Plot: What’s it about?
Peter Goldson (Peter O’Brian) is better known as The Stabilizer, a man who takes no prisoners and has no regrets. He fights on the side of good however, so his skill with his fists, guns, and other weapons are never used for nefarious purposes. But when his fiance is brutally murdered, he swears to exact some revenge, no matter what it takes. The target of his vengeful rage? A man named Greg Rainmaker (Craig Gavin), a drug smuggler who has plans to get into the big leagues in several criminal markets. Rainmaker not only killed Goldson’s fiance, he raped her and then stomped on her with his spiked shoes until she perished. A violent, horrific fate that no one should have to endure, but if Goldson has his druthers, Rainmaker’s doom will be an even more painful and violent experience. Rainmaker has also kidnapped a prominent scientist, Professor Probost and that means Goldson has to move into action soon. In order to have an inside edge, Goldson teams up with Probost’s daughter Christina (Dana Christina), who can provide some help and also keep him aware of potential hazards. Goldson has taken on countless foes and seized victory each time, but this battle with Rainmaker is his toughest challenge yet. Can The Stabilizer emerge on top, or will that scum Rainmaker see his plan executed to perfection?
In the market for an off the wall, insane action movie? Then you’re in luck, as Troma has just released The Stabilizer, one of the most violent, out of control action movies of all time. This is no slick, big budget epic either, instead The Stabilizer is a low rent, whacked out Indonesian import that turns the action up to eleven. I have to admit, this flick has all the elements a bad movie buff could want, from a hilarious villain to even more laughable hero, plus as much outlandish tomfoolery as a single film can allow. We have our hero, The Stabilizer with his mullet of justice, but the show here belongs to the bad dude, Greg Rainmaker. We all hate scum like Greg Rainmaker, but damn, if he isn’t a metric ton of fun to watch in this picture. He never hesitates to rape someone, maim someone, or even kill someone, often by stomping them to death with his cleats. But we see our hero run a dirtbike over someone’s face, cause countless explosions, and engage in fisticuffs with a cast of thousands, so he more than holds his own. I watched this with a group of friends and we had a blast, as unlike some low rent action movies, The Stabilizer never stops with the action, so this is a non-stop blockbuster of bad cinema. Troma’s disc has minimal extras, but looks very good and as such, I can recommend it to those interested.
Video: How does it look?
The Stabilizer is presented in full frame. As this is a low rent production and a Troma release, I had minimal expectations as far as visual presentation. Much to my surprise, the image here is quite clean and sharp. The print used has some light grain, but debris minimal and to be honest, I was stunned at how good this treatment looks. Of course, this still looks a little worn at times, but let’s be realistic as to how good this material can be presented. I found colors to be bright and not faded, while flesh tones come off as warm and natural. Not much trouble with contrast either, as black levels are smooth and never waver. Not the kind of slick, refined visual effort we’re used to, but in this case, this is an impressive presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included soundtrack has to be the most outrageous, hilarious dubbed track in the history of cinema. The voice talent used seems to be baffled as to the content itself, as they use voices and tones that stand out like sore thumbs. When times are tense, the voices become calm and believe me, you’ve never heard such a lack of emotion and effort. These folks just read what the script says, which means tons of off the wall moments and in this case, any added entertainment is welcome and the voices are highly entertaining indeed. The sound effects sound decent, but there’s some slight hiss and a lot of silence, as if some elements weren’t dubbed into the soundtrack. This disc also includes optional English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s trailer.
