Les Guerriers du Bronx

Forget "Terminator 2", forget "Jaws" or "The Matrix" or any of those groundbreaking yet utterly predictable movies. What I am reviewing here is simply one (the other being its sequel) of the most fantastic works of art ever committed to celluloid, a movie of such vision and imagery as to haunt anyone who sees it for the rest of their lives. This is a movie that, if you just happen watch it on tv as a child you will be asking people 15 years later what it was and it will become so dear to your heart you'll have owned a copy in every conceivable format. VHS, CED, LD, VCD, DVD, Phase 4 Plasma crystal...well, in the future. If you see it as a teenager it will leave its mark on you and you might actually refuse to see it again because you will not want your fond memories of this movie wrecked, but I assure you, its magic and power will last a lifetime. One day, when you're no longer young, you will look back at this movie and remember what it was like to really feel alive. The main couple will be young forever on film, forever kissing as if each time was the first time. Young forever will remain the heroes.

And this I appreciate about it: finally a movie with teen heroes who actually are teenagers, not 30 year-old Eric Stoltz-types. Our hero was only 17 when he was picked to play the youthful leader of a motorcycle gang.

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1983)

The year is 1990. The place is the Bronx. In an alternate reality where crime has supposedly risen to such impossible heights that the police no longer attempt to enforce the law in the Bronx, Trash and his gang of Riders fight a corrupt corporation's efforts to destroy gang rule in the Bronx.

By 1990 most of the Bronx was owned by the evil Manhattan Corporation. This unscrupulous organisation was bent on dominating and owning the entire Bronx for the financial gains. They used of force to move people out of their homes. Naturally they needed the government out of their way so they exaggerated the Bronx's crime rate to get the government to give up on enforcing the law and left it up to the Manhattan Corporation to rule the place. However there was a flaw in the plan.

The Bronx may belong to the M.C. on paper but it really belonged to street gangs. In an environment where only the strong will survive, the many gather together to become stronger. Tribes are formed and together they protect their property and take justice into their own hands. And ruling over all is The Ogre.

Yes, that would be Fred Williamson! In the year when this was made it was already considered hyper-cool to have Fred Williamson in a movie. And he is here, yet another reason why this movie is AWESOME! As the Ogre, Williamson totally runs the show and steals every scene that he is in. We can see why other gangs fear him. His mere image imposes respect. He is regarded as a king, as THE King of the Bronx by everyone, friend or foe...only his foes don't get to live long, dig?

It's in this lawless world that we meet 17 year-old Trash. This young men is way wise beyond his years. He has the beauty of youth and his eyes reflect the wisdom of ages. Even older members of his gang respect him as their undisputed leader. And they look to him for answers when members of various gangs start showing up dead.

Enter Ann. She runs into the Hell we call The Bronx, runs straight into Trash's arms. Who is this troubled young woman? Who or what is she running away from? This girl shows up out of nowhere, purposedly trying to enter the Bronx and is attacked by members of a gang named "The Zombies". The Zombies rollerskate around in white hockey gear with large epaulets and they tease Ann before closing in for the kill. She is rescued by Trash and she is eternally grateful to him.

The climate in the Bronx is tense. Although most gangs can share the Bronx as long as no one enters the other's turf, all hell can break loose at any moment. Hell..that's what this place is. Hell.

As two members of Trash's gang are making out in the stairs of a building, a lone mailman makes his way up the steps. He is carrying a long parcel. As he makes his way through the ruined building, one of Trash's men threatens the postman. But, there is something fishy here. The postman turns and dispatches the Rider with shots from a rifle he was concealing in the package. Why, IT'S VIC MORROW!!!

VIC MORROW!! One great underrated american actor! Here he plays a great villain, a mercenary working for the Manhattan Corporation. His name is Hammer. He believes in nothing, he will stop at nothing. His only loyalties are to himself. As Hammer, Vic is what Tom Atkins usually tries to be, but only Morrow can be Morrow. A dedicated character actor, Morrow was killed in California, while filming TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE. I remember the very day, July 23, 1982. Morrow is an interesting casting choice because he truly was a Bronx native. He had been playing heavies since 1955's "Blackboard Jungle", an early JD flick, alongside Sidney Poitier, so by this time he had elevated it into an artform in itself! This was his next to last movie. Before that he had also been in a different italian film with James Franciscus named L'ULTIMO SQUALO. His character's last name in that movie was also Hammer, if I remember correctly.

