Tough To Kill Volume 1 now available!

At long last the book by Paul Cooke and myself is ready to go. It is actually a VOLUME 1 of Tough To Kill-a collection of reviews and views and strangely skewed writings on things that go BOOM.
You can order your copy (and even get an ebook edition) by going here.

ORDER YOUR COPY OF TOUGH TO KILL VOLUME 1 - THE ITALIAN ACTION EXPLOSION and May Your Huts Explode In A Huge Ball Of Flame!!

This is something Paul and I worked on (and off...and on) at for almost 6 years of searching for original Japanese tapes and I'm glad to see it out there.

Included are 80 Ballistic reviews from directors such as Enzo G. Castellari, Bruno Mattei, Tito Carpi, Antonio Margheriti, Ignazio Dolce, Lamberto Bava, Alfonso Brescia, Ruggero Deodato and "Larry Ludman" himself, Fabrizio De Angelis.

A Tribute To Bruno Mattei by Paul Cooke.

Of Margheriti And Miniatures-an interview with Edoardo Margheriti

Star Profiles by Paul Cooke including articles on Mark Gregory, Reb Brown and more.

Dystopia Rides A Dune Buggy is an examination of Italian Post Nuke Cinema of the 80s.

And yes...THE TRUTH ABOUT BRONX CRACKDOWN. Some claim to have it! I assure you they do not!

Enjoy!

Strike Commando - Bruno's Biggest Blast!

Strike Commando

1987-Flora Films

Directed by Bruno Mattei

With Reb Brown, Christopher Connelly, Alex Vitale, Luciano Pigozzi

Review by David Zuzelo

“Got me and you…pussycat!”

A film that defies description without begging for hyperbole, Strike Commando is action-sploitation that pounds outrageous and entertaining mischief in every minute. Really. The brain trust (read: they trust that you will not use your brain!) of Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso fired on all genre conventions, burping out this incredible entry.

Michael Ransom (Reb Brown) is one tough Strike Commando-he can’t be killed it would seem. His commando team blows up Vietcong bases with ease, but is double crossed by a skuzzy commander (Christopher Connelly), which leaves him trapped behind enemy lines with little hope of survival. But of course he lives on! Floating down a river and greeted by Vietnamese in whiteface (huh?) who are led by Luciano Pigozzi (dubbed as a Frenchman…huh!)-the hulking American becomes their savior. But the evil Russians, led by the huge and hilarious Jakoda (Alex Vitale) has other plans. Kill ‘em all… and he does. Disneyland gets a mention before that can happen, and holding crushed bodies and yelling, Ransom must make the Russians, the Vietcong, the men in power who treat soldiers like dirt, tiny miniature boats, huts, logic and everything else PAY! And oh, they do. Along the way Ransom is tortured and almost forced to broadcast anti-American radio chatter, but no way, not Ransom. Hell, leaving him with a rotting corpse just stresses him out as his captors find… and when he is stressed, only a zillion bullets and a slow motion waterfall stunt can make him feel better. Well, a little better. People explode and THE END unspools as a wiseass Ransom disclaims any form of truth to the picture.

Mattei and Fragasso mashed together one perfectly silly action film, which becomes so zany you can almost feel the fun pouring off the video as you stick it in the player. Not what historians would call solid film making, it doesn’t even try. Reb Brown is delirious in his role, shouting almost EVERY line, be it tender talk of popcorn growing on trees to angered ramblings (“The rest of Strike Commando demands VENGEANCE!”)… This becomes so insane it would be hard to replicate on purpose… if anyone even cared to try. Everyone, be they good actor, non-actor or exploding hut takes the macho to heart. Christopher Connelly exaggerates his reactions like nobody else can while Alex Vitale steals the show with his scenes as the jumbo Russian who hates “Amerikanski” with such vigor that he embraces several fight scenes, lots of cackling and a steel set of chompers that spur the best line of the movie.

Mattei directs the action with the flair of a director who has found his calling, you can call him a hack, but you can’t say he didn’t know how to get people to fall down under a hail of bullets. Stuntmen line up to be shot in gloriously wild head flopping style, Brown is in all the right positions to wield a giant machine gun with unlimited ammunition and yes… the waterfall is here for all to see. Backed up by one strange script that Fragasso has concocted, there are endless odd lines of dialogue, mercilessly silly set ups and you have to pay attention as the dubbers obviously had fun... Just listen to what passes as Vietnamese. Sharpshooters should look for Rene (Tiger Joe) Abadeza getting conked in the face and composite ninja veteran Mike Monty in the opening sequence!

With a score by Luigi Ceccarelli that seems more fitting than usual, you’ll be humming it for days while repeating just some of the dialogue

“He’s our ENEMY… That dirt DOG gotta PAY!”

