#1990: The Bronx Warriors

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On April 22, 1983, Escape From the Bronx debuted in the United States.

Here's some new Mark Gregory art!

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Week of July 15, 1983.

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Movie Review | 1990: The Bronx Warriors (Castellari, 1990)

Not quite the wall to wall sleazefest I was expecting going in, but I nonetheless had a good time with this. Enzo G. Castellari seems less interested in piling on the thrills than in basking in post-apocalyptic imagery, and in that sense he gets a lot of mileage out of shooting in the most crumbling, dilapidated, bombed out looking locations he can find in the Bronx. This is obviously inspired by The Warriors and Escape From New York, and unlike the latter, all of New York City hasn’t been allowed to collapse into violent decay, just the Bronx. So by actually shooting there and having bystanders in full view in many scenes and having the authorities voice their naked contempt for the inhabitants, there is something of a political charge to this.

You do get your share of colourful characters, like Mark Gregory, who has magnificent enough hair to lead a glam metal band. Unfortunately he seems to have traded any semblance of charisma for said hair, but thankfully we also have Fred Williamson, who has enough charisma for the entire cast, and leads a gang where everybody wears really shiny clothes (he himself wears a puffy shirt like a stage magician). He has a girlfriend who wears a cape and gets some pretty good kills with a whip, so she was my favourite character. There’s also a gang of roller skating hockey players led by George Eastman with a topknot, a gang of zombies, two guys who look like Eric Roberts, and many, many more fun characters I’m too lazy to rattle off. You also get the Hell’s Angels playing extras, which probably explains some of the more, uh, questionable regalia worn by the biker gang.

The execution can be described as low energy, but the movie looks great thanks to the cinematography by Sergio Salvati and the deft use of locations. There is enough blood and gore to keep you entertained, and towards the end it starts piling on the violence, peaking with a climax that involves jackbooted goons on horseback firing flamethrowers.

[adamwatchesmovies]

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

I watched 1990: The Bronx Warriors as part of my exploration of the “Road Warrior Post-Apocalyptic” genre. For the most part, the various imitators and derivatives have been aping the Mad Max franchise. This is the first time I’ve seen “inspiration” principally drawn from the other two establishing films of the genre: Escape from New York and The Warriors. The results are one of the most uninteresting and cheap attempts I’ve seen so far.

In (the then futuristic) year 1990, New York’s Bronx is dominated by crime and declared a No Man’s Land. The police have given up all attempts to bring order to the raving biker gangs who roam the streets. Ann (Stefania Girolami), the 17-year-old heiress to the nefarious Manhattan corporation runs to the lawless wasteland to hide from the responsibilities she will soon inherit. There, she befriends The Riders and their leader, Trash (Marco Di Gregorio). To get the woman back to the boardroom where she belongs, the Manhattan Corporation hires a mercenary named Hammer (Vic Morrow) to do anything it takes.

It begins as a thinly veiled rip-off of John Carpenter’s memorable action film and then turns into a cheaper, lazier, and endlessly duller version of Walter Hill’s cult-classic. You go in assuming this will be a cheap film; the other Post-Apocalyptic adventures didn’t exactly have big budgets. Even so, this is inexcusable. This film is too low-grade to deliver even the mildest form of vehicular carnage, which is a shame because the Warriors’ – I mean the Riders’ – motorcycles look so flimsy you know they’d fly in a million pieces if they hit even a medium-sized pothole. I’m not joking when I say it looks like they bought a bunch of Halloween decorations – on November 1st when they’re heavily discounted- and then glue-gunned them onto the steering wheel of their motorcycles.

The performances are horrible and the actors are made to look even worse by the ADR. Everyone’s all mush-mouthed, and with the home release’s lack of subtitles, you’ll struggle to understand what anyone is saying. Had this plot had any kind of substance or complexity to it, you’d be completely lost. Nonetheless, you keep watching, hoping there will be some cool stunts or hand-to-hand combat scenes to make this effort worth your time. Your hope is in vain.

The only way to draw enjoyment from 1990: The Bronx Warriors is by making fun of it. Even so, it doesn’t have much to offer. It’s agonizingly dull and so obviously devoid of any kind of passion, enthusiasm or effort. The one thing that might bring a smile to your face are some of the characters’ names and the art direction. If it seems as though I’m grasping at straws, I am but how could you not laugh at characters named Hotdog (Christopher Connelly), Witch (Elisabetta Dessy), The Ogre (Fred Williamson), Ice (John Loffredo) and… Paul (Rocco Lero)? Some of the random gangs receive given quirks that make them mildly diverting, such as a group of mimes who perform a coordinated dance, but those add nothing to the story. It’s a flat picture, obviously shot in a run-down neighbourhood. It drains the life out of you.

