unknown reason has become a bit of a cult classic. During the opening sequence set in Vietnam, a soldier, John Eastland (Robert Ginty) saves the life of his buddy from a group of nasty Vietnamese soldiers. Years later back in New York (why New York, why?!) Eastland's mate is attacked and paralysed by a group of thieves/thugs. Eastland is annoyed about this and kills them all in revenge. He then goes round killing the odd bad guy here and there for various reasons, not just that he wants clean New York up. For instance, he kills the mob boss so he can get money for hes mates wife and kid, not just because its the moral thing to do. He kills the guy who runs the brothel because of what he did to the prostitute he has befriended. Then there's the cop (Christopher George) whos trying to track him down, yawn. So, the exterminator for the most part isn't really a vigilante film in my opinion, hes just a guy who tries to do the right thing by his mate, and kills the odd bad guy here and there if he gets a good enough reason. Ginty is poor, laid back, mild mannered and looks rather uninterested in the whole thing. I never got the impression he was a hard as nails ruthless killer. He just seemed to quiet and nice. George as the cop is also pretty bad, mostly focusing on his relationship with a female doctor, yawn. One or two nice bits of gore to keep you awake/interested, the beheading by machete in the opening sequence an obvious standout. I just found the whole thing a bit boring, dull and pedestrian. This guy was meant to be the exterminator, by half way through the movie he had killed about 4 people, hardly a one man army! I maybe am being a bit harsh as there's nothing technically wrong with it, and what was there was okay but I just expected more from a film with a title and reputation like the exterminator.

An enjoyable piece of gritty 80s trash cinema.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 10 December 2006]

New York in the late 70s and early 80s was a prime locale for gritty dramas and tough thrillers; it was a sleazy place, teeming with vice and riddled with crime. Which made it the perfect place to set a vigilante movie too.

In James Glickenhaus's The Exterminator, Vietnam veteran John Eastland (Robert Ginty) goes on a killing spree when his best friend, Michael (Steve James) is left crippled by a vicious street gang. Armed to the teeth, he dispatches with the lowlife criminals and scum who have made his stomping ground such a dangerous place to live.

The movie opens with a flashback sequence set during the Vietnam war, in which some American soldiers (including John and Michael) are captured by the enemy. A superb, but extremely nasty torture sequence (which features a very realistic beheading created by top FX expert Stan Winston and his team) lets the audience know what they are in for: a brutal and grim no-holds-barred movie.

Eastland's methods of disposing of the thugs and crooks that plague his city are extremely nasty (although not especially graphic): he lowers a man into a giant mincing machine, sets people on fire and shoots them with mercury filled bullets. A couple of unfortunate gang members are left to have their faces chewed off by rats.

In between all of this nastiness, the film also follows a cop's attempts to bring The Exterminator to justice and his romance with a nurse (who happens to work in the hospital where Michael is being looked after). These scenes take up far too much of the running time and often seem redundant to the plot.

A little less of the cop/nurse stuff and a touch more of The Exterminator getting brutal on the bad guys, and this trashy but enjoyable slice of 80s action would have been almost perfect. As it stands, I'll give it 7 out of 10.

Yes it's the movie where the Mafia guy is turned into mincemeat after being fed into a meat grinder

[mwilson1976 · 5/10 · 11 June 2020]

Critics may have hated this sadistic vigilante-themed movie directed by James Glickenhaus, a direct rip-off of Death Wish (1974) , in which Vietnam War veteran John Eastland (Robert Ginty) embarks on a one man mission to cleanse New York of organised crime after a group of thugs paralyze his friend, but it was a big hit with audiences who couldn't get enough of its graphic excesses. The movies infamous scenes of violence and gore don't really happen at all, they're mostly suggestive, and in the case of a sleazy Mafioso who is turned into mincemeat after being fed into a meat grinder, it all takes place off screen. Christopher George co-stars as a detective on the trail of "The Exterminator" who has a hot dog rotisserie on his desk, and Steve James from American Ninja is underused as Eastland's soon-to-be-paralysed bud, who after foiling a robbery gets a garden fork plunged into his back and scraped along the length of his spine until his eyes pop. Gaining a huge cult following since its release, the film was followed by a sequel, Exterminator 2, in 1984, which saw star Ginty return and producer Mark Buntzman step up to direct.