Head Clonking Hyperbole: It’s a grenade in the mouth lovin, raucously ridiculous smash a minute thrill coaster that will leave you with a surplus of spare shell cases littering your memory which only another trip through Reb Brown’s bullet laden Disneyland can satisfy. Truly a cult film in every sense, Strike Commando is essential trash.

5 Exploding Huts

Black Cobra 3 Review-The Hammer (Water)Falls!

The Black Cobra 3

1990 – L’Immagine S.r.l.

Directed by Edoardo Margheriti (Dan Edwards)

With Fred Williamson, Forry Smith, Debra Ward and Mike Monty

Review by David Zuzelo

“See ya around…babycakes!”

More Manila Guerilla action ensues as The Black Cobra saga continues in this third film. The true trilogy concludes in a collection of bang up fights and explosions with nudity and witty repartee as The Hammer and his new pals go commando to hunt down THAT elusive waterfall in the Philippines!

A long commando scene with CIA agent Charlie leaping and bounding through a camp of bad guys gets the film off to a good start. Charlie doesn’t make it out alive sadly-but at least gets to see a beautiful nude woman before he dies. Greg Duncan of Interpol (Forry Smith) is assigned the case and advised to pick someone outside of Interpol to help him. And luckily Greg’s daddy happened to be pals with…The Black Cobra! Detective Malone is busy blasting away thugs in Chicago, and another vacation is demanded by his boss. Back to the Philippines (where he hates to “GOTTdamM go”) and into the breach he goes. After meeting up with a pretty CIA agent named Tracy and forming a little unit to solve the mystery with his son’s friend, the trio face off against a lot of enemies. I mean that… a lot of thugs and scum come their way. After beating up some scumbags in a warehouse, blasting more boneheads that randomly attack and even investigating a backlit Jesus medicine cabinet for clues, our heroes realize the following plot point.

“The only reference we have is a waterfall?” Ah, Italians in the Philippines… they just love waterfalls.

Even more blasting follows as they invade the enemy camp, wreaking havoc and causing some of the most MASSIVE explosions I’ve seen in 80’s action cinema. A traitor is unveiled, a rich guy weeps, the heroes get to laugh and it’s over as quickly as it began.

The Hammer looks in better shape in this entry as he runs around the jungle and tosses invisible knives that never miss and teams with Forry Smith-who is best known as appearing as The Green Hornet in Dragon. Though the film isn’t quite as good as the previous entry in the series, it is quite enjoyable with a slew of fun sequences. Edoardo Margheriti’s action direction is as solid as the previous entry, although there are some serious pace issues that rival the action. Walking around begins to take as much screen time as fights and gunplay do far to often for my taste. Funny quips from Williamson keep some of the boring parts bearable, as does some early nudity. The fights all look great and show off some of that FredFu and while not as gory as part 2, a few baddies still go down hard. The last explosion is immense with an overhead helicopter shot is flat out stunning…seriously.

Using the frequently appearing waterfall as a plot point is wonderful, especially given that this film was released in 1990. Making it a fun homage to all of the 80’s films shot on the cheap in a fun way and given the director’s heritage it draws comparison to the mini cars from Black Cobra 2, a fun wink to the audience is given. Or…well, it’s just another waterfall shot, but I like those.

A lot of action, a smattering of gore and nudity and Fred Williamson’s trademark wit add up to a fun conclusion to the trilogy. While the sequels may not rival Stelvio Massi’s original, they do make a nice double bill.

2.5 Exploding Huts

Japanese VHS Cover

Black Cobra 3 opening titles

Black Cobra 2 Review - Margheriti Takes The Snake

Black Cobra 2

1988-L’Immagine S.r.l.

Directed by Edoardo Margheriti (Dan Edwards)

With Fred Williamson, Nicholas Hammond, Emma Hoagland and Mike Monty

Review by David Zuzelo

“Bullshit, I’m not going to no goddammed Philippines!”

Detective Malone is back and his head cracking antics will get him in trouble all over again in this follow up to the popular Stelvio Massi film. Now he faces the ultimate action hero nightmare…a mission in Manila! The Philippines are the home to the big bang blow ‘em up flicks where both life and land are cheap, and the movies are cheaper.

Opening with Fred Williamson appearing on top of a super cool logo, some truly stupid drug dealers decide to make a transaction right in front of Malone and his crew. This leads to a long motorcycle and foot chase and culminates in a hostage situation with a massive gore splattered headshot finale that only Williamson could unleash. Of course that isn’t police standard procedure and as a punishment for his ballistic balls out attitude our man Malone gets traded to the Philippines.

