The Exterminator (1980)

Studio: Synapse Films

Theatrical Release: September 19th, 1980

Blu-Ray/DVD Release: September 13th, 2011

Not Rated

Review by Craig Sorensen

Made about five years after the end of the Vietnam War, and filmed on the then tough streets of New York, The Exterminator has earned a rightful spot near the top of a string of vigilante films from the era (Death Wish, Vigilante, Night of the Juggler, etc.).  Yes, there have been other films in both the violent-Vietnam-vet- and white-guy-taking-back-the-streets genres but few of them really plunge you into the grime and sleaze so willfully.

The film follows Vet John Eastland (Robert Ginty of Warrior of the Lost World) recently back from the war.  When his friend Michael (Steve James of I’m Gonna Get You Sucka) is viciously attacked by a street gang called the “Ghetto Ghouls” (which includes a young Irwin Keyes) and left paralyzed, John snaps and takes it upon himself to clean up the mean streets of New York.  After taking out the Ghetto Ghouls (with the help of some pleasant city rats) he turns his attention to the mob where his job in a slaughterhouse (and the accompanying equipment) comes in handy.   Then of course John sets his sight on a pair of chickenhawks (one of them being a senator from New Jersey).

All this action makes John a kind of local celebrity.  This (for some ill-defined reason) brings his efforts to the attention of the President of the United States.  It seems that he is running for re-election and some vigilante killer in New York will cost him the election.  So obviously he puts the C.I.A. on the case.  Also on the Exterminator’s trail is police detective James Dalton (Christopher George of Grizzly), who goes to a Stan Getz concert with Dr. Megan Stewart (Samantha Eggar of The Dead Are Alive).

The Exterminator is certainly a product of its time and environment.  I can’t imagine it taking place anywhere else but New York in the late 70’s/early 80’s.  It’s just the perfect setting for these films.  Crime seemingly ran rampant and the city seems to just ooze sleaze.  For a low budget exploitation film, shooting in New York added such a great level of authenticity.  I think that my favorite part of the picture is all the great location work.  There is a definite documentary feel to the 42^nd street scenes that I love.  You just can’t get that from a more studio bound film.

The film does have its problems though.  The editing can sometimes be a bit rough and some of the scene transitions can be jarring.  At least a couple of times it seems the film just jumps into the middle of a scene without any transition at all.  And it’s not really the most original of concepts for a film, especially at the time of release.

The performances from the cast do elevate the film above these issues though.  Robert Ginty is very good in the lead and carries the film well.  Christopher George is always a welcome addition to the cast in my opinion and he seems to be having a good time with the role.  Steve James does a great job, despite spending most of the film laying perfectly still in a hospital bed.  Samantha Eggar doesn’t really have much to do but does the best that she can.

The Exterminator gets a great new transfer from Synapse films.  I imagine that this looks as good, or better than the film looked upon release.  The film is grainy, like a lot of exploitation films from the era and it’s nice to see that the transfer reproduces that grit accurately.  There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of DNR (that I can tell) and the image doesn’t seem to be overly compressed.  I was surprised with how colorful the film is in this new transfer as well.  It always seemed so drab in previous transfers.

This presentation also features a restored Dolby 2.0 Stereo audio track.  Evidently this is how the film was originally released to theaters and this is the first time that this audio option has been available on home video.  It’s sounds very good to me.  Dialog was clear and the explosions rocked the furniture in my apartment, as they should.  I’m sure my neighbors are now big fans of The Exterminator.  There is also a mono audio option.

Extras include the original theatrical trailer, a few television spots and a commentary with writer/director James Glickenhaus and Chris Poggiali.  It’s an informative track with some interesting stories about location shooting and the cast.  It can get a little dry at times though.

While not the most original of premises, The Exterminator still delivers the ‘goods’.  The film doesn’t flinch from the sleazy action and delivers it with a great cast and atmospheric location work.  Fans of action and exploitation films should definitely add this one to their watch list.