I love Lenzi's gialli offerings, or at least the one's I have experiences! I still need to see KNIFE OF ICE and A QUIET PLACE TO KILL. SPASMO and EYEBALL are some of my more favorite gialli viewings. Two very stylish yet, odd in nature but still very effective in the payoff!
It's been a long time since I first seen his SO SWEET... SO PERVERSE (1969), was that not just recently issued on DVD again??
I absolutely loved Freda's brilliant I VAMPRI! Now, what was the deal with Bava being uncredited for with this again? I know he had something to do with the overall direction, but what's the full story on that again?
Any opinions about this more recent giallo? I've heard some bad things but when I found it dirt cheap on eBay, I couldn't resist the temptation of picking it up. Figured I need to give some of the more recent horrer/thriller stuff a chance too. Still waiting for it to arrive and I'm not quite sure what to expect of it but at least it has a pretty good cast that includes famous transsexual Eva Robins from TENEBRAE (1982) and the good-looking Elisabetta Rocchietti, who has been cropping up in a lot of horror stuff like THE THREE FACES OF TERROR (2004), DO YOU LIKE HITCHCOCK? (2005) and THE LAST HOUSE IN THE WOODS (2006). Not to mention supporting roles by Florinda Bolkan and Franco Nero! Anyone here seen it?
Interesting looking film out of Italy with Irish/Spanish co-financiers. Directed by Italian SFX man Stefano Bessoni.
In the 1600s, long before the invention of photography, a scientist named Girolamo Fumagalli was obsessed with the idea of reproducing images. He discovered that by killing a victim and removing the victim's eyeballs, it was possible to reproduce on paper the last image imprinted on that person's retinas. He named this technique 'thanatography'. Today, the same kind of gruesome ritual and abominable crime recurs within the walls of an international school of cinema. -imdb.com
Also stars the daughter of Charlie Chapman, Geraldine Chaplin as well as her daughter Oona.
Well, it seems this is yet another Argento flick that is taking a beating in the review department. Even die hard fans are not too pleased with this outing. Anyhow, the PAL R2 DVD is now out via a Polish company that found it important to force the Polish subs!
Looks like this will be getting a UK release first via Arrow Films! I still haven't seen this, it was on my radar during last year's Midnight Madness during the Toronto Film Fest. The disc will be released March 15th..
I'd love to grab this, but for now I'm holding off on the Blu-Ray player for now, too unstable industry right now. Plus, the multi-region player are way too expensive!
(1982/ITALY)(ANNO 2020 – I GLADIATORI DEL FUTURO, 2020 FREEDOM FIGHTERS, ONE EYE FORCE)DIRECTOR: Aristide Massaccesi (as Kevin Mancuso) / George Eastman (uncredited)/CAST: Peter Hooten, Al Cliver, Harrison Muller Jr., Donal O’Brien, Sabrina Siani, Daniel
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(1982/ITALY)(ANNO 2020 – I GLADIATORI DEL FUTURO, 2020 FREEDOM FIGHTERS, ONE EYE FORCE)
Review By-Devin Kelly
CAST: Peter Hooten, Al Cliver, Harrison Muller Jr., Donal O’Brien, Sabrina Siani, Daniel Stephen, Hal Yamanouchi, Geretta Geretta, Isabella Rochietta
DIRECTOR: Aristide Massaccesi (as Kevin Mancuso) / George Eastman (uncredited)
PRODUCER: Joe D’Amato
Filmirage s.r.l
RUNNING TIME: 91 min. 52 seconds
VIDEO SOURCE: Tohokushinsha Home Video
Post-nuke lunacy directed by the notoriously fabulous Aristide Massaccesi with spaghetti western aspirations? The Big Ape himself, genre stalwart George Eastman lurking behind Massaccesi’s chair under a shared ‘Kevin Mancuso’ pseudonym? What more could a lover of the divinely insane ask for?! Upon the release and success of Mel Gibson’s second Mad Max vehicle, THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981), as usual with most formulas leading to a big pay day, those loveable, work horse Italians jumped on the bandwagon and then flipped the damn thing over. Italian fringe directors always added their own quirky charm and taste for the exploitive to any film venture proving to be fruitful elsewhere, and with the prolific Massaccesi at the helm you could guarantee a healthy smattering of sleaze. Veteran Eurotrash seekers know that with a cast and crew like this, and even just based on that title alone, we’re in for a whacked out good time!
