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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.

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.

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..

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.

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!

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."

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).

"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.

When Vietnam veteran John Eastman's (Robert Ginty) best friend Michael Jefferson (Steve James) is brutally attacked by street gang the Ghetto Ghouls leaving Michael paralyzed, John takes it upon himself to clear the streets of crime under the alias The Exterminator. As NYPD Detective Dalton (Christopher George) tracks down The Exterminator, elements of the CIA take an interest in John's crusade against crime believing it threatens their interests.

The Exterminator is the second film of filmmaker James Glickenhaus and arguably the one that cements his style as a director. After the experience of making an releasing The Astrologer (aka The Suicide Cult), Glcikenhaus decided his next film would be written with as little dialogue as possible which lead to him developing and financing The Exterminator. While the movie was made with the intention of distributing it through the international market, the film proved a sizable hit within the United States making $6 million in the New York alone and would make both star Robert Ginty and writer/director James Glickenhaus staples of B-movies throughout the 80s. While The Exterminator doesn't break far from the tropes of the genre established by Death Wish and its contemporaries, it doesn't pretend to be anymore than it actually is and sidesteps the pseudo discussions and some of the crypto racism inherent to the genre.

Robert Ginty is really well cast as John Eastman and according to Glickenhaus he chose because not only did he find him a good actor, but also thought he brought an approachable everyman quality to the character Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson couldn't. Ginty and Steve James have terrific chemistry in the film and from the opening scene where Michael saves John's life in Vietnam you buy them as friends and do get invested in their relationship. But despite Ginty portraying a likable personality, he also brings a simmering intensity to the scenes where he's taking on the city's criminal elements from low level street thugs to mid-level gangsters with some scenes involving a meat grinder or a flamethrower being particularly memorable. The movie also gives us another fun turn in Christopher George as Detective Dalton who's investigating The Exterminator and while he does fill the requisite for the character type in a movie like this, he also adds a certain level of humor and humanity such as his love story with Samantha Eggar's Dr. Megan Stewart or some unique little quirks he has such as cooking a hot dog with two forks wired to his desk lamp. Now I'm not going to act like the movie is flawless because at the end of the day it is still a violent and slightly stupid wish fulfillment fantasy, but there's also some other issues at play such as the rather choppy feeling of the editing with some parts such as Michael Jefferson's family feeling really underdeveloped, or the soundtrack which features a lot of slow emotional acoustic guitar backed ballads that feels like it's trying to copy the San Anton song from Rolling Thunder. Pretty much any vigilante movie that tries to ape Paul Schrader is doomed to fail because only Paul Schrader can add that little extra something to a movie like this (Hardcore, Rolling Thunder, Taxi Driver, etc.). The movie didn't need to be Paul Schrader, we have one of those, just be The Exterminator and own it.

The Exterminator is unapologetically b-movie trash but it's fun b-movie trash especially in comparison to stuff like Death Wish II or Fighting Back. If you like this kind of movie there's plenty to appreciate here.

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

The Exterminator

Vigilantes in the 1980s were everyday people who just lost faith in McGruff the Crime Dog.

And while the lawful mascot isn't mentioned in this action movie, his presence is felt.

POW John (Robert Ginty) tries to assimilate back in NYC when the Ghetto Ghouls break into where he works and kills his co-worker. Enraged he grabs a flamethrower and exacts revenge. Unsatisfied, John moves on to busting up the mafia and a child sex ring. Dubbed the Exterminator by the press, John is dogged by a determined detective (Christopher George).

Dubbed a Death Wish doppelganger by critics on its released, this obvious nod to the seminal street vigilante blockbuster also had a second-rate sequel. Decades on and this alleged knockoff still holds its own with some pretty intense interrogation and death scenes that rival modern remakes.

Furthermore, scorching thugs is a double win because it also feeds the neighbourhood. Yellow Light

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Successful crime thriller of the 80s that went on the ¨Vigilante genre¨ which Bronson had created as Architect Paul Kersey turned avenger . Again an ordinary man become vigilante and taking the law into his own hands as judge , jury and executioner. This first entry with excessive violence concerns about John Eastland (Robert Ginty), a Vietnam vet and New York worker and become into relentless revenger . John turns the one-man vigilante when his friend (Steve James) is attacked by furious band formed by some heinous villains . His friend lives in N.Y. along with his wife and daughter and he is made a cripple and reduced to living vegetable. Eastland then stalks the slums of N.Y. and takes the law into his own hands , searching vengeance on crooks , hoodlums, sadistic muggers and pimps making the neighborhood safer and bumping off delinquents and street scum. Meanwhile a stubborn police inspector (Christopher George) is investigating the grisly events .

This first outing contains suspense , noisy action-packed, intrigue, thrills galore and lots of violence and gore , including obnoxious executions as nasty beheading -made by Stan Winston- and others. This disgusting story looks increasingly passionless and mechanical and violence seems to be considered excessive . Robert Ginty with his usual stoic acting displays efficiently his weapon , Magnum 44 , such as ¨Harry the Dirty¨ and killing mercilessly nasties . It's certainly thrilling , though the morality may be questionable , even in this time, as the spectators were clearly on the Ginty-Eastland side . Furthermore, appears a nice main and secondary cast , as Susanna York as a doctor , Christopher George as obstinate cop ,and Dennis Boutsikaris as heinous hoodlum in his film debut. It packs a screeching musical score composed, orchestrated by Joe Renzetti , including a wonderful and emotive final song that is the best item of the film . There's an unrated director's cut that runs some minutes more . This exciting motion picture is middlingly directed by James Glickenhaus . He's an expert on violent action movies as proved in ¨The protector¨, ¨Shakedown¨ and ¨The soldier¨ . Followed by another extremely violent and low-budgeted sequel to this successful 1980 movie , realized in 1984 by the same producer Mark Buntzman with Mario Van Peebles in his movie debut , Debora Geffner, Frankie Faison and of course Robert Ginty , replacing his Magnum by means of using a blowtorch against street scum.

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.

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 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.