Ernest Ndhlovu made his mark in the action genre with roles in Red Scorpion (1987) and Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015). In Red Scorpion, he is part of a gritty narrative that highlights the brutal realities of conflict, while in Tremors 5, he navigates the chaos of monstrous threats in a beloved franchise. Ndhlovu's performances contribute to the cult appeal of these films, embodying the tough, resourceful characters that resonate within the realms of exploitation and action cinema.
Tremors 5: Bloodlines
Burt Gummer, now a star in his own survivalist web-series, and his new cameraman, Travis Welker, are approached by South African Wildlife Ministry agents Erick Van Wyk and Johan Dreyer, who hire them to deal with Ass-Blasters in South Africa. Flying to the location, Burt befriends their pilot, Den Bravers. When Burt's heavy weaponry is impounded due to South African gun laws, Erick provides them with a small collection of guns he has gathered – though Burt protests that their calibre is far too small to kill the monsters. The team set up their quarters at an animal refuge, where Travis befriends a little girl named Amahle and soon falls for Dr. Nandi Montabu, the girl's mother. This starts a rivalry with a local named Baruti, who is also in love with Nandi. Two paleontologists celebrate after finding the fossilized remains of a Graboid at a dig, but they are attacked and eaten. Investigating the scene, Burt sees the fossil and realizes that it is a different breed of Graboid. While Travis attends a local tribal dance with Nandi, a refuge worker named Thaba is attacked by an Ass-Blaster and carried off. Burt orders the refuge to be evacuated then heads out with Erick and Dreyer. They find the Ass-Blaster in a cave, and Burt kills the flying monster, which kills Dreyer when it falls from the sky. When Burt finds that the Ass-Blasters have been laying Graboid eggs, Erick reveals himself to be a poacher, planning to sell the eggs on the black market. He locks Burt in a metal cage, and leaves with the eggs. Travis finds Burt the next day, but when their truck breaks down, they head back to the refuge on foot. In the desert, they find Erick's truck has crashed, with Erick fleeing from a massive Graboid with detachable and independent tentacles, which Burt dubs "The Queen Bitch". Burt shoots the tentacles, but the Queen Bitch eats Erick. Burt agrees to let Travis go back in the cave to destroy the nest with a grenade, while he contacts pilot Den for transport. In the cave, Travis kills an Ass-Blaster with the grenade, but fails to destroy the nest. When Den arrives, Burt manages to use his helicopter's rockets to destroy the nest. Den flies them back to their truck and helps repair the damage. Driving back to the refuge, Travis tells Burt that he is his son, the child of a one-night stand in Florida 40 years earlier; having heard of Burt's exploits, Travis wanted to be like his father. At the refuge, the workers are attacked by Ass-Blasters. Nandi, Amahle, and Baruti manage to kill several Ass-Blasters and a Graboid. They head for the village, where they discover that Amahle is hiding a Graboid egg, which was why the creatures kept attacking. The trio is attacked again and during the confusion, Amahle wanders away with the egg. Burt and Travis arrive, finding the village under siege by the Queen Bitch's tentacles. Travis retrieves the egg, and Baruti gets Amahle to safety. When the Queen Bitch arrives, Nandi suggests using the daily thunderstorm to kill it. Travis distracts it as the villagers construct a trap. When the storm erupts, Nandi lures the Queen Bitch in with the egg. Lightning bolts, attracted by the metal trap, destroy the egg and the Queen Bitch Graboid. Afterwards, Burt accepts Travis as his son, inviting him to join him in his work. A mid-credits scene shows Burt and Travis now co-host Burt's reality show, and they kill a variety of monsters around the globe.
