The Exterminator (1980)

'The Exterminator' is a 1980 independent movie directed by James Glickenhaus. Knowing it was a vigilante flick I expected the movie to be some kind of 'Death Wish' knockoff (which I by the way would've been more than okay with). It is however not quite like that.

In a firefight during the Vietnam War the American soldiers John Eastland and Michael Jefferson are captured by Viet Cong. They get tied to poles and questioned by a VC officer who cuts the head of another US soldier with a machete in front of them. John appears to be in shock, but Michael manages to get loose. He kills the enemy soldiers and frees John before an American helicopter comes to their rescue. Back in America John and Michael are co-workers at a warehouse in New York. Michael got his life well together with a wife and two kids. John seems more affected by the war, but Michael looks out for him just like he did in Nam. One day John walks in on some gang members stealing in the warehouse. They threaten him with a knife, but Michael comes to the rescue. Later that day Michael is attacked by the same gang members and is left paralyzed. John sets out to find and kill the people who did it. He does however develop a taste for vigilantism and decides to clean up the city.

The plot might sound quite standard, but the movie defiantly got some original qualities. Robert Ginty is very good as John, and makes him an interesting character. He's vulnerable and kind, and identifies with the suffering of others because he knows what it is to be a victim. He's in other words not your typical movie tough guy. I think thats the big difference between him and other movie vigilantes like Charles Bronson's character in 'Death Wish'. John is more of a victim. He's been to war and carries those memories with him. He tries to live a normal life, but realizes that there is a new war going on at home.

The friendship between John and Michael feels very genuine and it's easy to imagine John getting pushed to become a vigilante when he looses the stability of Michael in his life.

'The Exterminator' was a pleasant surprise to me. It got heart and soul and manages to be both touching and badass at the same time. If you have an affection for the vigilante genre or revenge movies in genreal you shouldn't miss out on this one.