Red Scorpion
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| Red Scorpion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Joseph Zito |
| Produced by | Jack Abramoff |
| Written by | Jack Abramoff Robert Abramoff Arne Olsen |
| Starring | Dolph Lundgren M. Emmet Walsh Al White T.P. McKenna Carmen Argenziano |
| Music by | Jay Chattaway |
| Cinematography | João Fernandes |
| Editing by | Daniel Loewenthal |
| Distributed by | Shapiro-Glickenhaus |
| Release date(s) | January 5, 1989 |
| Running time | 105 min |
| Country | South Africa United States Namibia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Followed by | Red Scorpion 2 |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Red Scorpion is a 1989 film starring Dolph Lundgren.
The film is noted for its association with future lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who wrote the story and produced the film together with his brother Robert Abramoff.
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[edit] Plot
The plot centers on Lundgren's character, a Soviet agent called Nikolai who is sent to an African country where Soviet and Cuban forces are helping the government fight an anti-communist rebel movement. Nikolai is ordered to assassinate the movement's leader but eventually turns against his government. He is abandoned in the desert and found by native people. He soon learns about them and their culture and later leads an attack after a massacre at the rebel stronghold.
The film has a strongly anti-Communist and anti-Soviet message, and goes to great lengths to depict the sadism and violence of the protagonist, as well of as his superiors, prior to his conversion, including a scene in which chemical weapons are used on civilians. Nikolai is also portrayed as a mindless automaton, who then learns to smile and laugh later in the film.
[edit] Parallel to the real world
The fictional country is clearly modeled on Angola, and the conflict on the Angolan Civil War, in which the Marxist Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba, fought a long civil war against UNITA, which was backed by South Africa and the United States. The character of the anti-communist rebel leader appears loosely based on UNITA founder Jonas Savimbi.
[edit] Production and controversy
After being denied the right from filming in Swaziland and a search for other locations, the film was made in South African-occupied Namibia. Warner Bros., who had a negative pickup deal to release the picture, pulled out for the breach of their contract with the production. Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid then condemned the production for breaking the international boycott against South Africa. The film was allegedly financed by the South African government as part of its propaganda efforts to undermine international sympathy for the African National Congress (see International Freedom Foundation).
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, feeling it would be unfeasible.
A sequel, Red Scorpion 2, appeared in 1994, although the story is largely unrelated to the first installment.
[edit] References
- 1988 Prevue article by James Steranko on the making of the film
- Mail & Guardian article on involvement of the South African Defence Force
- Red Scorpion at the Internet Movie Database
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