1990:
The Bronx Warriors
(1982) + Escape
From The Bronx
(1983) + The
New Barbarians
(1983/Blue Underground Blu-ray w/DVD Sets)
1990:
The Bronx Warriors
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B-/C+ Extras: B Film: C+
If
you're a fan of films like Escape
From New York, Mad Max,
or The
Warriors,
then you should definitely check out Enzo G. Castellari's low budget,
high octane action adventure 1990:
The Bronx Warriors
(1982). It's
filled with blood, guts, and bad hairstyles all wrapped up in this
nice new package thanks to Blue Underground. For me personally, I'm
a big fan of Post Apocalyptic fair and these films are definitely no
exception. I hadn't heard of them before this new release and am
glad that I got to check them out. While Castellari is no George
Miller or John Carpenter, he manages to have fun with the genre and
push violence to a limit that almost brings back mind the Grindhouse
days of cinema.
It's
1990 (yup) and the Bronx has officially been declared a No Man's
Land. The authorities have given up all attempts to restore law and
order. When a beautiful young woman runs away from Manhattan into
this wasteland of motorcycle gangs and marauding warriors, her
corrupt father sends a ruthless mercenary to bring her back at all
costs. But gang leader Trash (Mark Gregory) has other plans, uniting
the rival outlaws to wage an all-out guerilla war against their
corporate oppressors.
Vic
Murrow and Fred Williamson also star.
Extras
include...
Audio
Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo
G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation, Part 1
Sourcing
The Weaponry - Enzo G. Castellari visits the Italian Weapons Rental
House of Paolo Ricci
Adventures
In The Bronx - Interview with Actor/Stuntman Massimo Vanni
Theatrical
Trailers
Poster
& Still Gallery
Escape
from the Bronx
(1983)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B-/C+ Extras: B Film: C
Italian
futuristic action-schlock sequel to 1990:
Bronx Warriors,
this fast paced tales once again sees New York City undergoing a
major facelift, and the GC Corporation, the company behind the
revamp, wants to oust the 'rats' in the Bronx and move them to the
new city. Only their operation, led by cantankerous ex-prison warden
Wrangler (Henry Silva), uses a bit of unnecessary force and the
warriors aren't happy about it. So, with the help of underground
warrior Strike (Giancarlo Prete) and a returning Trash (Mark
Gregory), they decide to kidnap the President of GC so that they'll
stop the operation.
In
many ways, this entry reminds me of The
Hunger Games,
with the Government overtaking the 'rats' and striking down on normal
citizens only with some Rebels to oppose them and overthrow. We've
seen this in the genre before, but this one's on the raw, honest
side, exploitation or not.
Antonio
Sabato Sr. also stars.
Extras
include
Audio
Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo
G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation, Part 3
The
Hunt For Trash - Interview with Bronx Warriors Superfan Lance Manley
Theatrical
Trailers
Poster
& Still Gallery
The
New Barbarians
(1983)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B-/C+ Extras: B Film: C-
While
probably the worst in the series and not narratively connected, The
New Barbarians
is still pretty fun. It is the year 2019 and 15 years after a
nuclear war. The world is now run by gangs of human predators who
behave like wolves and carnivorous criminals, but a band of survivors
discover distant radio signals that give them hope: could there be a
part of the world on which other humans live and can they get there
before the mutants get to them? Giancarlo Prete, Fred Williamson,
George Eastman an Anna Kanakis lead the cast.
Extras
include
Audio
Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Enzo G. Castellari
Enzo
G. Castellari and Fabrizio De Angelis In Conversation, Part 2
Tales
Of The Hammer - Interview with Star Fred Williamson
Theatrical
Trailers
Poster
& Still Gallery
The
Transfers:
Despite
their low budgets, all three films surprisingly look pretty sharp on
Blu-ray disc with a lush, lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Mono
and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono tracks (the latter on the
anamorphically enhanced DVD versions, which look good, but are no
match for the Blu-rays at their best), a High Definition transfer
with a 2.35:1 1080p widescreen aspect ratio as shot in Techniscope
(2-perf 35mm film, processed by the Telecolor labs in Italy) and
captions in English SDH, French, and Spanish, the presentation here
is pretty top notch. The films obviously are not flawless with
moments of high grain and noise on the transfer, but they look the
best they can and I personally enjoy a rough transfer for something
of this calibre.
All
in all, the three films are pretty fun to watch and in the wake of
Mad
Max: Fury Road
being released, it's also fun to look back on these cult titles and
see them again!
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films