I suffered through 1990: The Bronx Warriors so you wouldn’t have to. There’s no reason to see this, even if you enjoy the stories it’s shamelessly burglarizing. I didn’t think it could get any worse than Exterminators from the Year 3000, but here we are. To survive these films, I’m going to have to set the bar way lower than expected. This Italian production has not one, but two sequels and I can’t imagine either being any better than this. (On DVD, August 4, 2018)

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Nothing Will Stop Detective Belli from Bringing Down EVIL Heroin Traffickers!

Perhaps the Best Itali-Crime Film Ever! A hot-headed and determined police commissioner will not stop his pursuit until all the drug trafficking in Genoa is annihilated but the insidiousness of the crime’s reach within society is proving to be difficult to root out.  With the help of one of Genoa’s long-in-the-tooth drug kingpins, living out the last of days before terminal illness overcomes…

[thevideodungeon]

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)

Essentially what happens when you blend together Escape from New York and The Warriors and sprinkle liberally with Italian herbs and spices. Unfortunately, it does end up borrowing from both films in a way that is promising, but overall unfulfilling. If you go into it expecting a cheap knockoff of those two movies, then it's enjoyable, but if you're expecting anything more, you're likely to be disappointed.

5/10

[filippotenebra]

“1990 - I guerrieri del Bronx”; Enzo G. Castellari (1982).

[actionflickchick]

1990: The Bronx Warriors- Just Look at that Freakin' Cover!

Just look at the freakin’ cover for this film and tell me it doesn’t look amazing! Having now seen it, I can say that it does live up to the amazingness promised by the cover, although whether it’s amazing in a legit good film kind of way or amazing in a really bad and weird kind of way remains the question.  Continue reading Untitled

[cultfaction]

Preview: The House by the Cemetery (Limited Edition 4K UHD Bluray)

As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, director Lucio Fulci (Don’t Torture a Duckling, City of the Living Dead) increasingly specialised in the dark, ultraviolent horror movies which would earn him the affectionate moniker “the Godfather of Gore”. The third and final instalment in his “Gates of Hell” trilogy, 1981’s The House by the Cemetery showcases the malevolent maestro at his blood-drenched…

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1990: Bronx Warriors (1982)

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On March 2, 1996, 1990: The Bronx Warriors was riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

[gotankgo]

«9-30-83, Asheville - Enzo G. Castellari's 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS plays the Biltmore Twin and Park Drive In with the co-feature at the ozoner being the hit FIRST BLOOD. At the Twin, the other screen was playing Lucio Fulci's CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD/THE GATES OF HELL - those going to the South Biltmore Forest Shopping Center just for the movies had their weekend planned.»

[theactioneer]

1990: The Bronx Warriors French poster (Enzo G. Castellari, 1982)

[fly-boy-in-the-sky]

Banana Fish & Films PART 1

Recommendations based on aesthetics, themes, decade etc…

These are just my personal recommendations for movies similar to Banana Fish. Most of these films from 1960-90s revolving around some sort of street culture gangs, prostitution, trafficking, drugs all that good stuff…also a few of these I haven’t watched in years so the description may be a little off LOL

TAXI DRIVER 1976

“All the animals come out at night. Whores, skunk-pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies. Sick and venal.”

Taxi Driver follows a former Vietnam solider insomniac 26-year-old Travis (Robert De Niro) who takes night shifts as a cab driver in NYC. The story is mostly told through his inner monologue, where he talks about his his loneliness and depression along with telling stories of his interactions with his customers. He crosses paths with a 12-year-old prostitute Iris, (Jodie Foster) whom he tries rescuing from her situation.

This film was recommended by Yoshida.

THE WARRIORS 1979

“Since when the fuck are you a diplomat?”

After being blamed for the killing of a rival gang leader in the Bronx, the Warriors have dozens of New York City street gangs are out for revenge battling over turf that ranges from Bronx to Coney Island where the Warriors reside.

STREETWISE 1984

“No one to tell you where to go or what to do.”

A documentary on Street Kids in Seattle Washington 1984. Many of the teenagers do dangerous hustling gigs to survive on the streets.

There’s a story about a girl who is a prostitute with her mother’s knowledge, though her mother is against the idea she doesn’t stop her since it brings in money. Similar situation with Ash and his father..I have seen people say “I can’t believe his father would do that!” or that it’s totally unrealistic. Unfortunately these terrible things do happen, and even though Banana Fish is fictional and exaggerated, the crimes featured are really not far off for the time. Child exploitation human trafficking was huge, that’s one of the reasons how the milk carton missing persons started back in the eighties, especially through mafia/politicians in Europe.

