A lively adventure film from Italian director Antonio Margheriti, retaining much of the same cast and crew from his earlier THE LAST HUNTER and being almost exactly the same in design. Once again we have war veteran David Warbeck - here plying his trade as an illegal arms smuggler - crash-landed in the Cambodian jungle and teaming up with various refugees to fight the ever-vicious Vietcong. Sure, there may be a sense of déjà vu surrounding this movie, but I'm a sucker for cheap and cheesy action flicks and I'd pay money to see any movie which has David Warbeck stripped to the waist and going gung-ho against various villains in the jungle.
After his plane is shot and he crash lands in a lake, Warbeck makes his way through the jungle before he is captured and imprisoned by a group of refugees. He is escorted to a small village which turns out to be occupied by the enemy and a firefight ensues in which all but two of the refugees are wiped out. Warbeck saves their lives and in turn is set free. However, more reinforcements soon arrive and the trio are forced to escape. Meanwhile, a rescue team out searching for Warbeck is itself shot down in the jungle, and the group quickly meet up. From then on its action on top of action as the gang struggle to help a number of refugees escape to the border whilst being attacked on all sides by the bad guys.
Okay, so the plot is not particularly taxing or complicated, but that's why I like it. This easy viewing experience is fun to watch and has lots of shooting for fans to enjoy. There's a fair number of explosions in there too, thanks to some effective miniatures which Margheriti is fond of. The cast is also a good one of Italian veterans. Supporting Warbeck as the trigger-happy hero are Annie Belle as the love interest Kia, old hand Luciano Pigozzi as Lennie, an old friend of Warbeck's, and the excellent Tony King who overacts like nobody before him. As "Midnight", King puts in a fairly understated turn...at least to begin with.
Warbeck himself seems settled in his action man role and brings a laconic charm to the screen. He doesn't really seem to be taking things all that seriously although his acting is fine, and he more than acquits himself in the action when needs be. Highlights include a fire fight in a jungle village, a baddie attacking with a flame-thrower, the blowing-up of a huge bridge, and the mass-firepower finale on the boat. Margheriti also inserts his trademark scene of horror, here when the heroes discover a hut crammed with the corpses of dead refugees left to rot.
The budget is very low as usual, but Margheriti usually discovers a way to cut around the action while still making you think that you've seen it (take for example the various plane crashes). There are some rough edges, like the occasional continuity error, but generally the film is well-made and exciting. I would recommend this movie as a good starting point for fans looking to branch out into cheesy '80s Italian action and a must for fans of direction Margheriti, of which I am one obviously. A shallow yet rewarding movie for undemanding genre fans who know what to expect.
After his plane is shot and he crash lands in a lake, Warbeck makes his way through the jungle before he is captured and imprisoned by a group of refugees. He is escorted to a small village which turns out to be occupied by the enemy and a firefight ensues in which all but two of the refugees are wiped out. Warbeck saves their lives and in turn is set free. However, more reinforcements soon arrive and the trio are forced to escape. Meanwhile, a rescue team out searching for Warbeck is itself shot down in the jungle, and the group quickly meet up. From then on its action on top of action as the gang struggle to help a number of refugees escape to the border whilst being attacked on all sides by the bad guys.
Okay, so the plot is not particularly taxing or complicated, but that's why I like it. This easy viewing experience is fun to watch and has lots of shooting for fans to enjoy. There's a fair number of explosions in there too, thanks to some effective miniatures which Margheriti is fond of. The cast is also a good one of Italian veterans. Supporting Warbeck as the trigger-happy hero are Annie Belle as the love interest Kia, old hand Luciano Pigozzi as Lennie, an old friend of Warbeck's, and the excellent Tony King who overacts like nobody before him. As "Midnight", King puts in a fairly understated turn...at least to begin with.
Warbeck himself seems settled in his action man role and brings a laconic charm to the screen. He doesn't really seem to be taking things all that seriously although his acting is fine, and he more than acquits himself in the action when needs be. Highlights include a fire fight in a jungle village, a baddie attacking with a flame-thrower, the blowing-up of a huge bridge, and the mass-firepower finale on the boat. Margheriti also inserts his trademark scene of horror, here when the heroes discover a hut crammed with the corpses of dead refugees left to rot.
The budget is very low as usual, but Margheriti usually discovers a way to cut around the action while still making you think that you've seen it (take for example the various plane crashes). There are some rough edges, like the occasional continuity error, but generally the film is well-made and exciting. I would recommend this movie as a good starting point for fans looking to branch out into cheesy '80s Italian action and a must for fans of direction Margheriti, of which I am one obviously. A shallow yet rewarding movie for undemanding genre fans who know what to expect.