80’s Italian Post-apocalyptic Triple Feature:Rage a.k.a. A Man Called Rage a.k.a. Rush 2 (YouTube) – 6/10
I came to know about this as I saw this one at the cinema and thought it was quite entertaining! It’s a so-bad-it’s-good kind of B-movies.
Allow me to introduce "Rage"
Several years after a total nuclear devastation that obliterated life on earth, the only survivor of an elite military unit Captain Strike a.k.a. Rage is assigned to retrieve uranium reserves and all the technical knowledge that would help decontaminate the earth. He then sets off on a life and death expedition to the Forbidden Land – the place where the uranium has been detected – with three warriors of the uncontaminated humans. Rage seeks the aid of Slash, his former comrade in his unit, to escort them to the uranium plant site only to discover that Slash demands fifty percent of share in the mission for his own ends. Not wanting Slash to join his mission, Rage and his team sneak out of Slash’s lair at night. When Slash realizes that he has been betrayed, he launches an all out pursuit on Rage in the deserts to sabotage the mission.
Conrad Nichols a.k.a. Bruno Minniti and Werner Pochath star. Tonino Ricci a.k.a. Anthony Richmond (Thor the Conqueror) directs. This is the sequel to Rush (1983) also directed by Ricci. Not on English-friendly DVD.
The Final Executioner (YouTube) – 6/10
This is another cult 80’s Italian post nuke flicks that I actually saw at the cinema. I still remember that cool-looking theatrical poster. Those who saw 80’s Italian post nuke films in the cinemas or watched them on videos couldn’t have missed this one. It’s an icon of the genre, the other two being 2020 Texas Gladiators and Endgame.
Poster looks cool
, film not cool...
Several years following the nuclear apocalypse, a racist class system developed. A privileged, uncontaminated upper class and the radiation-contaminated majority called the target material. Since society has become virtually lawless, the privileged invented a sport game: The Hunt, seemingly to eradicate the population of contaminated humans. When one such gang performs the game, one of the preys named Alan survives and escapes death, only after his wife is raped and killed. With the arts of killing and survival skills taught by a former New York cop named Sam who has rescued him, he returns to wreak vengeance on the gang members. As the game plan has been reversed, now the hunters become the hunted.
William Mang, Harrison Muller Jr., and Woody Strode star. Not on DVD.
The Bronx Executioner (First viewing; YouTube) – 3.5/10
Ugh… this 1989 Italian post nuke flick recycles a lot of footage from THE FINAL EXECUTIONER (1984) and a few from URBAN WARRIORS (1987), splices them and re-dubs the dialogues into a “new” plot. Just watch them back-to-back and you will know what I mean. The title lies as there is no Bronx but a mansion somewhere in an Italian countryside, some run down factories (Italian post nuke flick isn’t perfect without them!), and a desolate open land.
With that poster, who would not be enticed to see the film? Observe Woody Strode on the right. He plays in it but not "actually" in it.
It turns out that the film was produced by the same people that produced THE FINAL EXECUTIONER. That film must have been a hit in Italy (or whatever!) that the producers thought “Hey, we haven’t made the fullest use of our low budget spent for our epic work THE FINAL EXECUTIONER. The audience must not have got enough of it! Let’s make another post nuke film from it…”
The producers must have seen too many Godfrey Ho cut-and-paste ninja films and felt the urge to follow his righteous path in filmmaking! “If Master Godfrey could do it and get away with it, why can’t we?” they thought. Judging by the work of the master and his disciple, I could say that the Italians did it better. At least they tried hard to show continuity
The leading man is played by an unpopular Italian actor. Alex Vitale (Strike Commando), and Woody Strode co-star (His scenes were lifted from THE FINAL EXECUTIONER and were re-dubbed by a random actor, so he actually doesn’t star here!). Not on DVD, and must never be.