Red Scorpion

Starring:Dolph Lundgren, M. Emmet Walsh, Al White, T.P. McKenna, Carmen Argenziano, Alex Colon, Brion James, Ruben Nthodi, Vuzi Dibukwana, James Mthoba, Dinky Motsemme, Ernest Ndhlovu, Thapelo Mofokeng, Mxolisi Hulana, Nicky Rebello, Drummond Marais, Charles Comyn, Tullio Moneta, Jurgen Hellberg, Graham Clarke
Director: Joseph Zito
Studio: Simitar Ent.
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

one of the 80's worst action movies!!!
Dolph Lundgren's version of "Rambo"
Pro-Apartheid propaganda produced by Jack Abramoff. Yes, that Jack Abramoff!

Red Scorpion
Starring: Dolph Lundgren , M. Emmet Walsh , Al White , T.P. McKenna , and Carmen Argenziano
Director: Joseph Zito
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Silent Trigger
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ASIN: B00006RJ59
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Customer Reviews:

one of the 80's worst action movies!!!.......2006-06-24

bottom of the barrel action with one of dolgh lundgren's worst preformances(so you know it must be really bad) as a soviet officer sent to kill an african leader. when he gets there he changes sides and helps the african people against the soviets.
sounds much better than it really is ,the action is flat as is the whole movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! skip it!!!!!!!!!!!

Dolph Lundgren's version of "Rambo".......2006-02-24

I think this was one of Dolph's better movies. It does a pretty good job of representing the factions in Angola. It has a solid plot. Red Scorpion does what its supposed to do, which is make Dolph the savior of the people in Angola while showing off his body. Its unrealistic that one man is going to come along and single handedly end a war thats been going on for years (especially in Africa) but thats why its only a movie.

Pro-Apartheid propaganda produced by Jack Abramoff. Yes, that Jack Abramoff!.......2006-01-06

Interestingly, this pro-apartheid film was produced and written by Jack Abramoff, now famous for pleading guilty to fraud and tax evasion in the course of orchestating the biggest American congressional corruption scandal in a generation.
Yes the same man who bribed over 60 congressmen and senators, robbed several native american tribes blind, tried to take out life insurance policies on tribal elders with himself as the beneficiary, and called the Choctaw tribal council "Monkeys" and "troglodytes", had an interesting earlier career.
He was disqualified from the student government election in his Beverly Hills elementary school for exceeding spending limits.
He took over the young republican movement in college with his schoolmates including Ralph Reed of the Christian Coalition, and longtime republican insider Grover Norquist.

But more relevant to this movie, well into the 1990's while actively working in the Hollywood film industry he worked both covertly and overtly to support the racist whites only Apartheid Goverment of the old South Africa, and to oppose and discredit Nelson Mandela and the ANC's struggle for majority rule and racial equality.

During this period, he conceived this piece of bizarre propoganda, paid for by the Apartheid government in the old South Africa, equating the struggle for black liberation in South Africa with communism and the Soviet Union, and openly placing his sympathies with the racist minority Afrikkaner government.
The hero of the film is based on the many mercenaries, or so called soldiers of fortune, as they are called in their trade magazine which like the makers of this film, were also enthusiastic about private killers being hired to murder activists fighting against apartheid.

An amazing historical anomoly, this piece has even more significance in the wake of the currently unfolding scandal which promises to be one of the largest in history, involving bribery,favors, protection of sweatshops (in US colonies where women are forced into having abortions), fraud, the chritian coalition, pitting one tribe against another to essentially steal money from native america, and possibly the gangland style murder of his former business partner, the owner of Sun Cruises, when he complained about being defrauded in the sale of his cruise line.

My advice, buy it used for historical purposes, not new. This guy has made more than enough money off the backs of the American people. Let's not forget how fear of communism was used to justify murder, racial segregation, perversion of the constitution, police state style abuses of civil rights, and many other crimes against humanity. Let's learn the lessons of history and preserve what is good about the USA. Let this movie be a record of the power of Hollywood to either perpetuate lies that are used to kill and abuse people, or to turn away from evil and tell the truth. Let's make a different legacy this time around.

Average customer rating:

Red Scorpion: Produced by Convicted Lobbyist Jack Abramoff
Oh no, another one!
must see
A New Lord is Born
When people share one thing... humanity!

Red Scorpion
Starring: Dolph Lundgren , M. Emmet Walsh , Al White , T.P. McKenna , and Carmen Argenziano
Director: Joseph Zito
Manufacturer: Simitar Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Punisher
Bridge of Dragons
Silent Trigger
Army of One
Men of War

ASIN: 6305159432
Release Date: 1998-11-03

Customer Reviews:

Red Scorpion: Produced by Convicted Lobbyist Jack Abramoff .......2006-04-14

It is rumored that Jack Abramoff earned roughly ten million dollars (after taxes) in his first and apparently only movie production. In other words, he was already a wealthy man before entering the political world of Washington, DC. Abramoff even wrote the screenplay along with another member of his family, Robert. Alas, this movie concerning the Cold War battles fought within the African hemisphere leaves much to be desired. Dolph Lundgren was still somewhat a major name in 1989 and could basically carry the movie all by himself. As matter of fact, that's precisely what he does! Red Scorpion was modestly successful only because of his involvement. Lundgren plays the role of a Russian special ops soldier who eventually sees the light and becomes an arch foe of the evil USSR. Character actor M. Emmet Walsh is a journalist willing to take great chances to get the story out about the viciousness of the Soviet empire. T.P. McKenna, Carmen Argenziano, and Brion James fill out the rest of the "name" cast. The plot makes little sense. It is the never-ending violence and action scenes which might halfway satisfy an unsophisticated audience. No, this movie doesn't even come close to winning any major motion picture awards.