ANNO 2020 – I GLADIATORI DEL FUTURO (1982) as it is originally known, doesn’t take long to kick into maximum thrust as we open with what might possibly be the film’s best and most grisly sequence. In a makeshift church somewhere in the post-apocalyptic future (presumably Texas, although it’s rarely made clear) the camera moves in on some random pillaging at the hands of nuke scarred mutants, looking slightly like rejected zombie applicants from a DAWN OF THE DEAD audition. Massaccesi even shifts a little into Nunsploitation territory here as several sisters of the cloth are pounced upon and raped, while nearby another slits her own throat with a shard of glass and a Priest is sickeningly nailed to a cross. YOWZERS! No time wasted getting to the nasty stuff for Aristide and company in this one. For some reason though, time is wasted in attempting to save the lives of these poor unfortunate souls, as a team of post-apocalypse Rangers (I’m assuming to be a replacement for what once was the Police) stay low in the dark corners waiting to dish out some lawless justice…and they wait…and wait…and wait. Are these dudes having a smoke or what?! Finally, “The Five” spring into action, pumping bullets and plunging knives into these crusty cretins with ease. As the final body hits the floor, so ends our first meeting with Nisus (Al Cliver), Halakron (Peter Hooten), Jab (Harrison Muller), Catch Dog (Daniel Stephen), and to round out the introductions, my favorite member, Red Wolfe (Al Yamanouchi). It seems not all are on the same page, however.
As the group move about the church (by the way, this is one of the most piss poor houses of worship I’ve ever seen…God love D’Amato!) checking for survivors, one member, Catch Dog, is sniffing around for some pussy to chase. He soon finds it in the form of Italian action nymph favorite, Sabrina Siani (WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN ’80, THE SWORD OF THE BARBARIANS ’82) and it isn’t long before he’s practically drowning her in a puddle of his own sweat and drool. Hearing her cries, Nisus intervenes and forces Catch Dog off of her. Halakron, Jab and Red Wolfe soon investigate and Catch Dog finds himself in hot water and banished from the group entirely (“You broke your vow. You’re no longer one of us. You’re an outcast!). No raping women if you wanna be a Ranger! The young blonde woman thanks Nisus and introduces herself as Maida and sure enough, post-nuke sparks start flying as Cliver gawks at her like a puppy. Holy flash forward however, as our next scene informs us that since this incident, Nisus and Maida have apparently married, had a little girl (Isabella Rochietta), and now he’s traded in his ammo and leathers for overalls and work at some kind of natural gas refinery. I guess Catch Dog never could get over what happened though, as he and several other mutants and dirt bike bandits converge outside of the plant, obviously with ill-intent. Not only that, but he’s made a new business arrangement with the dreaded Black One (Donal O’Brien) – a Hitler-like maniac hell bent on all forms of domination. It’s good to know though that the factory workers also have much artillery on hand for such occasions and as sirens alert them, they prepare for battle. Hopefully pay isn’t docked for these kinds of breaks.
Eventually it’s all out assault! Nameless helmeted soldiers with their impenetrable shields and face paint wearing, moronic motorbike marauders Vs. family man Cliver and his merry band of 9 to 5ers! This can’t be pretty. Will the Black One succeed in his quest as the ultimate Der Furher? Can Cliver save the remnants of an already dwindled populace? Will his old running buddies from his Rangers days turn up to kick some more ass? You know by now, I’m not telling you, but as always I’ll certainly recommend finding out.
