“A
Russian Special Forces soldier finds
himself in the middle of a highly
explosive situation when he is sent on
a mission to befriend and gain the
trust of a rebel prisoner; only to find
that he sympathises with the man and
begins to realise that he has been
sold a lie in the magnificent, fast-paced
action thriller Red Scorpion...”
SUMMONED TO THE HEADQUARTERS of the Supreme Soviet High Commission in Moscow,
crack special forces soldier Nikolai Gurnlevich Rachenko (the wonderful Dolph
Lundgren: The Expendables) is sent by General Vortek (T P McKenna) to
the Russian-Cuban Operations Centre in Mombaka in Africa.
His mission is to get himself arrested to gain the trust of a prisoner, Kallunda
Kintash (Al White), one of the warlords of, and military adviser to, a very
powerful and dangerous fanatic, rebel army leader Sundata (Ruben Nthodi) who
actively defies the new communist rulers. Vortek tells Nikolai that Sundata
is responsible for many atrocities and he must be stopped. Permanently.
Vortek has chosen the best. Nikolai is a deadly, highly-skilled soldier; an
all-round killing machine with brutal efficiency and a single-minded determination
to serve the Motherland. Taught to stalk, trained to kill and programmed to
destroy. Nikolai is the perfect man for the task — if only he can be controlled.
Leaving in his wake a trail of battered bodies and bloodied enemies, Nikolai
breaks Kallunda, accompanied by his friend, American rock-loving journalist
Dewey (M Emmet Walsh), out of the compound and a spectacular chase ensues.
Although Dewey views Nikolai with suspicion, Kallunda opens up to the Russian
and leads him to Sundata. After an aborted attempt to kill him, Nikolai is left
out in the desert and finds himself betrayed by the very people he was sent
there to help. He comes to realise that everything he has been told is a lie
as he faces the harsh, shocking reality of what these people are fighting —
and dying — for.
Left for dead, Nikolai is rescued by the dignified and spiritual Bushmen. He
befriends Gao, who shows him many things, despite the language barrier, including
the result of the dreadful "blue rain".
Nikolai brazenly returns to Sundata bearing the mark of the hunter and a rousing
war-cry: "Let's kick ass". And then some. The Cold War rebel is ready
to right a wrong. With a body count rising by the second, leaving jaws stuck
to the floor, and a healthy disregard for troublesome logic, the retaliation
is going to make somebody very, very sorry they crossed him.
Red Scorpion saw its cinema release in 1988 and it is every bit as thrilling
today as it was twenty-four years ago. It's a classic spectacular that doesn't
let up for a second. The film is a terrific, hot-paced story full of earth-shattering
tension with Dolph Lundgren at his superb best.
Following supporting roles in A View To A Kill and Rocky IV and
his role as He-Man in Masters Of The Universe, former chemical engineering
graduate-turned actor Dolph Lundgren took on the role that would define his
career as an action star playing the hero Nikolai in the shoot-'em-up action-thriller
Red Scorpion, a film that remains one of the most memorable and revered
action movies of the Eighties.
Red Scorpion also features: Carmen Argenziano as Colonel Zayas; Alex
Colon as Mendez; and Brion James as Krasnov. Music is by Jay Chattaway; Director
of Photography is Joao Fernandes; Story is by Robert Abramoff, Jack Abramoff
and Arne Olsen; Screenplay is by Arne Olsen; Produced by Jack Abramoff; and
Directed by Joseph Zito, the man behind Chuck Norris' number one box office
smash hits Missing In Action and Invasion USA.
• Red Scorpion is released on Blu-ray
by Arrow Video on 6 February 2012. RRP: £24.99.
Special Features — 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.
"Red Scorpion… a terrific, hot-paced story full of earth-shattering tension"
— Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“A
Russian Special Forces soldier finds