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Red Scorpion

Play trailer Poster for Red Scorpion R 1989 1h 42m Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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17% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 35% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Tattooed by a Bushman, a Soviet officer (Dolph Lundgren) leads an overthrow of Soviet/Cuban troops in Africa.
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Red Scorpion

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety A dull, below-average action pic, lensed in Swaziland. Jan 14, 2008 Full Review Stephen Holden New York Times The movie's reflective moments belong to Mr. Lundgren's sweaty chest. Rated: 2/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Richard Harrington Washington Post Beware of its stink. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Ed Travis Hollywood Jesus Red Scorpion is a legitimate gem of the 1980s action movie canon. It captures a still-rising Dolph Lundgren and uses every strength in his arsenal to create one of his most iconic action heroes. Mar 31, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Good golly, this comic book action picture is a stinker. Rated: C- Feb 7, 2017 Full Review Dan Lybarger KC Active Because it was produced by disgraced (and imprisoned) Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the movie is now loaded with an eerie unintentional laughter it didn't have for its original viewers. Rated: 3/5 Jul 7, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Pedro Henrique C The explosion in this film is no joke, it has a terrible script and very exaggerated action. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/28/24 Full Review William D This was an okay movie. This should be watched once but remember it was made in Namibia which was ruled by South Africa during Apartheid and because of that it does diminish the film some. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 12/11/23 Full Review David W As 80's one man army flicks go this is actually pretty damn good. The plot such as it is has a Russian Spetsnaz soldier (Lundgren) develop a conscience and side with the local Africans (Swaziland) against Russian oppression. Dolph hadn't really developed his acting skills at this point (his Swede playing a Russian accent in English is all over the place) so he's wisely not given too much in the way of challenging dialogue but he handles the physical action scenes very well. Its very much a Dolph movie vehicle but the great M. Emmet Walsh, in a supporting role, predictably steals the show from an acting perspective. Director Zito had Missing in Action on his CV by this point and whilst this isn't as good in my opinion and the Reaganomic politics are in full view, it's still rock solid action fare. Dolph essentially does a Russian Rambo 3 or Ramboski if you will. It's a guilty pleasure, switch off your brain, action genre movie that I actually really enjoy. Very much a manly man, not the feminised screen wimps of today, product of the late eighties and there's nothing wrong with that in my book. If you've got a retro action itch to scratch then this should do the job surprisingly well, just don't over analyse it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review Jimmy P Director Joseph Zito kind of disappeared after this film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review brendan n Red Scorpion is one of those one man army films that came after the success of the Rambo series. The film isn't a classic by any means, but its not a total train-wreck either. I grew up with this film and was worried that my revisit wouldn't be a worth while one, similar to the American Ninja series. The key to Red Scorpion is the action scenes and they succeed where the acting and story fall done. Dolph's accent comes and goes throughout, it even completely vanishes with that final line in the film. I caught the Arrow Video transfer and must say they've done a great thing with that film. It looks incredible and service what is an almost forgotten film. This is a guilty pleasure film and I had a lot of fun revisiting it. 30/03/2021 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Scorpions are basically just land lobsters with poisonous tails, and considering the chauvinist politics of the story and its pro-apartheid production, this is tantamount to being RED LOBSTER: THE MOVIE—which I suppose makes Dolph a cheddar biscuit? Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Red Scorpion

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tattooed by a Bushman, a Soviet officer (Dolph Lundgren) leads an overthrow of Soviet/Cuban troops in Africa.
Director
Joseph Zito
Producer
Jack Abramoff
Screenwriter
Arne Olsen
Rating
R
Genre
Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.5M
Runtime
1h 42m
Sound Mix
Surround
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