So now I have explained the plot elements and I will not spoil anything else about this fantastic action-horror movie. The stage is set for the ride of your life in this NON-STOP movie where every minute something new happens. Boy, was I surprised to see BIG APE HIMSELF, Mr. George Eastman as Golan, the leader of the Zombies! He has a great little fight scene with someone in the cast...and I really don't want to spoil anything but it is one of my favourite scenes. The Ogre has a henchowoman named "Witch" who is anything but, unless it's meant to say she's enchanting! Like a superheroine from a Marvel comic book (Not DC....they'd never get it right), Witch is a leather clad kitten with a deadly whip! Trash's right hand man, Ice, looked like a young Steve Jobs. ;-) But everything in this movie is so crazy and hypnotic! The costumes of the different gangs, the ruins of the Bronx...this movie plays like a modern-day fantasy-quest!

The acting is a little uneven but this is to be expected in a international co-production where actors speak different languages and have their lines dubbed in afterwards. Mark Gregory as Trash is simply incredible. In more than one touching scenes he actually cries! The tough exteriour is briefly removed so we can get a glimpse of the real man inside.

Ann is played by Stefania Girolami, daughter of actor Ennio Girolami who is also here as the President of the Manhattan Corporation. Director Enzo Castellari has his usual cameo, in this case as the Vice-President.

This is a movie that is incredible, and its sequel was even better!

1990 i guerrieri del Bronx Also Known As: 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1983)

********** Ten stars out of a possible Five!

LEAVE THE BRONX!

Italian post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi filled with chills , noisy action and spectacular scenes in slow-moving . Agreeable fun'n'funky science-fiction/action romp packing kinetic action , thrills, intrigue , shocks and lots of blood and violence . The movie likely satisfy action enthusiasts and Italian Sci-Fi fonds , concerning a wealthy young woman into this wasteland of motorcycle becomes a hostage in the most dangerous place on Earth . It's 1990 and the Bronx's New York society breaks down into two sides which has become a battleground for several murderous street bands , marauding delinquents , and degenerate slums trash . The authorities give up all attempts to restore law and order. From then on , the area is ruled by the Riders . In this future , crime is out of control and the Bronx turned into an inhabitable location and finds itself under siege by violent gangs with rare weapons fighting each other . Meanwhile , a girl named Young Ann (Estefania Girolami , daughter of director Enzo) runs away from her Manhattan boarding school being attacked by a gang of street hockey players wielding hockey sticks but then they are themselves surrounded . There appears a much tougher-looking gang , the Bronx Warriors led by Trash to take care of her , they'll have to fight against cutthroats , gangs of depraved crazies thirsty for blood and survive some battles to-the-death with lots of blood and gore . On the other side of the bridge , Samuel Fisher (Ennio Girolami) and the Vice president (Enzo G Castel) of a powerful company hire a ruthless mercenary (Vic Morrow) , he is assigned a dangerous mission : to infiltrate the Bronx and find the missing girl . As a corrupt father sends a violent agent to bring her back at all cost . In the middle of this chaos and at the end the motley group embarks a spectacular rescue against vicious murderous . The first to die were the lucky ones! Who will survive when no one deserves to live? A Heavy Metal Journey Into An Urban . Hell Where Everything Has Gone Wrong! .The lucky ones were the first to die! Now only the deadliest man alive can save him . Breaking out is impossible. Breaking in is insane. Once You go In, You don't Come Out... Until Today.

This film is a comic-book plenty of action , fun , adventures , thriller and surprise-filled entertainment . Adequate plethora of characters with average performances by its entire main and support cast . Spectacular stunt-work plenty of motorcycles running and leaping , crashes and violent fights including stabbing , throating-slit , slashing and blowing-up . Nice costuming and evocative production design in which the Brox has officially been declared a "No Man's Land" devoid of any law , there live several urban tribes , with weird costumes , as Trash's riders and strange guys dressed in fiberglass safety gear are on roller skates and others in plastic dresses practicing coreographic movements . Lousily starred by Mark Gregory as the tough and valiant renegade Trash , leader of the two-fisted Riders . Fine plethora of secondaries with familiar faces for its entire support cast cast . The enjoyable American actor Vic Morrow , in his last one , in fact this was Vic Morrow's last completed film before his unfortunate on-set death while filming Twilight zone by Steven Spielberg , the prolific B-actor Fred Williamson ¨The Hammer¨ playing The Ogre , and the early deceased Christopher Connelly . And other ordinary secondaries from Italian B series such as : George Eastman , director himself Enzo G. Castellari , his brother Ennio Girolami , Joshua Sinclair , Massimo Vanni , some of them played lots of Spaghetti , Peplum , Giallo and customary genres of the 60s and 70s . Screeching and anti-climatic musical score by Walter Ritz as well as functional musical score by Sergio Salvati . The picture is a rip-off , taking parts here and there from¨The Warriors¨ by Walter Hill , ¨Mad Max¨series , and ¨1997 escape from New York¨ by John Carpenter that was also followed by an inferior sequel : ¨Escape from L.A.¨.

