Fuga dal Bronx

This is one of the most entertaining flicks I've seen in a long time. If the cool explosions, slow motion, pyrotechnics, music, and funny dialogue don't satisfy you, then I don't know what will. More deaths than a Verhoeven flick, more slow motion than a John Woo flick, what more could you want? Does not retain the same atmosphere that 1990 THE BRONX WARRIORS had, but is almost never boring. I'm not giving anything away, but watch for the great scene when three rebels are gunned down fleeing a man rigged with a bomb. I've seen the movie a dozen times and it still tickles me!

(1983) Escape 2000/ Escape From the Bronx/ Fuga dal Bronx DUBBED SCIENCE FICTION ACTION THRILLER

A dystopian movie cross between "Escape In New York" and "The Warriors" with Italian financing depicting the Bronx as a slums area with the mayors and representatives attempting to kill it's citizens off as opposed to re-locating. Co-written and directed by Enzo G. Castellari with Trash (Mark Gregory) on the run while he and others are being pursued by Floyd Wrangler (Henry Silva) and his extermination Disinfestors squad for the purpose of rebuilding the environment. Ordered by the President to eliminate anyone who is infected. Forgettable but very watchable.

My review was written in January 1985 after a screening at Cine 42 on Manhattan's 42nd St.

"Escape from the Bronx" is a thinly plotted followup by the same Italian filmmakers who made one of Vic Morrow's last features, "1990: The Bronx Warriors". Prospects are quite limited at the nation's action houses.

Mark Gregory returns, circa the year 2000, as Trash, one of the survivors of gang warfare in the sci-fi extrapolation of New York City's problems. Story, heavily indebted to John Carpenter's "Escape from New York", has the General Construction Corp. Hiring Wangler (Henry Silva) to exterminate the residents of the Bronx, while manipulating the press and public into believing that the populace is being relocated to new housing in New Mexico. Scheme is to raze the Bronx and build luxury housing there.

A crusading reporter, Moon (Valeria D'Obici, star of Ettore Scola's "Passione D'Amore") tries to help the Bronx denizens, coming up with the idea of kidnapping G. C. Corp.'s president as a bargaining chip. Master thief Strike (Timothe Brent) is recruited to pull off the caper, but the dull second half of the picture consists largely of nihilistic shootouts in place of plot twists.

Director Enzo G. Castellari's action style is overly heavy on slow motion balletics in place of the exciting chases which made "The Road Warrior" and latterly "The Terminator" hits in this genre. Cast, including a cute son to help out Strike, is merely functional, but pic is aided by acceptable post-synching of English-articulated dialog.

Back in the 80s, several producers in Italy decided to copy whatever was popular in the rest of the world and create some low-tech, low-budget, and low-expectation knockoffs. This is one of those films with a title, plot and characters that have counterparts in "Escape From New York". But overall, its kinda cool.

Mark Gregory returns as Trash who is living the smooth life of being a thung in the slums. But the evil General Construction Corporation have decided that the Bronx needs to rebuilt and decide to save money and time by simply killing everyone who didn't take them up on their offer to move to New Mexico(what's so bad about moving to New Mexico anyway?). The GCC hires an expelled prison warden who loves death(played by Rat Packer Henry Silva) to lead a bunch of "disinfesters" who are guys in silver jumpsuits & bike helmets that carry semi-auotmatics and a bunch of astronauts with flame throwers. Trash is their target and they pursue him and his friends on a long chase sequence under the Bronx.

Worth checking out in its original form or the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version.

Who was honored at a special "psychotronic" screening at the

Paris cinematheque. This one came second after a fairly decent

war movie. During Q&A, Castellari did not hide the fact that, for the

first movie, Mark Gregory was hired in a Gym in Roma, for his

physique more than his non-existent acting skills, which he proved

in several movies. Castellari stressed the fact that he was

disappointed with Gregory in this one, since he had lost a lot of

muscular weight (maybe that's why he never looses his jacket ?

And no closes-up, hiding his non-existent acting skills) Anyhoo, it

never was an actor to begin with, that is obvious. Anybody knows

what became of him ? (Castellari is a pretty nice and jovial man,

BTW, very open and straightforward during Q&A) I still think this sequel is better than the original, for what it's worth.

Both had huge releases in Europe, with impressive posters, and

made good money. Now, you have the same with 50 mil budgets,

a few MTV stars and special effects galore… Go figure !