Andrei Strasser

"That little demon took off my damn thumb and trigger finger.(in Romanian) Monstrule! Monstrule! I will kill this little monkey! I swear, I will KILL him!"

- Strasser vowing revenge on Joe for biting his fingers off.

Andrei Strasser is the main antagonist of the 1998 Disney film Mighty Joe Young, a remake of the Oscar winning 1949 film of the same name.

He is a ruthless Romanian poacher who murdered the titular ape's mother as well as Dr. Ruth Young, mother of the film's protagonist Jill Young. However, in the process, Strasser loses his thumb and trigger finger after Joe bit him, and he swears revenge on the gorilla for the damage. 12 years later, Strasser sees Joe on TV and decides to pay the ape a little visit and get his revenge on him for costing him his fingers, and he will stop at nothing until he kills him (along with Jill or anyone else who gets in his way).

He is potrayed by Rade Serbedzija who also played Murad in Taken 2.

Personality
Andrei Strasser can best be described as ruthless, sadistic, remorseless, conniving, merciless and overall cruel in nature with no regard for any life but his own.

Strasser is also very conniving as he runs a fake animal reserve, while in actuality selling animal organs off the blackmarket. He also manges to completely manipulate Jill into believing he was on her side and tricked her into believing he'd take good care of Joe back in Africa.

Strasser also has no remorse for attempting to kill people as well--best proven when a missed shot intended for Jill causes a deadly fire to spread throughout the carnival, endangering a child trapped in a Ferris wheel. This causes his henchman Garth to turn against him.

All and all, Strasser's powerful grudge against Jill and Joe leads to his downfall, as he is so intent on shooting Jill, that he doesn't notice the giant ape looming behind him until it's too late and Joe gives the wicked poacher his well-deserved and literally shocking demise.

Biography
One night, Andrei Strasser is ambushing a herd of gorillas. He shoots baby Joe's mother, as well as primatologist Ruth Young, mother of Jill Young. Strasser attempts to put to put the baby ape in a sack, but Joe bites off Strasser's thumb and trigger finger, and Strasser swears vengeance for his severed hand as he retreats. Before she dies of her wounds, Ruth tells Jill to promise her to take care of Joe, to which Jill agrees.

12 years later, Strasser, who is now running a fake animal preserve in Raja while really selling animal organs on the black market, is seen talking on the phone with one of his men, Pindi; refusing to believe there is a 2,200 pound gorilla until he hears the news about Joe and Jill Young on the Television. Strasser wants to get revenge on Joe for biting his fingers off, with the help of his main henchman, Garth.

At first, Jill fails to recognize Strasser as the poacher who killed both her mother and Joe's, since Strasser hides his right hand in his coat pocket. Strasser tries to persuade Jill that Joe would be better off in his wildlife refuge back in Africa.

Later, during a gala, Garth, uses a poacher's noisemaker to scare Joe into a frenzy. Joe trashes the gala, recognizes Strasser and tries to attack him. Joe is then tranquilized and placed in a concrete bunker. When Jill learns that Joe may be euthanized, she decides to take Strasser's offer. Strasser uses the truck to get Joe inside with Jill Young's help.

Meanwhile, the refuge director Greg O'Hara has realized that Strasser is a poacher (upon discovering a poacher's noisemaker that the maintenance had found) and goes after both Jill and Joe. On the way to the airport, Jill notices the half-glove covering Strasser's missing fingers, and finally realizes who he really is. Just then, Strasser notices Greg pursuing them and pulls out his revolver, but Jill punches him in the chest, then leaps out of the truck and into the street. Joe sees her and rocks the truck over onto its side and escapes. Greg finds Jill, who reveals to him that Strasser killed her mother and plans to kill Joe and they rush off to find him.

Jill and Greg eventually locate Joe at a carnival where he is playfully wreaking havoc. Strasser arrives at the carnival and attempts to shoot Jill. But Garth pushes Strasser's gun away from Jill, causing him to fire at a spotlight, which starts a fire and causes the Ferris wheel to break down. Realizing Strasser's true nature as a murderer, Garth tells Strasser that he quits, but Strasser manages to knock him out unconscious with his gun before confronting Jill.

Strasser eventually confronts Jill and attempts to shoot her, but Joe manages to sneak up behind him and grabs Strasser roaring in the evil poacher's face, before flinging him onto some electrical wires over a transformer. Short two fingers on the hand holding the wire, Strasser's grip fails and he falls into the transformer, electrocuting him to death and leaving only his half-glove hanging from the wiring.

Quotes
"My God! Pindi was right! (Strasser's henchman Garth enters the room) He's beautiful. The most beautiful animal I ever seen. (Garth: And the most valuable, that's for sure.) (Garth sits down, watches as Jill appears on screen) (Garth: Isn't that the--) Wait! Be quiet! (Both men's expressions are of recognition as Jill is identified as the daughter of the primatologist they had killed twelve years earlier) (Garth, pointing at the screen: Bloody hell! That's him! That's him, that's the little feller who bit your finger off!) [Strasser glances down at his mangled right hand, missing the thumb and index finger] I'm always amazed how, if you wait long enough, the opportunity for justice finally comes. Garth, book us two tickets to America. We are going to pay a visit to this incredible animal. [smirking, Strasser puts a half-glove on his right hand] I think I know how to convince his current owners to part with him."

- Strasser after seeing Joe on the TV and recognizing the ape for biting off his fingers. "(Jill Young: Cecily-- [she bumps into Strasser, causing her to drop her walkie-talkie] Oh, sorry!) No, my fault. (Jill picks up her walkie talkie and turns to leave) Excuse me. (Jill Young: Yes?) It's just--... (Jill Young: What?) You must be Jill Young. (Jill Young: Yes.) And you look just like her. (Jill Young: Who?) Your mother. (Jill stares at Strasser with suspicion in her eyes) (Jill Young: You knew my mother?) Yes. I'm an old friend of your mother's. I knew her when she was, uh, only a little older than you. And you were just a tiny thing. What an incredible woman she was. (Jill Young: Yeah.) I'm sorry. I'm Andrei Strasser. I've come here to talk with your Mr. Baker. Actually, I'm here for Joe. (Jill Young: Joe?) And, in a way, for your mother, too. I believe she would agree with me. A magnificent wild animal like Joe needs more space. Like the Raja Preserve I run in Botswana. (Jill Young: Raja Preserve?) It's 20,000 acres there where the animals are free to run. Here it's such a shame to see Joe living in a man-made habitat... and being used as an attraction to raise money. But I upset you. (Jill Young: No.) Please. I only mean to offer an alternative. Anyway, here's my card. (hands his card to Jill) I'll be attending, uh, the event tonight. Maybe we can talk more about this matter then. (Jill Young: I look forward to it.) (Jill holds out her right hand to shake Strasser's hand. Strasser shakes it with his left hand to throw off her suspicions) Yeah. Bye. (Strasser turns and heads for the door with a sinister smirk forming on his face.)"

- Andrei Strasser tricking Jill Young (who fails to recognize him as the poacher who murdered both her mom and Joe's since Strasser hid his severed hand in his coat pocket) into believing he'll take good care of Joe back in Africa. "Goodbye, Jill. Meet your mother...in Hell."

- Strasser's last words