Upon arrival, Malone gets taken by a low conman who also snaps up a briefcase from some tough types during his escape. The Wallet of Williamson may be important, but the briefcase gets the thief killed. Luckily, he mailed the key to find the briefcase off to his daughter…and she (luckily) is attractive. And she likes Malone…lucky again! But will the bad guys use her to find the briefcase? Can his new pal and partner McCall (Nicholas Hammond) be tough like The Hammer and fight back when his son is taken hostage? Will Fred Williamson have a heart attack trying to run up all those flights of stairs?? After gunplay, FredFu, boat ballistics and head smashing all come off the screen everything comes down to a commando raid end sequence that feels so intricate that it could be another film entirely!

Directed by Edoardo Margheriti, his first feature after many years of working with his father Antonio--the Maestro of Mini and Two Fisted Action--this is a very solid effort. Hindered by a teensy budget even by 80’s action standards, Edoardo (as Dan Edwards) swings for the fences when he gets the chance and does his best. Ample slow motion explosions of shotgun gore and some cool shattering glass certainly bear the family trademark well. There is even a mini-car chase, though perhaps more obvious than the ones familiar from his father’s work. When the time comes for the finale, it’s very assured and well designed, exciting even. The cast put forth their best efforts, and TV Spider-Man Nicholas Hammond goes berserk well enough. The Hammer…Fred Williamson is always reliable and he even gets to do some dancing with leading lady Emma Hoagland. Don’t miss friendly action face Mike Monty in a role as well.

Scored with great electronic aplomb and propelled forward even during it’s slower moments by a score from Aldo Salvi, there is a lot to enjoy in Black Cobra 2. At the least, Fred Williamson fans should not miss it, and there are moments for the gore hounds amongst us that will be pleased as well. Made in Manila, where celluloid is cheap and so are the thrills!

2.5 Exploding Huts

Japanese VHS Cover

Australian VHS Cover

Jiboa Review - Mario Bianchi Sleaze!

Jiboa / Jiboa, il sentiero dei diamanti

1989-CB Productions

Directed by Mario Bianchi as Stuart Murphy

Starring Rick Dean and Bobby Rhodes

Review by David Zuzelo

“If you let it rip her mouth apart you’re an egg sucking asshole!”

What happens when you take a host of Tough To Kill stalwarts such as Luigi Ciccaresse, Ernesto Gastaldi and Paolo Rustichelli and hand them off to sleazemaster Mario Bianchi and say to him “make an action film?” A jungle adventure with murky underside of slimy sexploitation is what…and a damned good one bit of junk at that. Jiboa is about as reclusive a film as any in this book, but as a cross pollination of trash and action-it succeeds on every level to which it aspires. Of course, that is gutter level, which I'm totally fine with!

Mark Frasier wakes up in an Indio village and can’t remember how he got there…but he sure likes LoLoLai who aids him to health with her topless magic. When a helicopter comes and attacks the village Frasier runs into the jungle and treks through all the waterfalls you could want to see before falling off one. He washes up to the shore and is picked up by Tony Marcucci, who claims to want to help him. Before he even gets started in penetrating his fog of amnesia, Frasier is snagged by some baddies and brought back to the Amazon to find “it!” It being a city of emerald of course-and these scumbags will stop at nothing to find it. Led by Sewer Rat (“In fact everybody called me sewer rat, I’m just plain Rat to my friends.”), the gang torment and torture our hero and an unlikely heroine-slash-love interest going so far as to break out the rat in the cage strapped to the girls face trick. As things progress and our band get closer to the emerald city, we have killer piranha attacks, lots of outrageous Indio battles, face smashing spiders and thousands of syllables forming unbelievably vulgar language. Good nasty fun… When another group of even more psychotic treasure hunters arrive its all out war as Frasier, Rat and the girl try to survive endless obstacles and perhaps more than a fair share of time filling walking through the jungle.

This cheap effort would seem to be more at home in the library of French producers Eurocine and their nasty adventure output such as Diamonds of Kilamanjaro really, but uses so many Italian personnel that it certainly fits in our lists. Bianchi built his reputation on groovy sleaze and porn, but manages to pull together the elements of Ernesto Gastaldi’s script to make an entertaining little action flick in the same flat exploitative style. While not exactly a hutbuster of giant action sequences there are some good fight scenes and enough unpleasant jungle antics from the Indios to leave the viewer with a solid rainy days entertainment. The final trippy sequence that leaps out of nowhere is worth any price it may take for you to find the film as well…weird stuff!

Rick Dean has appeared in tons of exploitation films you may have seen including some Cirio Santiago movies, but this is by far his most appealing work-he gets to crack jokes and heads at every turn. The great Bobby Rhodes plays Rat with gusto, chokeslamming his foes into an unconscious blob whenever the opportunity arises. You can’t go wrong with Rhodes…ever.

Decently scored with Rustichelli music and decidedly nastier than most, Jiboa is action of a different, more virulent, strain.

2 Exploding Huts