2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS was one of the first post-nukers out of Italy, along with entries in 1982 from some might say, the master of the subgenre, Enzo G. Castellari (1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS, ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX, THE NEW BARBARIANS). 2020 certainly to me however, stands out as one of the most enjoyable, chalk full of non-stop action, fun characters, an ample amount of crimson and some wonderfully mind-melting dialogue. Massaccesi was indeed a very improvisational director, as is evident in all of his films, but he never failed to entertain when given the right material. His two offerings from this short lived string of films are great examples of this, as both 2020 and his second and even better picture of this variety, ENDGAME – BRONX LOTTA FINALE (1983) have proven that the director didn’t always have to drench his productions in wall to wall sex to deliver an entertaining film. They’ve got those unmistakable D’Amato traits, yet the pair even more so to me demonstrates another side of Massaccesi.
Some of the Italian Post-Apocalypse regulars that appear here of course make 2020 all the more fun. Al Cliver (just shy of taking the lead role in the aforementioned second Massaccesi entry, ENDGAME) is not quite as aggressive and bad ass as he was in previous and subsequent flicks, such as ZOMBI 2 (1979) and ENDGAME (really his ultimate role), but still brings on a familiar smile for most fans nonetheless the minute he appears on screen. Peter Hooten is made to look like the top Ranger, mutant skull-kicker here, although to be honest, he’s never really much done it for me the few times I’ve seen him in action. At least he’s a hell of a lot less infuriating than he was as the racist asshole in THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (1978). Hooten became a bit of a regular in these things though around this period (’78 to the late 80’s), popping up in a variety of lead roles in B tier Euro-action like Umberto Lenzi’s WARTIME (1987) and Ferdinando Baldi’s JUST A DAMNED SOLDIER (1988) following this. Always a blast to watch, both Harrison Muller and Hal “Al” Yamanouchi take top billing for me as the best of The Five respectively. Yamanouchi’s in usual form here, prowling about and flicking daggers into baddies quicker than a hiccup. After 2020, he’d go on to appear in giallo master Sergio Martino’s 2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983), ENDGAME, and Lucio Fulci’s ROME 2072 A.D. – THE NEW GLADIATORS (1983) all in the span of a year, with AFTER THE FALL unquestionably housing his finest post-nuclear hour. Muller would pop up in the genre a couple of times again too, with a small role in David Worth’s WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD (1983) (in which his Dad had a larger one) and teaming up along side Woody Strode in Romolo Guerrieri’s, THE FINAL EXECUTIONER (1984). Daniel Stephen is suitably slimy as Catch Dog. With a cocky sneer and brandishing a bizarre sounding laser gun that might be more suited to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, he makes it his mission to take out his former pals. Oddly enough, said elaborate ray gun would turn up again in Guerrieri’s THE FINAL EXECUTIONER and can even be seen in poster art for the film looking almost identical in the grip of Strode. Sabrina Siani is always nice to look at, but unfortunately as with many of the characters she plays, she’s underdeveloped and given little to do. Well…okay…other than looking pretty damn great while blasting away with a machine gun and exchanging absurdly philosophical dialogue with Cliver. Unintentionally hilarious stuff like Cliver coming out with, “A man who kills, must die”, to which Siani replies with “A man who kills a killer is a killer”, is all par for the course in the writing department here (but we love its quotable badness!). Keep an eye out as well for future demon and current L.A. independent film maker, Geretta Geretta (RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR ’83, DEMONS ’85), who appears in a few brief scenes as one of Catch Dog’s gang under the pseudonym Janna Ryann.
The number one show stealer here though is 100% most definitely the sensational Donal O’ Brien as Black One. Visibly physically slower, ANNO 2020 – I GLADIATORI DEL FUTURO marked O’Brien’s first return in front of the cameras since ZOMBI HOLOCAUST (1980) after a terrible accident in which he slipped and hit his head in the bathroom of a Paris hotel, inducing a coma for several days, causing him significant complications and recovery time. True to form though, O’Brien overcomes to chomp the scenery like nobody’s business! This may indeed be his most magnificently over-the-top performance of any film he’s done and although his character’s scowl wouldn’t show it, he’s undoubtedly having a great time with the part, bellowing lines like, “From now on you will work for us!” in true O’Brien fashion. It wasn’t the first time he had worked with Massaccesi either, also taking on roles in EMANUELLE AND THE LAST CANNIBALS (1977), TOUGH TO KILL (1978) and IMAGES IN A CONVENT (1979) previously, and later he’d return under the director again in QUEST FOR THE MIGHTY SWORD (1990) and RETURN FROM DEATH (1991) (aka. FRANKENSTEIN 2000). It wasn’t the only time Donal took on the role of evil Nazi types either, playing one similar part in Enzo Castellari’s THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS also. This is for certain the most enjoyable of the two performances though and O’Brien’s hammy, over exaggerated laughs are a total hoot!
