| | | | The Exterminator
(1980) |
hot mostly on location in New York City this 80's cult classic tells the story of John Eastland (Ginty), ex-Vietnam veteran turned avenging vigilante.
The opening scenes of the film in Vietnam, which were shot in Indian Dunes desert, just outside Palm Springs California, show Eastland and his friend Michael Jefferson (James) being captured by the Viet-Kong.
The subsequent beheading of a fellow member of their unit, as their captors interrogate for information is one of the most brutally realistic scenes in cinema. In the aftermath of the decapitation Jefferson takes his chance with the distracted guards and saves Eastland's life, by first garroting one guard then mowing down the rest with an M60.
The troops then escape in helicopters soaring against a backdrop of huge explosions. We next see the friends working in a packing factory in New York. Eastland pops down to drop off a delivery in one of the store rooms as a favour for Jefferson, but walks in on a gang of hoodlums who stealing it's contents, they quickly put a knife to his throat. Jefferson comes to see where his errand friend has gone, upon assessing the situation he quickly disarms and takes out the would be thieves and rescues Eastland... again.
Jefferson is later cornered though by the hoodlums and sickeningly beaten and left paralysed by the attack. Swearing revenge Eastland grabs his trusty M16 and hunts them down and avenges his friend. This taste of justice now leaves Eastland with a moral agenda as he begins to clean up New York's underworld, by taking out a 'gloriously overblown' beef magnate and Mafia don (Boccelli), a seedy pimp (Benedetto), his perverted client and some gutless muggers.
Adopting the Exterminator handle as his calling card, Eastland informs the press of his actions. Pursued by Christopher George's NYPD detective and the CIA he is tracked down to a final confrontation in a deserted shipping yard.
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The story of The Exterminator derives from the exaggeration of everyday urban crime scenarios where the protagonist takes the law into their own hands and hits back with intense retribution. These type of films (see also Taxi Driver, Death Wish, Assault On Precinct 13, The Road Warrior & First Blood) were very popular in the mid 70's and early 80's.
Robert Ginty is excellent as the 'everyday man' pushed to vigilantism by a cruel and violent world... the bad guys are enjoyable risible and Christopher George puts in a smooth performance as he pursues both The Exterminator and with more success, the sexy assured Doctor played by Samantha Eggar. The Exterminator lacks the pace of contemporary action films, instead greater emphasis is given to the drama of the characters, this gives the film realism which is so often lacking in films of this genre. Another early 80's classic!
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During the 1970's, a series of novels about a Vietnam vet turned vigilante called the Executioner were published that may have inspired the Exterminator; this series continues today.  -Thanks to John McDonagh
The special effects in the opening 'Vietnam - Flashback' sequence were created by Stan Winston, who later went on to do the effects for such movies as "Terminator 2", "Aliens" and "Jurassic Park". -Thanks to Neil Pike
Christopher George also starred in another 1980 classic, Lucio Fulci's, "City Of The Living Dead".
Nothing new I am sorry to say. Being new to this thread, am I right to tell my friends that, "I'll be back" was the 1st movie to say that line more than once? Thus making it the original "I'll be back" movie? -Thanks to Tom Tank
There was a sequel to this movie, "Exterminator II." I don't remember much other than John converts a city dumptruck into an armored vigilante machine and that the main bad guy (who happens to be a heroine dealer- very eighties) was played by the king of easily forgotton movie Mario Van Peebles. -Thanks to Scott
This movies famous line "If you're lying, I'll be back" sounds like a line of ex-Terminator Arnold's from "Twins", where Arnold forces a doctor who fertilized them both to tell him and Danny Devito where their bio mother is, to which Arnold menacingly replies: "If you're lying, I'll be back.." -Thanks to Don
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In order to achieve the gruesome reality of the beheading in the Vietnam scene, an entire animated body, complete with graphic facial expressions was built.
At the time of it's release, "The Exterminator" was haunted by controversy. Several minutes of footage wound up on the cutting room floor due to pressure from the censors.
Director Glickenhaus says "Scenes which didn't make the film were ones that were political in nature. It was a time when certain countries had prohibition against showing films where 'bad guys' did not receive justice or didn't come to a bad end. The DVD release is the director's cut.
At one point in the movie, George's character accidentally calls Ginty's character "The Executioner".
Coincidently, a film called The Executioner II came out later which was also about a veteran turned vigilante! The film was called The Executioner II in a ruse to fool viewers; it was in fact not a sequel to any previous film. -Thanks to John McDonagh
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|  |  |  | | The Exterminator
Locations |
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Also, the opening Vietnam scenes were shot in Indian Dunes desert, just outside Palm Springs California.
Can you help? Do you know any of the New York City, New York filming locations used for The Exterminator? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[MONO]](dd1.gif) | OutTakes |
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Comments: Directors Cut |
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The soundtrack is quite a diverse mixture of musical styles with jazz from the Stan Gertz Ensemble (Stan appears in the movie), funky stuff by The Trammps and Roger Bowlins and melancholic folk from Chip Taylor.
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Soundtrack Available:
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