Red Scorpion is a 1988 American action film starring Dolph Lundgren and directed by Joseph Zito. Lundgren appears as a Soviet special forces ("Spetsnaz") operative sent to assassinate an anti-communist rebel leader in Africa, only to side with the rebels. It was produced by lobbyist Jack Abramoff and controversially filmed in South West Africa with the support of the apartheid-era South African government. The film was released in the United States on April 21, 1989. It is the first installment in the Red Scorpion film series.
Lieutenant Nikolai Petrovitch Rachenko, a Soviet Spetsnaz operative from Ukraine, is sent to an African country in which Soviet, Czechoslovakian and Cuban forces are helping the government fight an anti-communist rebel movement. He is tasked with the mission to assassinate the rebel leader. Rachenko infiltrates the rebel movement and to get within striking distance of his target, he stirs up trouble in the local bar and gets arrested for disorderly conduct. He is put in the same cell as a captured resistance commander and gains his trust in facilitating the escape. Upon finally reaching the rebel encampment, he is met with distrust by the rebels. During the night, he attempts to assassinate his target, but the distrustful rebels anticipate his actions.
Disgraced and tortured by his commanding officers for failing his mission, he breaks out of the interrogation chamber and escapes to the desert, later to be found by native Bushmen. He soon learns about them and their culture, and after he receives a ceremonial burn scar in the form of a scorpion (hence the title), he joins the rebels and leads an attack against the Soviet camp after a previous attack on the peaceful bushmen. Nikolai obtains an experimental assault rifle from the armory, confronts his corrupt officers and hunts down General Oleg Vortek, who attempts to escape in a Mil-24 Hind, only to be shot down after takeoff. Nikolai defeats and kills Vortek, as the rebels finally defeat the Soviet forces who were assisting the government.
CastEdit
Dolph Lundgren as Lieutenant Nikolai Petrovitch Rachenko
With all the delays and productions issues, the film went over budget by 8-10 million dollars (approximately twice the initial amount).[9]
Abramoff later claimed that he did not intend the film to contain so much violence and profanity, blaming the director. He established a short-lived "Committee for Traditional Jewish Values in Entertainment" to release films more in line with his values, but later abandoned the project, because it would not meet his standards.[10]
ReleaseEdit
TheatricalEdit
Red Scorpion screened at the 1988 MIFED film market, and was first released theatrically in South Korea in late December 1988, then the Philippines,[11] West Germany, and Japan in January 1989, then in the United States on April 21, 1989. The movie was released theatrically worldwide except in the United Kingdom (where it went "direct to video" in January 1990).
The film has been released on Blu-ray special editions in the U.K. by Arrow Video on 6th Feb 2012, and in the U.S. by Synapse Films on June 12, 2012.[12]
ReceptionEdit
Critical responseEdit
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2015)
Leonard Maltin gave the film a "bomb" rating, citing it to be a "bottom-of-the-barrel actioner".[13]Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times described it as "a numskull live-action comic book" that, despite showing Lundgren's charisma, is likely to hurt his career.[14]Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that Lundgren's physique is the film's true star, as it communicates more emotion than his acting.[15] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club gave a more positive review, stating that "If Abramoff’s intention was to make the case for military intervention in communist-controlled countries, then Red Scorpion falls well short. But if he wanted to prove that America is the world leader in awesome pop trash, then the closing-credits soundtrack of rock ’n’ roll and artillery fire says it all. Mission accomplished."[16]
^"AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
^ abBrooke, James; Times, Special To the New York (9 January 1988). "South Africa Helps U.S. Film Makers In Namibia With Troops and Trucks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
^"Red Scorpion (Blu-ray) : DVD Talk Review of the Blu-ray". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
^"MOVIE REVIEW : 'Scorpion' Anything but Stinging - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 23 December 1987. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
^Holden, Stephen (21 April 1989). "Movie Review - Red Scorpion - Review/Film; Dolph Lundgren In 'Red Scorpion' - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
^Noel Murray (27 June 2012). "Red Scorpion". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
Steranko, James, ed. (October 1988). "From soviet assassin to commie crusher! Dolph Lundgren delivers the ..." Prevue. Pennsylvania, USA. 2 (73). ISSN 0199-9257. (convenience link). Retrieved 11 May 2012.