As we are accustomed to, some of our fabled Italian cult directors like to recycle and part of the Carlo Maria Cordio score was also used in Massaccesi’s ANTROPOPHAGUS follow-up, ABSURD (1981) (or ANTROPOPHAGUS 2 and ROSSO SANGUE). There is also truth to the story of Massaccesi not having directed the entire picture, although he was behind the action sequences that fill a large portion of the running time. The rest of the credit, as mentioned, goes to Luigi Montefiori , usually better known as George Eastman, who went under the writing credit of Alex Carver and split the directorial credit as Kevin Mancuso. Regular folk wouldn’t have a fucking clue what I’m talking about right now.
2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS, or ANNO 2020 – I GLADIATORI DEL FUTURO (or ONE EYE FORCE as it’s insanely titled for some reason God only knows in Germany) is without a doubt one very fun and very out there flick from the filmography of Aristide Massaccesi and the eighties certainly was a decade laying claim to some of his wildest output. I was fortunate enough to see this via a beautiful Japanese VHS of the film on the Tohokushinsha label courtesy of a wonderful gift from my friend and fellow writer, Paul Cooke. It’s much sharper picture quality than my other tape on the Media Home Entertainment label and features all of the violence that the Media release is missing (primarily the opening crucifixion/rape church sequence, which is way more complete). It’s a full screen transfer, but from what I’ve gathered, this was never seen letterboxed anyway. If you dig 2020, I definitely recommend an evening with ENDGAME – BRONX LOTTA FINALE as it’s considered one of Massaccesi’s best films (even he himself stated it was his favorite of them all), stars Al Cliver, George Eastman and Emanuelle herself, Laura Gemser and features some of the same locations. If you’re reading this though, I’m sure you already knew that.
Why the hell haven’t these received proper Region 1 DVD treatment?! D’AMATO
2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS
Post-nuke lunacy directed by the notoriously fabulous Aristide Massaccesi with spaghetti western aspirations? The Big Ape himself, genre stalwart George Eastman lurking behind Massaccesi’s chair under a shared ‘Kevin Mancuso’ pseudonym? What more could a lover of the divinely insane ask for?! Upon the release and success of Mel Gibson’s second Mad Max vehicle, THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981), as usual with most formulas leading to a big pay day, those loveable, work horse Italians jumped on the bandwagon and then flipped the damn thing over. Italian fringe directors always added their own quirky charm and taste for the exploitive to any film venture proving to be fruitful elsewhere, and with the prolific Massaccesi at the helm you could guarantee a healthy smattering of sleaze. Veteran Eurotrash seekers know that with a cast and crew like this, and even just based on that title alone, we’re in for a whacked out good time!
some pussy to chase. He soon finds it in the form of Italian action nymph favorite, Sabrina Siani (WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN ’80, THE SWORD OF THE BARBARIANS ’82) and it isn’t long before he’s practically drowning her in a puddle of his own sweat and drool. Hearing her cries, Nisus intervenes and forces Catch Dog off of her. Halakron, Jab and Red Wolfe soon investigate and Catch Dog finds himself in hot water and banished from the group entirely (“You broke your vow. You’re no longer one of us. You’re an outcast!). No raping women if you wanna be a Ranger! The young blonde woman thanks Nisus and introduces herself as Maida and sure enough, post-nuke sparks start flying as Cliver gawks at her like a puppy. Holy flash forward however, as our next scene informs us that since this incident, Nisus and Maida have apparently married, had a little girl (Isabella Rochietta), and now he’s traded in his ammo and leathers for overalls and work at some kind of natural gas refinery. I guess Catch Dog never could get over what happened though, as he and several other mutants and dirt bike bandits converge outside of the plant, obviously with ill-intent. Not only that, but he’s made a new business arrangement with the dreaded Black One (Donal O’Brien) – a Hitler-like maniac hell bent on all forms of domination. It’s good to know though that the factory workers also have much artillery on hand for such occasions and as sirens alert them, they prepare for battle. Hopefully pay isn’t docked for these kinds of breaks.