Rough, tough and stone-cold exploitation!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 28 March 2006]

The good thing about late 70's/ early 80's B-cinema was that, whenever a new idea hit big at the box office, an endless amount of shameless rip-offs would follow almost immediately, most of which even more exploitative that the original success film. "Last House on the Left", for example, resulted in huge load of brutal revenge films like "I spit on your Grave" and "House on the Edge of the Park", whereas Michael Winner's "Death Wish" caused a giant stream of low-budget vigilante action movies. "The Exterminator" is one the most remarkable rip-offs and definitely also a cult-favorite, simply because the style of this film is so grim, raw and nihilistic. Writer/director James Glickenhaus certainly doesn't waste any time, as "The Exterminator" opens with a very violent Vietnam flashback (containing THE vilest decapitation scene I ever saw!), introducing us to the inseparable buddies John Eastland and Michael Jefferson. Back in New York, Jefferson quickly becomes the victim of a coward racist attack by street gang members, leaving him numb in a hospital bed. Eastman responds by becoming a one-man vigilante squad, only he doesn't stop at killing his buddy's aggressors but continues to take on corrupt politicians, pimps and ordinary thugs. The tone of "The Exterminator" is very distant at all times. It's like Glickenhaus doesn't want you to develop neither feelings of sympathy or aversion for the protagonist! We simply observe his actions, not really picking sides for either him or the obtrusive cop Dalton. This surely isn't meant to be pleasant film-experience, as the editing and camera-work are roughly handled, there's almost no use of color and the musical guidance is very depressing. The only light-headed moments involve the romantic interactions between Detective Dalton and a nurse, and they're actually quite redundant.

Exterminating Vermin in the Big City After Vietnam

[Bogmeister · 3/10 · 21 May 2006]

This is another of those warnings about messing with Vietnam vets - they'll put you down like the mad dog you are - but it's really another in a long line of vigilante killer movies following in the wake of "Death Wish" from '74. This one seems to lack a focus: it starts out as standard revenge when a vet's buddy is brutally attacked and crippled by a street gang in N.Y.City; the gang gets theirs, but then the vet (Ginty) goes after a mob boss for money, to help his friend's family and, soon after, some sex perverts are targeted, after the vet encounters a scarred prostitute. This one is all over the place, offering a catharsis for common citizens upset over all the ills plaguing big cities. But it also lacks a smooth narrative, jumping from one scene to the next without the usual background required for things to make sense. The vet just seems to become very serious about vigilante justice all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, as if there are a couple of missing scenes.

Top-billed Chris George is the detective on the case, while Eggar is a nurse he meets and dates at the halfway point. Their subplot doesn't really go anywhere, appearing truncated. Ginty does not strike one as right for the vigilante role, looking more at home as an assistant to a businessman, for example. But, then again, not all Vietnam vets can be expected to look like Rambo; some are average-looking guys, after all. The killings take on a very grisly tone - if you're into meat-hooks jabbing into flesh or human scum getting burned alive, then this one's for you. It's all the more disturbing because the movie begins in Vietnam, showing a particularly horrific execution, and the sense is that this violence follows Ginty's character all the way back home - there's little difference. But it comes across as sheer, unimaginative exploitation. The more interesting part for me was the scene of the vet applying his knowledge, working on some specialized bullets to facilitate his plans. Check out "Rolling Thunder" from the seventies for a better take on upset Vietnam vets.

A solid revenge cum vigilante movie.

[Fella_shibby · 8/10 · 9 March 2021]

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited the 104 mins version recently. This film is a solid vigilante stuff with good effects, specially the decapitation scene by Stan Winston.