scorpion, this, article, about, 1988, film, canadian, gang, romanian, military, unit, 26th, infantry, battalion, romania, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages. This article is about the 1988 film For the Canadian gang see Red Scorpions For the Romanian military unit see 26th Infantry Battalion Romania This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article May 2019 This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Red Scorpion news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Red Scorpion is a 1988 American action film starring Dolph Lundgren and directed by Joseph Zito Lundgren appears as a Soviet special forces Spetsnaz operative sent to assassinate an anti communist rebel leader in Africa only to side with the rebels It was produced by lobbyist Jack Abramoff and controversially filmed in South West Africa with the support of the apartheid era South African government The film was released in the United States on April 21 1989 It is the first installment in the Red Scorpion film series Red ScorpionTheatrical release posterDirected byJoseph ZitoWritten byJack Abramoff Robert Abramoff Arne OlsenProduced byJack AbramoffStarringDolph Lundgren M Emmet Walsh Al White T P McKenna Carmen Argenziano Alex Colon Brion JamesCinematographyJoao FernandesEdited byDaniel LoewenthalMusic byJay ChattawayProductioncompanyAbramoff ProductionsDistributed byShapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment United States Vestron Pictures International 1 2 Release datesDecember 1988 1988 12 South Korea April 21 1989 1989 04 21 United States Running time105 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office 4 2 million 3 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Development 4 Release 4 1 Theatrical 4 2 Home media 5 Reception 5 1 Critical response 6 Sequel 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditLieutenant Nikolai Petrovitch Rachenko a Soviet Spetsnaz operative from Ukraine is sent to an African country in which Soviet Czechoslovakian and Cuban forces are helping the government fight an anti communist rebel movement He is tasked with the mission to assassinate the rebel leader Rachenko infiltrates the rebel movement and to get within striking distance of his target he stirs up trouble in the local bar and gets arrested for disorderly conduct He is put in the same cell as a captured resistance commander and gains his trust in facilitating the escape Upon finally reaching the rebel encampment he is met with distrust by the rebels During the night he attempts to assassinate his target but the distrustful rebels anticipate his actions Disgraced and tortured by his commanding officers for failing his mission he breaks out of the interrogation chamber and escapes to the desert later to be found by native Bushmen He soon learns about them and their culture and after he receives a ceremonial burn scar in the form of a scorpion hence the title he joins the rebels and leads an attack against the Soviet camp after a previous attack on the peaceful bushmen Nikolai obtains an experimental assault rifle from the armory confronts his corrupt officers and hunts down General Oleg Vortek who attempts to escape in a Mil 24 Hind only to be shot down after takeoff Nikolai defeats and kills Vortek as the rebels finally defeat the Soviet forces who were assisting the government Cast EditDolph Lundgren as Lieutenant Nikolai Petrovitch Rachenko Al White as Kallunda Kintash M Emmet Walsh as Dewey Ferguson T P McKenna as General Oleg Vortek Anthony Fridjhon as General Alfonso Callaraga Irene Stephano as Edelira Villarin Stenographer Carmen Argenziano as Colonel Hernando Zayas Alex Colon as Sergeant Ciro Mendez Brion James as Sergeant Miroslav Krasnov Ruben Nthodi as Ango Sundata Nomsa Nene as Noe Kossongo Elijah Dhlamini as Elano Regopstaan as GaoProduction EditDevelopment Edit The film was produced by Jack Abramoff a Republican Party lobbyist known for promoting the Reagan Doctrine and U S aid to anti communist guerrilla movements such as Jonas Savimbi s National Union for the Total Independence of Angola during the Cold War Abramoff also established the International Freedom Foundation financed by the South African apartheid regime When Abramoff left Citizens for America he hired Arne Olsen to write a screenplay modeled after the Angolan Civil War The film allegedly received financial aid from South Africa as part of its propaganda efforts to undermine international sympathy for the African National Congress 4 5 Production began in Swaziland but was halted by the government in September 1987 after South African agents assassinated eleven ANC members in the country Abramoff decided to shoot the film in Namibia which was under South African occupation as South West Africa despite filming in the country being discouraged by the Comprehensive Anti Apartheid Act 6 When production resumed in 1988 Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid condemned the film for breaking the international boycott against South Africa Warner Bros Pictures who had a negative pickup deal to release the picture