[mazzariniuk]

Flash Bang Action Movie Reviews posted this review of Red Scorpion

Directed by: Joseph Zito
Starring: Dolph Lundgren, J T Walsh, Brion James

Synopsis:

Lundgren stars as Nikolai Rachenko, a deadly, highly skilled agent for the Russian army and an all-round a killing machine whose brutal efficiency and single minded determination to serve the motherland leaves behind a trail of battered bodies and bloodied enemies.

Nikolai’s latest mission involves infiltrating an African rebel army seeking to defy its new communist rulers and take out their leader. But as he gets to know his enemies and the dignified Bushmen he encounters, he begins to slowly realize that all he has been taught was a lie. Now, this Cold War rebel is ready to turn the tables on his Soviet masters and kick all kinds of ass!

Review:

Red Scorpion is a great slice of 80’s action, tinged just a bit with Anti-Communist propaganda. Unlike other gung-ho commie-bashing movies of the period such as Red Dawn and Invasion USA (also directed by Zito), this is set on a different continent and also only has one American character. J T Walsh plays Dewey Ferguson, an American journalist who has access to the rebels and is helping to promote their cause. He is also incredibly arrogant and narrow minded and has an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Hardly the most sympathetic character in the film!

Coming hot on the heels of his breakthrough role as Ivan Danko in Rock IV, Dolph Lundgren looks amazing in this film, and does a good job acting wise too. There are times where he looks like a catwalk model rather than a hardened soldier, but overall he looks the part. He brings a lot of dignity and honour to his role, proud of the fact that he is Spetznaz and vengeful when that status is threatened.

Even though he plays an assassin sent to kill a benign leader, Nikolai never loses our support because we know that he’s been lied to by his superiors (the excellent T P McKenna as General Vortek and Carmen Argenziano as Colonel Zayas) and it’s only a matter of time before he finds out. Unfortunately, Nikolai is a bit slow on the uptake and actually tries to follow through with his mission. Luckily the rebel leader isn’t a dummy, and benevolent enough to allow Nikolai to live.

Nikolai realises that he’s being hung out to dry by his superiors and strikes out on his own, only to fall foul of a nest of scorpions (black ones, not red) and is rescued by a Bush Man called Goa (a real-life Bush Man called Regopstaan, who was a whopping 95 years old at the time), who shows him some bush craft and an appreciation of nature. It’s through Goa’s eyes that Nikolai begins to see how oppressive and brutal the Russian/Cuban regime actually is. There is a scene where Nikolai and Goa come across a village where the whole population has been slaughtered, and you can see the heartbreaking look of sorrow and incomprehension in Goa’s eyes, making him the best actor in the whole film.

The action in Red Scorpion is varied and entertaining. There are plenty of big battles, skirmishes, hand-to-hand combat going on throughout. One of the most iconic images of any action movie involving Russian troops is the Hind Helicopter, a heavily armed lumbering beast, and that image gets prominent use throughout this film (even if it is actually a mock-up!).

Verdict:

A genuine classic slice of nostalgia, Red Scorpion delivers the action and ensured that Dolph Lundgren continued to kick ass.

7 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)

Extras:

As usual, Arrow have gone "all-out" with their presentation: This is what you can expect on your disc:

Brand new High Definition transfer of the film (1080p); introduction to the film by star Dolph Lundgren; UK exclusive audio commentary by director Joseph Zito, moderated by filmmaker and genre scholar Howard S. Berger; “All Out Of Bullets” – Dolph Lundgren remembers Red Scorpion; “Music With Muscles” – composer Jay Chattaway on the soundtrack of Red Scorpion; original trailer; reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork; double-sided fold-out artwork poster; collectors’ booklet featuring brand new writing on the film by author Calum Waddell; original 1.78:1 aspect ratio; original uncompressed LPCM Stereo audio; optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired.