5 Questions: Red Scorpion 2
When I first learned of the existence of Red Scorpion 2 a few years back, two questions immediately came to mind… How did I not know about this movie? Where can I watch it?
After years of on again, off again searching for Red Scorpion 2, I recently procured a copy of the 1994 film. After finally watching Red Scorpion 2, more questions came to mind…
#1. Why make a Red Scorpion sequel?
Releasing a sequel to a movie that did not perform well at the box office is a bit curious. It has been said that Red Scorpion’s poor performance caused a ripple effect in Dolph’s career. Dolph’s next film, The Punisher, did not get a theatrical release after the studio lost confident in Dolph’s ability to draw at the box office.
Still Red Scorpion did manage to gain a following when it hit home video, so a direct to video sequel would make sense… if you could capitalize quickly and not wait six years.
To be fair, waiting six years to release the sequel was not the initial plan. According to Joe Zito, the director of 1988’s Red Scorpion, he was set to do an immediate follow up film with writer/producer Jack Abramoff, but things never got past the talking stages.
After multiple screenplays for Red Scorpion 2 were written over the years, Jack Abramoff was finally able to make Red Scorpion 2 a reality. Did Abramoff’s persistence pay off? I would have to say no.
#2. Where are the opening credits?
It is rare that a movie does not include opening credits, but Red Scorpion 2 goes right from the title screen into the action with none of the actors getting a credit at the start of the movie and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
Maybe they didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag that Red Scorpion 2 was missing a key component from the original film…
#3. Where is Dolph Lundgren?
Producing a sequel six years after the original and WITHOUT the star of the original film is a risky proposition and puts the “replacement star” in an unenviable position… in this case Matt McColm.
Dolph Lundgren’s Lt. Nikolai Rachenko put the RED in Red Scorpion… but Matt McColm’s Nick Stone is an elite soldier working for Uncle Sam. The exact opposite of a pre-defection Rachenko.
I feel bad for Matt McColm. McColm had the skill set thanks to his background as a stunt performer. And he had the leading man looks. But he never managed to get the right role that would have made him an action star. But I digress.
Stone is forced to join a team of other operatives, including Sam Guiness (Jennifer Rubin, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) and Vince D’Angelo (Paul Ben-Victor, Maximum Risk) to take on a group of Neo-Nazis skinheads.
Shouldn’t there be a Russian element in a movie called Red Scorpion 2?
#4. Is George Touliatos the least convincing Russian in the history of cinema?
After Stone and his team screw the pooch on their first mission, Stone’s boss and the guy who assembled this ragtag group of soldiers, Col. West (Michael Ironside, Total Recall), arranges for the team to receive special training from a former member of the Soviet Special Forces… this would have been an awesome spot to put Dolph in, but instead we get Col. Gregori, played unconvincingly by George Touliatos.
I find it hard to believe they couldn’t have found a better “Russian”… in fact after their training is complete and Gregori is celebrating with the team, Paul Ben-Victor’s Vince does a way more impressive Russian accent when he’s trying desperately to bring some comic relief to the film.
It was like they took a hammer and sickle to a square peg to get it to fit into a round hole, all so they could call the movie Red Scorpion 2.
#5. Did they really need to make Andrew Kendrick a pervert too?
Andrew Kendrick (John Savage, C.I.A. II: Target Alexa) is the leader of the Neo-Nazi skinheads that massacre a bunch of people at a nightclub to start the film and who plan on committing more hate crimes from sea to shining sea.
The whole Neo-Nazi thing clearly establishes Kendrick as a top notch action movie villain… but Red Scorpion 2 doubles down and makes him a creeper too. Kendrick enjoys watching guests at his compound via hidden cameras… this includes while his guests are fornicating on the floor and showering… in fact, if you ever wanted to see Jennifer Rubin in the shower, then Red Scorpion 2 is the movie for you and the Rubin shower seekers are the only group of people I’d suggest this movie too.