The meat grinder scene made me squirm. The sub plot of the love story between the detective n the nurse wasn't required n that is the only stuff which slowed the movie.

A decent Death Wish (1974) rip-off

[MonsterVision99 · 7/10 · 8 December 2016]

The exterminator its a film that tries to replicate the feeling of dread and frustration that the original Deah Wish had, but it accomplishes it on a different way.

The film its filled with sleazy characters and situations, weird scumbags fill the screen from time to time, but it also has a very peculiar emotion to it, its not a soulless film, there are some genuine sad moments in the film that I wasn't expecting from a 80s vigilante action film.

Some of the best scenes in the film are the sleazy and dirty scenes, whether it is a death scene or a rape scene, its very riveting and hard to watch, but in a good way.

The effects in the film are surprisingly very well done, I specially want to spotlight an amazing beheading that happens at the beginning of the film, its pretty amazing and overwhelmingly great.

It has many issues like the editing at points, could be weird or some sloppy writing or acting, but overall I believe that its very well worth a look, definitely recommended for those who look for a film like this.

Looks to me like all the budget was used up in the pre-title sequence...

[world_of_weird · 2/10 · 1 December 2005]

THE EXTERMINATOR was another of those movies that had a cult following in early eighties video-fixated Britain, simply because it was a lot more bad-ass and gratuitously violent than anything you could (legally) see in the cinemas around that time. It had an attention-grabbing cover shot of the leather-clad, cycle-helmet-wearing lead character brandishing a flame-thrower, and it looked a lot more tempting than the battered old copy of STRAW DOGS which sat next to it on the shelf. But don't be fooled by the legend or the myths, this film is truly rank. After an attention-grabbing opening sequence set in the swampy hell-pits of Vietnam complete with be-headings (none too realistic, but be-headings all the same), explosions, dramatic helicopter rescue stunts, none-more-evil villains and gunfights, THE EXTERMINATOR shifts gear into...what? It's not exactly clear at first. There's a soft, folkish, John Denver-style song on the soundtrack, which momentarily made me think that David Hess (LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT) was somehow involved, and aerial shots of New York City by night. It's like DEATH WISH, only cheap-looking. Then the 'plot' kicks in. Our hero (Robert Ginty, a terrible actor who always looks dyspeptic) and his war buddy have got steady jobs loading and unloading grocery deliveries from trucks, and the boss is being leant on by some underworld goons. But that's the least of his worries - we're barely out of the title sequence and the drug-addled gangland thugs are on the loose already, picking a fight with Ginty and his family-man friend who is held down and paralysed a couple of scenes later for having the nerve to fight back. By now, you've probably gathered that this is strong stuff, and it just gets nastier. And more ridiculous.

When the paralysed victim is lying comatose in a hospital bed, who informs his wife? The police? The doctors? No - Ginty himself. And the exposition scene is horribly flubbed - why did the director insert stock footage of inner-city slums halfway through Ginty's stone-faced explanation of his friend's fate? It adds NOTHING to the scene. My guess is that there was some trouble with the film stock (or another rogue microphone dropped into shot - this happens a few times) and a substitute shot had to be found in a hurry, so a quick raid on the archives was necessary. Now it's time for Ginty to bring down the street scum. Yes, it's DEATH WISH meets TAXI DRIVER, on the budget of an 8mm porno loop. But what this film lacks in originality (or indeed subtlety) it makes up for in terms of sheer nastiness. So we get graphic scenes of women having their breasts scarred with hot irons, fat blubberheaps raping tethered teenage boys, thugs being eaten alive by rats, Mafia hoods being ground up in industrial mincers...on and on it goes. It's like watching an open sewer disgorging human waste for the best part of two hours. To add insult to injury, it's technically poor, there are NO good performances, the direction is sluggish and if you make it to the finale, there's another horrible folkish song to sit through...which has squat to do with the repugnant dreck that preceded it. Cut or uncut, THE EXTERMINATOR is like being trapped without respite in the brain of a very sick individual, and you'll feel like a long shower to wash off the filth when it's done.