Some of the Italian Post-Apocalypse regulars that appear here of course make 2020 all the more fun. Al Cliver (just shy of taking the lead role in the aforementioned second Massaccesi entry, ENDGAME) is not quite as aggressive and bad ass as he was in previous and subsequent flicks, such as ZOMBI 2 (1979) and ENDGAME (really his ultimate role), but still brings on a familiar smile for most fans nonetheless the minute he appears on screen. Peter Hooten is made to look like the top Ranger, mutant skull-kicker here, although to be honest, he’s never really much done it for me the few times I’ve seen him in action. At least he’s a hell of a lot less infuriating than he was as the racist asshole in THE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (1978). Hooten became a bit of a regular in these things though around this period (’78 to the late 80’s), popping up in a variety of lead roles in B tier Euro-action like Umberto Lenzi’s WARTIME (1987) and Ferdinando Baldi’s JUST A DAMNED SOLDIER (1988) following this. Always a blast to watch, both Harrison Muller and Hal “Al” Yamanouchi take top billing for me as the best of The Five respectively. Yamanouchi’s in usual form here, prowling about and flicking daggers into baddies quicker than a hiccup. After 2020, he’d go on to appear in giallo master Sergio Martino’s 2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983), ENDGAME, and Lucio Fulci’s ROME 2072 A.D. – THE NEW GLADIATORS (1983) all in the span of a year, with AFTER THE FALL unquestionably housing his finest post-nuclear hour. Muller would pop up in the genre a couple of times again too, with a small role in David Worth’s WARRIOR OF THE LOST WORLD (1983) (in which his Dad had a larger one) and teaming up along side Woody Strode in Romolo Guerrieri’s, THE FINAL EXECUTIONER (1984). Daniel Stephen is suitably slimy as Catch Dog. With a cocky sneer and brandishing a bizarre sounding laser gun that might be more suited to BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, he makes it his mission to take out his former pals. Oddly enough, said elaborate ray gun would turn up again in Guerrieri’s THE FINAL EXECUTIONER and can even be seen in poster art for the film looking almost identical in the grip of Strode. Sabrina Siani is always nice to look at, but unfortunately as with many of the characters she plays, she’s underdeveloped and given little to do. Well…okay…other than looking pretty damn great while blasting away with a machine gun and exchanging absurdly philosophical dialogue with Cliver. Unintentionally hilarious stuff like Cliver coming out with, “A man who kills, must die”, to which Siani replies with “A man who kills a killer is a killer”, is all par for the course in the writing department here (but we love its quotable badness!). Keep an eye out as well for future demon and current L.A. independent film maker, Geretta Geretta (RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR ’83, DEMONS ’85), who appears in a few brief scenes as one of Catch Dog’s gang under the pseudonym Janna Ryann.
As we are accustomed to, some of our fabled Italian cult directors like to recycle and part of the Carlo Maria Cordio score was also used in Massaccesi’s ANTROPOPHAGUS follow-up, ABSURD (1981) (or ANTROPOPHAGUS 2 and ROSSO SANGUE). There is also truth to the story of Massaccesi not having directed the entire picture, although he was behind the action sequences that fill a large portion of the running time. The rest of the credit, as mentioned, goes to Luigi Montefiori , usually better known as George Eastman, who went under the writing credit of Alex Carver and split the directorial credit as Kevin Mancuso. Regular folk wouldn’t have a fucking clue what I’m talking about right now.