PLATOON 1986

“Any way you cut it, Barnes is a fucking murderer.”

This movie was recommended by Yoshida.

Chris Taylor (Charlie Seen) leaves university to enlist in the Vietnam war. His experiences in combat fades his idealisms of what war is really about and what the troops are fighting this war for. His two Sargents, Barnes (Tom Berneger) and Elias (Williem Dafoe) are constantly arguing together over their morals. Barnes has violent approaches and believes the villagers are harboring Vietcong, while Elias has a more sympathetic view of the villagers and the war. Their disagreements began putting soldiers up against each other, as well as the enemies.

CRUISING 1980

“They told me that there was some... special assignment... and that I was right for it.”

Steve Burns (Al Pacino) is tasked to go undercover cop as a gay man infiltrating New York’s S&M clubs for a psychopath who’s been violently killing homosexuals. Steve begins immersing himself in the subculture and club hopping. While this is going down, he becomes increasingly distant with his girlfriend and the police forces homophobia becomes more apparent as the case goes on.

KING OF NEW YORK 1990

“ I spent half my life in prison. I never got away with anything, and I never killed anybody that didn't deserve it.”

The biggest Kingpin of the underground Frank White (Christopher Walken) just got released from prison. He’s different from most gangsters though. He shares his benefits with the poor, opening children’s hospitals and protecting the wellbeing of underprivileged citizens. Though the streets are much tougher than before. The mafia, Chinatown and Colombian gangs are running the streets partaking in child human trafficking and prostitution, unnecessary killings and racketeering. Frank’s not a fan of how they do business, and puts an end to it.

One of my favorites..the ending even ends similar to Banana Fish and there’s these two gay ass cop partners that the one kisses him towards the end (no spoilerrr) Frank is a super morally grey gangster and very similar to Ash in his beliefs. Film features many famous 90s actors. Must watch.

THE OUTSIDERS 1983

“I used to talk about killing myself all the time, man. But I don't wanna die now. It ain't long enough. Sixteen years ain't gonna be long enough.”

Based on the novel of the same name, an American classic most of us had to read in middle school.

A teenage gang in 1960s Oklahoma, the Greasers have constant clashes with another rival gang the Socs. When Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) get into a brawl that leads to the death of a Soc member, they are forced to run away into hiding. With help from their friend Dally (Matt Dillon) he tells them a place out in the rural part of town they can hide until the situation dies down. They are eventually forced to return back to their town after a tragic incident with Johnny happens, and they’re subjected to the consequences of their violent lives once again.

[brokehorrorfan]

High Crime will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + CD on August 27 via Blue Underground. The 1973 Italian-Spanish poliziottesco film is also known as La polizia incrimina la legge assolve.

Enzo G. Castellari (The Inglorious Bastards, 1990: The Bronx Warriors) directs from a script he co-wrote with Tito Carpi (Tentacles), Gianfranco Clerici (Cannibal Holocaust), and Leonardo Martín. Franco Nero, James Whitmore, Delia Boccardo, and Fernando Rey star.

High Crime The complete, uncut version of High Crime has been newly mastered in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR and DTS-HD Master Audio. It features reversible artwork. Special features are listed below.

Disc 1 - 4K UHD:

Audio commentary by director/co-writer Enzo G. Castellari

Audio commentary by actor Franco Nero and filmmaker Mike Malloy

Audio commentary by film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani

Alternate ending

Theatrical trailer

Disc 2 - Blu-ray:

Audio commentary by director/co-writer Enzo G. Castellari

Audio commentary by actor Franco Nero and filmmaker Mike Malloy

Audio commentary by film historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson, and Eugenio Ercolani

The Genoa Connection - Interviews with director Enzo G. Castellari and actor Franco Nero

Interview with director Enzo G. Castellari

Interview with actor/stuntman Massimo Vanni

Interview with camera operator Roberto Girometti

Interview with composers Guido & Maurizio De Angelis

The Connection Connection – Featurette by Eurocrime! director Mike Malloy

Alternate ending

Theatrical trailer

Poster & still gallery

Disc 3 - CD:

Soundtrack composed by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis (Trinity Is Still My Name, Torso)

Franco Nero gives his most powerful performance as Commissioner Belli, a head-strong Italian cop who uncovers brutal murders in Genoa linked to Europe's lucrative heroin trade. When Belli and his family become targets, the obsessive cop turns up the heat in his fight to take down the smugglers importing the deadly dope from France. How much will Commissioner Belli sacrifice to bust the Marseille Connection?

Pre-order High Crime.