Who should see this so-so action film? I would recommend only those who find the Jack Abramoff aspect of particular interest. Perhaps it might help one better understand his ultimate fall from grace. The man didn't create a cinematic masterpiece. Nonetheless, he deserves credit in sensing how best to make sure it turned a healthy profit.

David Thomson
Flares into Darkness

Oh no, another one!.......2005-03-07

As I have written before, just another one in the absurd Rambo-like string of "Bad-Evil-Crazy-Cannibalistic Soviet Bastards Who Are Always There To Bring Tyranny And Suffering To The Civilized (or not so civilized, like in this case) World". The only episode which is worth watching in this load of organic fertilizer is the one with D.L. and Bushman, because it gives us that humanic feeling and is the only one free of bias and propaganda. The remaining story is just a portion of gibberish, and low budget doesn't excuse it in any way - the great "Rumble fish" or "Dark Side of the Sun" aren't the blockbusters either.
My verdict - if you want some bubble-gum for brains and also to watch some bad russian murderers who are also responsible for the tornadoes in the U.S., earthshakes in Japan and for the eclipses (didn't you know that?), that's for you. Otherwise, it is better to watch something else. But I must admit that DL is very good in this flick.

P.S. Only an idiot or a completely ignorant person would describe this thing as "a great portray of how the Soviet Union is, with their communism." I was born in SU in 1981 and can answer for my words, although being in no way fan of Soviet system.

must see.......2003-04-04

this movie is great defenatky dolphs best the story was so gret best ever much better than something like platoon or kip great 5 star action

A New Lord is Born.......2002-08-27

Dolph Lordgren kicks mucho buttero in this movie. Nicknamed "Red Scorpion," the lord went against his own people to save others. Bar fights, explosions and gun battles are common in this goddage movie. Yes, lordage.

When people share one thing... humanity!.......2002-07-17

A lot of words have been spent describing, criticizing or simply discarding this movie. Pity, after all it's an inoffensive adventure movie a la Tarzan and as such it should be considered.

My three stars go out to the poor bushman who probably played himself and didn't get mentioned in the credits.

He's actually the reason why this movie is worth watching. All the rest is cheap anti-communism propaganda of the lowest and brainless level.

The director seems to tell us "Hey guys, the Communists got it up their a... in Afghanistan and in Africa too, so why should we blame our boys for having lost the Vietnam War?".

The script came from a spoiled child with too much time to do something useful with it.

And yet, despite all the "propaganda" bit, "Red Dawn" it is not... if you know what I mean. Thank God for that!

It's the simple story of a Spetnaz (the russian equivalent to Special Forces in the U.S. Army or the S.A.S. in the British Army) who gets an assignment as an undercover hitman to kill an African rebel leader.

Unfortunately for him, once in the midst of the Rebel group he starts to understand why they revolt and sympathises with their cause.

Bad mistake! He's captured by the Russian secret service, tortured and thrown out of the Spetnaz with dishonor.

Abandoned in the midst of an unknown African wilderness, he's suddenly confronted with the harshness of the land and must learn very fast how to survive in it.

Unfortunately for him some lessons learned are soon forgotten thanks to exhaustion and sleepiness. In fact, no sooner is he asleep that a very venomous scorpion decides to sting him.

The real movie starts here. Will he survive or not? Well, thanks to the said Bushman he gets his skin saved for a little longer.

At first, the giant Lundgren mocks the little man for being so primitive and so backward and seems to take pleasure at teasing him, despite his gratefulness for having being saved by the Bushman.

Very soon though the positions get reversed, and this is the really interesting plot twist of the movie. Lundgren is not a great actor, or even an actor at all, but in his clumsiness and genuine naivete' he gets through in convincing us about his helplessness out there in the wild.

Soon enough the wisdom of the old Bushman gets revealed to him and now a true friendship starts to ensue between two worlds as alien and as far apart as can be.

Not only do they become friends but start to respect each other as human beings, and out of this relationship comes the final strong reaction of Lundgren when he sees that the Bushman's entire village, family and friends have been wildly butchered by so-called "civilized" people. Lungren's own bunch.

While the Bushman hardly utters a word watching the scene and seems to linger in a state of deep shock at what he sees, Lundgren gets upset and swears to the old man that his family won't have died in vain.

A noble reaction, but probably one the Bushman wouldn't accept, also because it is not in his nature.

From here on the movie returns to his old actioner cliche' of Rambo's fame.

Naturally, somebody must have had some doubts on how to end the movie, but such doubts didn't last very long... Pity!

Lundgren seems more comfortable acting with the Bushman than surrounded by professional actors and at his level it is more than comprehensible. This is also where he is at his best.

So, in conclusion, if you are a Tarzan fan, this movie comes very close to that genre, with a touch of Rambism and a touch of Italian Stave Reeves' Hercules you may be served.

If you thought about a deep movie, this is absolutely not it.

It's pure escapism with a touch of sprinkled Pathos on top.

I would still recommend it just for the poor Bushman who did his job with honesty and generosity.

If you are an actor or a Drama student watch him carefully because you may still learn a thing or two about how an amateur can sometimes steal the show from a professional, despite his training and upbringing.

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