Grimossfer
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Logan
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Comeuppance Reviews
It's always a joy when we come across movies like this. A true gem, finds like this are what make this site worth doing.The Stabilizer is one Peter Goldson (O'Brian), a man who "stabilizes" the line between good and evil. He travels to Indonesia to bring to justice a truly sinister baddie: Greg Rainmaker (Gavin) is a gangster, rapist, murderer and drug dealer, and he and his second-in-command Victor (Sungkar) operate in the Golden Triangle. They kidnap a scientist, Professor Provost (Syah), because one of his inventions is a narcotics detector that would seriously impede the bad guys' plans for world domination. After Rainmaker assaults Goldson's wife, now things are personal. Goldson teams up with Johnny (Capri), Sylvia (Beanz), and Provost's daughter Christina (Christina), among other helpers, to take down Rainmaker's evil empire. Will this team of heroes be successful? Man is this movie great. The opening theme song, sung by "AJ", the Indonesian scenery and culture, the clothes, the dubbing, the wildly entertaining stunts, action and blow-ups, the music, the plot, the abandoned warehouse fights, EVERYTHING about The Stabilizer is just so fun, funny and enjoyable, you'll be smiling the whole time. This is truly what purely entertaining cinema is all about.Both Peter O'Brian (now a personal hero) and the Indonesian Mr. T guy can be seen in the Cynthia Rothrock vehicle Angel of Fury (1991). Now they, along with their great outfits, are back. Speaking of Rothrock, Gillie Beanz could have been the next one. Whatever happened to her? Gavin as Rainmaker has an evil beard, evil white suits, and evil spiked cleats that he uses to torture and kill people, when he's not pouring little bits of beer on soapy women that just got out of the bath. His minions even have golden triangle earrings to show they're with him. Never before has such an evil man met his match with such an utterly ridiculous hero. It truly is a great showdown.For all the talk of "DIY Filmmaking", the film-school snobs never mention the true, resourceful masters that that term implies, such as the great director Arizal. He deserves much more acclaim and recognition. His movies deliver the goods on many levels. Not afraid of seeming silly, he goes for broke with the action, stunts and exploitation elements. God bless him.While we don't normally support Troma, we have to give them props for releasing this, to date the only Arizal film on DVD in the U.S. We hope they release more of his work. This DVD will provide hours of enjoyment for you and your friends. We couldn't possibly list all the standout moments. You just have to see it for yourself.If you don't already own this, just go on Amazon and buy it right now. You'll be glad you did.for more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
HaemovoreRex
Great Scott! Here's a dementedly bad movie that even the mighty Godfrey Ho would be proud of! Witness explosions and gun fire galore, some hilariously rendered fight scenes, a healthy quota of breasts, some atrocious dubbing/voice over work including some priceless expletive filled awful dialogue, a death by garden strimmer(!) and best of all a hero who looks uncannily like Queen guitarist Brian May!!! (complete with tight permed mullet!) A completely OTT experience and essential viewing for all fellow bad movie connoisseurs! Seriously, what more could you want for in a film?!Note: Look out especially for the ingenious, bizarre shot of what at first appears to be a butt crack but is in actual fact the crease of a man's arm(!!!) Why was said scene included in the film in the first place? Your guess is as good as mine! Still, never let it be said that the director didn't have an artistic eye! erm......
ericdetrick2002
This is one of those gems that I am always waiting to find- I found a diamond here! I am pretty certain that this film was released to be taken as serious as any other action movie from the early 80s. But some of the dubbed in dialogue ishilarious, I am smiling right now as I think about some of the lines. Whatever the case may be, it is an all around entertaining movie that I am glad I added to my collection.For those who like to watch Italian action cinema from the 70s and 80s, youprobably will get a kick out of this too. The same goes to blaxploitation fans as well. I found myself rewinding and re-watching scenes over again. There arelots of scenes that will make you want to take a second look. There really is too many things in this film that had me rolling. Troma offers this on DVD now at a really low price. Definately worth it. Enjoy!
PeteThornton
This film is extreme fun, I've seen with my friends so many times that the VHS tape is badly worn. Luckily Troma has released this gold nugget on DVD.What I've noticed about "The Stabilizer" is that there are "homages" to other movies. The scene where the Stabilizer is taken captive to meet Victor at a pool house is exactly like a scene from the James Bond film "For Your Eyes Only". And the picture of The Stabilizer in the death scene of the girlfriend looks very much like the poster from "Cobra", starring Sylvester Stallone.Some gems in the movie: The guy that says "babyyy, babyyy" and eats a lizard. The shot of what looks like the asscrack but actually is the armpit. The "Location Map".I recommend "The Stabilizer" to everyone who likes action and insane violence. Two thumbs up!