The picture was professionally directed by the prolific filmmaker Enzo G Castellari . And had a sequel : "Escape from the Bronx" aka "Escape 2000" aka "Bronx Warriors 2" . Talented and versatile writer/director Enzo G Castellari has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as horror , Giallo , comedy , Western , and science fiction in a career that spans over 40 years . He made especially Westerns as ¨ Johnny Hamlet , Kill them everybody and came back alone, Seven Winchester for a massacre, Cipolla colt¨ and the masterpiece : ¨Keoma¨ . He also directed successful wartime movies as ¨Inglorious bastards ¨ , ¨Eagles over London¨ , Adventures : ¨Tuareg¨, ¨Adventures and loves of Scaramouche¨ , Simbad¨, "The Shark Hunter" , Poliziotteschi : "Day of the Cobra" , ¨Striker¨, ¨Heroin Busters¨ and Sci-Fi : ¨1990 : Bronx warriors¨ , "The New Barbarians : Warriors of the Wasteland" , "Escape from the Bronx" . This is a passable Sci-Fi movie, it is an imaginative Sci-Fi picture in which the camera stalks in moving style throughout a story with agreeable visual skills . This is a bewildering story , funny in some moment but falls flat and it will appeal to Science Fiction and Italian exploitation fans .

I'd be lying if I said 1990: The Bronx Warriors was a good movie, because its not. In fact, the rating I've given it is probably too high. But there's a certain amount of fun to be had with the movie. It's one part Jack Hill's The Warriors, one part John Carpenter's Escape from New York, a sprinkling of the Hell's Angels, a dash of bizarre costume design, and just a pinch of homo-eroticism all covered in Italian cheese. 1990: The Bronx Warriors unashamedly rips-off just about everything. I'm not sure what it is about the movie I like, but I found myself oddly enjoying much of it. Maybe it's the overacting, scene-chewing Vic Marrow, maybe it's the bad-ass Fred Williamson, or maybe it's the bizarre set-pieces like the one featuring the song-and-dance street gang. Whatever "it" is, 1990: The Bronx Warriors has "it".

Even though I had fun with the movie, there are too many problems and weaknesses to just ignore them. Beyond the less than original screenplay, the movie has other problems. Chief among them is the "acting" on the part of the male and female leads. Actually, I'm not sure "acting" is the right word for what these two were doing. They're as stiff as boards. The scenes of the pair in an emotional moment are all but laugh out loud funny. Other weaknesses include ridiculously large plot holes, bad fight choreography, and unnatural dialogue. But if you're able to look past these shortcomings, 1990: The Bronx Warriors can be fun.

I have watched the sequel to this film before, but this is the first time seeing this one and I have to say it is a better film. Basically, it is kind of a combination of Warriors and Escape From New York brought to us by Italy who likes to take something that is popular here and make it their own. Usually the film is not the best film ever made, but it can oftentimes turn out to be rather entertaining and that is the case with this one. It has some good action and a so over the top plot that it is at times rather funny too.

The story, Trash and his gang find a girl being harassed by a gang on roller skates called the Zombies! Why they are called the Zombies and not the Wheelies is anybody's guess. This girl is actually supposed to be the head of some major weapons company, which is honestly rather stupid and just a strange excuse to bring in the Hammer! Vic Morrow plays the bad guy and does so with his usual gusto making the film more entertaining than it should be. Trash must find the Ogre who is king of Bronx, but there is much treachery afoot and the flamethrowers are a coming!

Fred Williamson plays the Ogre and the amount of times he appears in films in Italy leads me to believe the man really enjoy the country. I heard he once asked to be in a film, the one with the guy and a talking motorcycle and they agreed to put him in it. I am betting he was going to have to go home otherwise! Vic Morrow also appears in a lot of these Italian films too and I bet the same applies to him.

So, this film has lots of mindless violence and lots of weird stuff going on and so it is not a good film, but fun to watch nonetheless. It is kind of like a Full Moon film with these Italian films that copy the famous films, they are usually short and may not be great, but always generally fun and once in a while you get a diamond in the rough. This one manages to entertain and also can make you laugh and make you wonder. Like, why didn't Vic Morrow simply move out of the way of the harpoon as he had all day to do so.

I just finished watching this movie tonight,( I saw the complete version). I thought it was actually pretty good, it reminded me a lot of the movie "The warriors by Walter Hill", but even though it reminded me of that movie, because of all the gangs and violence, I must say it didn't rip it off. It was original in it's own. The main character seemed straight out of a comic book. I must admit that the movie flows really nicely it goes fast. The music is nice. And the ending isn't predictable. I recommend it.