on the condition that it was not filmed in South Africa pulled out for the breach of their contract after anti apartheid activists began picketing the studios 4 7 The Namibian reported that the South African Defence Force provided military equipment to use during the production including captured Soviet T 54 tanks Active duty South African soldiers from Operation Crowbar also served extras playing Soviet Army and Cuban Revolutionary Army personnel This allegation was later confirmed by an SADF spokesman in the pro government newspaper Republikein 5 8 Filming occurred at an SADF film studio in Windhoek and in Swakopmund 8 With all the delays and productions issues the film went over budget by 8 10 million dollars approximately twice the initial amount 9 Abramoff later claimed that he did not intend the film to contain so much violence and profanity blaming the director He established a short lived Committee for Traditional Jewish Values in Entertainment to release films more in line with his values but later abandoned the project because it would not meet his standards 10 Release EditTheatrical Edit Red Scorpion screened at the 1988 MIFED film market and was first released theatrically in South Korea in late December 1988 then the Philippines 11 West Germany and Japan in January 1989 then in the United States on April 21 1989 The movie was released theatrically worldwide except in the United Kingdom where it went direct to video in January 1990 Home media Edit The film was released in the US on VHS and LaserDisc in August 1989 through Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment Home Video In 1993 a budget tape of the film was released by Starmaker The movie has had at least two Region 1 DVD releases The first DVD was released in 1998 by Simitar and the second DVD was released in 2002 by 20th Century Fox In 2005 Tango Entertainment released a Universal Media Disc of the film for the Sony PlayStation Portable The two DVDs are now discontinued The film has been released on Blu ray special editions in the U K by Arrow Video on 6th Feb 2012 and in the U S by Synapse Films on June 12 2012 12 Reception EditCritical response Edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it February 2015 Leonard Maltin gave the film a bomb rating citing it to be a bottom of the barrel actioner 13 Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times described it as a numskull live action comic book that despite showing Lundgren s charisma is likely to hurt his career 14 Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that Lundgren s physique is the film s true star as it communicates more emotion than his acting 15 Noel Murray of The A V Club gave a more positive review stating that If Abramoff s intention was to make the case for military intervention in communist controlled countries then Red Scorpion falls well short But if he wanted to prove that America is the world leader in awesome pop trash then the closing credits soundtrack of rock n roll and artillery fire says it all Mission accomplished 16 Sequel EditMain article Red Scorpion 2 A sequel Red Scorpion 2 appeared in 1994 although the story is largely unrelated to the first installment References Edit Red Scorpion 1988 BBFC Retrieved 7 November 2021 Red Scorpion 35mm Australian Classification Board Retrieved 7 November 2021 Red Scorpion Box Office Mojo Retrieved 8 June 2016 a b The tale of Red Scorpion Salon 17 August 2005 Retrieved 27 July 2021 a b First Off Los Angeles Times Articles latimes com 20 January 1988 Retrieved 29 September 2013 Pictures Swazi govt KOs WB s scorpion 1987 Sep 16 Variety 328 4 4 22 AFI Catalog catalog afi com Retrieved 27 July 2021 a b Brooke James Times Special To the New York 9 January 1988 South Africa Helps U S Film Makers In Namibia With Troops and Trucks The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 27 July 2021 Red Scorpion Blu ray DVD Talk Review of the Blu ray Dvdtalk com Retrieved 29 September 2013 A Lobbyist in Full Grand Opening Today Manila Standard Standard Publishing Inc 4 January 1989 p 14 Retrieved 31 December 2018 An ASIA FILMS Release Blu ray Review RED SCORPION Twitch Twitchfilm com 25 February 2012 Retrieved 29 September 2013 Matlin Leonard 3 September 2013 Leonard Maltin s 2014 Movie Guide Penguin Publishing Group ISBN 9781101609552 MOVIE REVIEW Scorpion Anything but Stinging Los Angeles Times Articles latimes com 23 December 1987 Retrieved 29 September 2013 Holden Stephen 21 April 1989 Movie Review Red Scorpion Review Film Dolph Lundgren In Red Scorpion NYTimes com Movies nytimes com Retrieved 29 September 2013 Noel Murray 27 June 2012 Red Scorpion The A V Club Retrieved 7 June 2023 Steranko James ed October 1988 From soviet assassin to commie crusher Dolph Lundgren delivers the Prevue Pennsylvania USA 2 73 ISSN 0199 9257 convenience link Retrieved 11 May 2012 External links EditA blast from the past at the Wayback Machine archived May 1 2009 Red Scorpion at IMDb Red Scorpion at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Red Scorpion amp oldid 1163494812, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
