Red Scorpion (1988) on Netflix
Nikolai Rachenko, a Soviet Spetsnaz operative, is dispatched to an African country to assassinate the leader of an anti-communist rebellion. A captured resistance commander shares his cell.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb5.2/1010,815 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes17%
Trailer
Plot summary
Nikolai Rachenko is a lieutenant in the Soviet Spetsnaz, a Ukrainian trained for deep undercover work. He reaches an African country where Soviet and Cuban troops are backing the government against an anti-communist rebellion, and his task is to kill the rebel leader. Nikolai causes a disturbance in a local bar and is arrested for disorderly conduct. A captured resistance commander is placed in his cell; Nikolai helps him get away and wins his trust. At the rebel encampment the guerrillas receive him with suspicion. During the night he moves toward his target, and the distrustful rebels are waiting for him.
Cast
- Ruben Nthodias Ango Sundata
- Vusi Dibakwaneas Guerilla Officer
- James Mthobaas Guerilla Officer
- Dinky Motsemmeas Guerilla Officer
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Red Scorpion (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Namibian reported that the South African Defence Force gave the production military equipment, including captured Soviet T-54 tanks, and that active-duty South African soldiers from Operation Crowbar served as extras playing Soviet and Cuban personnel; an SADF spokesman later confirmed it.
- Production of Red Scorpion began in Swaziland but was halted by the government in September 1987, after South African agents assassinated eleven ANC members in the country.
- Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid condemned the film in 1988 for breaking the international boycott against South Africa, and Warner Bros. pulled out of its negative pickup deal to release it after anti-apartheid activists picketed the studios.
- Red Scorpion allegedly received financial aid from South Africa as part of its propaganda efforts to undermine international sympathy for the African National Congress.
- Five protest groups picketed the film's opening weekend in Washington, D.C., carrying placards that read "Red Scorpion No! Freedom Yes!" and shouting "Red Scorpion is no good. Send it back to Pretoria!"
- Delays and production issues sent Red Scorpion over budget by 8 to 10 million dollars, roughly twice the amount the film had initially been budgeted at.
