SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Cannon Inc. was well-known for taking movies that were once successful and making sequels out of them, movies like Death Wish or Superman, but The Exterminator was one of those cases were the film was exploitation to begin with, so they aren't messing with anyone by making the movies even cheesier. The Exterminator 2 it's even crazier and cheesier than the original movie, but it manages to be decent and keep the sleaziness intact, this film it's not very apologetic with it's violence, people die all the time, it's crude and reckless.Some of the scenes may feel a bit clunky or pointless, the editing may be sloppy at times, but that's because Cannon wasn't pleased with the original cut of the film by Mark Buntzman, so they decided to re shoot a big part of the film with William Sachs (B-movie director, known mostly for The Incredible Melting Man) as the new director, the result was very decent for what it was, with the film not suffering much from the re shoots, at least, through most of the film. The cheesiness is high in this one, with the gangs from the city being much more exaggerated than they were in the previous film, the deaths being more fitting to this kind of film, and it isn't a Cannon film without some gratuitous roller skate dancing in it. Since it's a Cannon film the action in this movie it's pretty fun, the shootouts are very entertaining and quite intense at times, especially the last one, that serves as a climax to the film, followed by a clunky editing job, but that leads to a very well made closing shot.Overall, I would recommend it if you are looking for a cheesy and trashy 80's vigilante movie, it will not disappoint.

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!

Exterminator 2 (1984)* 1/2 (out of 4)In 1980 the low-budget THE EXTERMINATOR hit theaters and become a rather big hit so four years later this sequel followed. Robert Ginty returns as John Eastland and this time out he's dealing with more bad guys including the leader of the pack who is known as X (Mario Van Peebles). This sequel certainly has production companies Cannon's signature all over it and in fact I think this film owes more to DEATH WISH II than the actual first film. I say that because the exploitation factor is a lot higher here for a number of reasons. I think director-producer Mark Buntzman probably saw that Charles Bronson hit and decided to do like that film and just deliver what people wanted. Part of what people wanted from the first film was the flame-thrower, which was pretty much shown on the poster of the first film but here it becomes a major character. Whereas in the first film it was only used once or twice, here it is the main killing force as we see countless people set on fire and burned to a crisp. This effect is put to great use throughout the picture and one has to tip their hat to the stunt men were were doing these dangerous stunts on a low-budget. The biggest problem with EXTERMINATOR 2 is that the pacing is so incredibly bad that the 90-minute running time feels three times as long. At one point I thought the film was almost over and my boredom turned to shock when I realized we were only thirty-minutes into the picture. There are a few good points along the way including the silly violence, which is certainly over-the-top at times and this is especially true of the garbage truck hunting. I thought Ginty was good in his wooden way. Van Peebles is certainly a lot of fun in his own way and you've got to love the various wild outfits he wears. Is this better than the first film? Considering I wasn't a fan of either, I'd say this one here manages to be a tad bit sillier and contain some campier, wilder moments that somewhat make it more entertaining. It's just too bad that the pacing wasn't better.

Rugged Vietnam veteran vigilante John Eastland (Robert Ginty in sturdy stoical form) goes after crazed gang leader X (gleefully overplayed with lip-licking wicked relish by Mario Van Peebles) and his band of reprehensible hoodlums. Eastland drives around the streets of New York City in a garbage truck and torches the scumbags with a flamethrower. Director/co-writer Mark Buntzman relates the enjoyably scuzzy story at a snappy pace, maintains a tough gritty tone throughout, makes good use of the seamy urban locations, certainly doesn't hold back on the brutal graphic violence, and tosses in some gnarly break-dancing for good measure. Foxy brunette Deborah Geffner contributes an appealing turn as Eastland's sweet dancer girlfriend Caroline. (Geffner earns extra points for not only cutting loose with some impressively fluid and graceful dance moves, but also for baring her lovely breasts in a love scene with Eastland.) Frankie Faison likewise shines with his engaging portrayal of Eastland's amiable buddy Be Gee. Moreover, the bad guys are truly hateful, nasty, and disgusting, with David Buntzman as a sinister old Mafia guy, the hulking Irwin Keyes as chain-brandishing thug Monster, and Arye Gross as the weaselly Turbo rating as definite despicable villains. The polished cinematography by Robert M. Baldwin and Joseph Mangine boasts lots of strenuous slow motion and gives the picture a pleasing slick look. David Spear's pulsating score hits the funky-throbbing spot. While this sequel never recaptures the sterling harsh edge of the fierce original, it nonetheless possesses a cheerfully crude'n'cheesy cartoonish quality that's a lot of mindless fun to behold. Vintage 80's action exploitation sleaze.