Die Killermaschine

A profesional hit-man has started a new life as a track driver in Spain. In a travel to France, carrying oranges, escorted by his lovely wife, he will run into a lot of problems, because of the local mafia that is trying to control the market of fruits. He will try to stay away from trouble, but his beloved wife, by mistake, will find a horrible death, trapped inside the truck, when They will put fire in it. After this, he is simply forced to return back to his old ways, find through his old contacts all the guns and information that he needs and then kill each and everyone of the bad guys. Simple film, with ordinary plot and flat characters, for entertainment without any expectations. For those who like this kind, not so bad for rent and see in the video.

A masterpiece of Spanish cinema, Goma 2 is a beautiful revenge story in which an ex-ETA member who has no problem calling themselves "the Spanish" and who is marked by ETA, decides to take revenge on the mafia farmers after the death of his wife (Ana Obregón, who provides a formidable performance) in an attack in Roussillon (Very in the ETA style) and the inaction of the Spanish authorities who supposedly control the protagonist as part of his amnesty pave the way for explosive revenge in on the other side of the Pyrenees.

Without forgetting Lee Van Cleef as villain in command and lawyer for the bad guys, making this piece of art one of the best samples of Spanish cinema.

Apart from special mention is the fact that the ETA members have a file with their members in Spanish, only in Spanish.

Watching this film Killing Machine Americans Margaux Hemingway, Richard Jaeckel and Willie Aames looked so jarringly out of place among the Spaniards and other European types in this Spanish produced film, you have to figure that they did this one for the paycheck and the European trip. Hope the checks cleared for them.

Jorge Rivero of the Mexican cinema and best know to American audiences as Pierre Cardona from the John Wayne western Rio Lobo is our protagonist. A former terrorist he's settled down to the simple life of a truckdriver in Spain. He has a California kid brother-in-law in Willie Aames and a pregnant wife in Ana Obregon. Rivero gets involved in a dispute between Spanish and French truck farmers and his wife is killed. After that he's a Killing Machine and he sure has the expertise.

Lee Van Cleef is the organized crime figure head of the union. He never looks out of place because he's the same smirking, sardonic Van Cleef we know from a gazillion American and spaghetti westerns. He knows it's a turkey, but gobble he doesn't.

I doubt the film will get the restoration it needs. The sound is terrible, the acting is phoned in performances, and the direction most pedantic. Sounds like these truck farmers were peddling some spoiled fruit.

This minor Euro-actioner was released in the greedy 80's on Sybil Dannings' Adventure Video label in those great big old cereal box video cases. Although this was made quickly and cheaply, and before it becomes a standard revenge action melodrama, this is a fairly absorbing drama as Jorge Rivero seeks revenge against Lee Van Cleef after his cohorts cause a disruption during some labor wars which results in the death of his wife (the lovely Ana Orbregon). These international films are always amusing alone just for the eclectic cast members. Somehow Willie Aames (who collected more than a few cheques in Grade Z Euro-Trash after "Eight is Enough" was cancelled) is Ana's BROTHER. Plus, Rivero gets some assistance from doomed starlet Margaux Hemingway against the diabolical Julot. There is nothing special in the acting or (certainly) directing department (check out the sloppily-edited car explosion sequence), but it does get a few shots in the arm with some scenes of our main man, Lee Van Cleef. Before he goes into court over some misdealings perpetrated by his henchman (Richard Jaeckel!), in his typically dry-voiced demanour and eagle-eyed glance, he says, "You guys are getting too public. I don't like it." You know he means business.

"Goma-2", or "Killing Machine" to make it sound a little more international, is an early 80s action/exploitation movie from Spain that is almost completely forgotten, but unjustly so! If you don't set your expectations too high, this actually is a very entertaining and exhilarating macho-flick with a solid B-movie cast, plenty of fires and explosions, nasty bare-knuckle fighting sequences, feisty music, and utmost evil bad guys you'll love to hate.

Former cult icon and hunk from Mexico Jorge Rivero stars as Txema; ex-member and plastic explosives' specialist of a feared terrorist organization, but nowadays peacefully settled down as an international truck driver and happily married with Eliza. When transporting fresh apples from Spain to Germany, he bumps into an angry French mob that wants to destroy his cargo. I can't really figure out who they are, though. I assume they are the local fruit and vegetables mafia, and want to protect the French economy? Either way, the bosses of this "mafia" are pure evil, especially the head patron played by the one and only Lee Van Cleef. The legendary actor played a lot of unsympathetic roles in his career, but Julot from "Goma-2" earns a spot in the most hateful top three!

Julot's minions set fire to the truck with Txema's pregnant wife still inside, and he watches her burning to death. This is - and I'm sorry to say so - a good thing for the movie, though, as the woman who plays Eliza is a terrible actress. When Julot also humiliates Txema in court and treats him and his brother-in-law to another serious beating, it's time for our angry trucker to polish up his old terrorist skills!

"Goma-2" may not be refined or artful Spanish cinema, but it surely entertains massively. There's never one dull moment, and there's even suspense and a little bit of genuine drama. My sole regret is that Txema wasn't an expert in knives or torturing techniques during his time at the terrorist organization. Explosions are cool, but the bad guys' deaths nearly aren't painful enough compared to the agony they caused.