Nostalgia Maybe Isn't What It Was

Theo Robertson

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

score 6/10

Theo Robertson 20 October 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2144023/