Der Tag des Söldners

A group of drug-runners try to enlist the help of ex-mercenary Rolf, who passes on the job since drugs aren't his thing (in a flashback, we learn how his prostitute mother died of a heroin overdose). Not entirely happy with Rolf's decision, the gang beat him up and leave him for dead. Our tough hero is nursed back to health by his girlfriend Joanna, and then seeks revenge by stealing the drug runners' shipment of cocaine, peeing on it in disgust before hurling it out of a plane. In retaliation, the gang brutally rape and murder Joanna, leaving Rolf no choice but to pick up a gun once again and kick some bad guy ass.

Rolf! Who the heck thought that Rolf was a great name for a tough mercenary? Writer/director Mario Siciliano, that's who. He's the genius behind this lame action flick that I can only see appealing to fans of the truly awful.

In order to not waste too much time in reviewing this movie, I'm going to sum up the flick Joe Bob Brigg's style:

We're talking unconvincing shoot-outs, wooden acting and diabolical dialogue. One leech attack. One gang rape. One pair of breasts. Several native children thrown into the air for target practise. One pint of blood (the result of a wooden spike booby trap). Tipper truck-fu. One terrible theme song. No heads roll.

BA_Harrison says check it out only to appreciate how bad it is.

N.B. To make matters worse, the version I saw (on a popular subscription streaming site) was of terrible quality, and at one point reverted to Italian language, before playing the same scene again in English.

Rolf is mercenary haunted by his past.His depraved buddy offers him a deal which can't be accepted.After throwing out the bag of cocaine from the plane Rolf is stalked by other mercenaries.His girlfriend is gang-raped and murdered.It's time for Rolf to get bloody revenge...Mario Siciliano's "Rolf" is one of the ugliest and most exploitative mercenary flicks of early 80's.It's filled with depraved violence,gang-rape,torture and strong racist overtones.The soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi is wonderfully cheesy as it contains fabulous song "Rolf! You burned out the love inside!".The scene where the baddest mercenary shoots black children who being thrown through the air as the target practice has to be seen to be believed.8 killed mercenaries out of 10.Pure Italian cult filth!

This cheap and obscure Italian exploitation effort actually stood on my must-see list, and even quite high, I may add. That probably was because I read something about an infamous and ultimately sadist sequence in which a troop of mercenaries use innocent children as target practice. The scene does exist, as part of a flashback, and the idea is definitely sick and twisted, but - as with everything else in this dud - the execution isn't the least bit shocking or unsettling.

As far as shameless and excessively violent "rumble-in-the-jungle" exploitation goes, our Italians friends made far more entertaining movies, like "Blastfighter", "Strike Commando", "War Bus" and "Striker". All the aforementioned are also bad movies, mind you, but at least they are fun to watch. "Rolf" - what a terrible name for an action hero, by the way - is dull, poorly acted, horribly edited and full of dreadful clichés. Apart from a pathetic name, Rolf also has zero charisma. Poor Rolf only has a lousy childhood trauma (mommy was a heroin prostitute) and a derivative story to tell. When he refuses to transport drugs for his former mercenary buddies, they respond by gang-raping and murdering his fiancée. He strikes back by ambushing and killing them; - end of summary.