I nuovi barbari

This is a crash-budget spaghetti-western (with open references to films by Sergio Leone) disguised as a post-apocalyptic action film ala "Mad Max" or "Escape From New York". Apparently the whole world has been reduced to gravel-pits, because the whole film takes place in one after another of these - a sure sign the budget allowed for zero set design. There's no point in trying to pretend it's a good film.

However, I should note that there is some good in it; whether enough to warrant a viewing is debatable - let the buyer beware.

First and foremost is that the director, having decided he was going to make an action film using only funds and resources he had at hand, has done a rather remarkable job of keeping up traditional action-film pacing throughout the film. This is largely thanks to camera angles and editing. We get rapid intercuts between close-ups of struggling hands, full-shots of bodies blowing apart, long shots of an over-all battle area - with very little excessive flashiness masquerading as 'art'. These guys intend to sell some tickets, period (and, at the time of 1st release, were actually successful at it). These film-makers either know what they're doing or are really trying to learn what to do (more likely). They certainly deserve points for effort.

Although the characters are all one-dimensional, the actors manage to flesh them out somewhat, even Fred Williamson. And the cars are silly and kind of fun in a dumb way. But it's really the pacing that saves the film.

Hey, it's late at night, you had to work over-time, you're over-tired, you wanna crash with a cold drink and numb out before a forgettable action picture - well, this could be the one.

In the future year 2019, the nuclear holocaust is over. What's left are bands of roaming gangs in a desert wasteland. "Warriors of the Wasteland" is one of many low-budget Italian Mad Max knockoff films and is pretty decent one from solid journeyman director in Enzo G. Castellari and the always cool Fred Williamson. The story, such as it is, involves and evil group of white robed baddies known as "The Templars" who raid peaceful wastelander villages and want to rid the earth of it's survivors, so it's up to our hero Giancarlo Prete as Scorpion and Fred Williamson as Nadir to save the world from the evil Templars. George Eastman makes a good snarling villain and there is also a nicely funky score by Claudio Simonetti of Gobin fame. It's also hard to resist the Williamson's exploding arrows, especially when he makes a head shot, or one villain's car that deploys a deadly spinning blade to decapitate his hapless victims. It's this sort of ridiculousness that I found so enjoyable and realized this film was probably one of the more direct influences on the more recent post-apocalyptic cheese fest homage that was "Turbo Kid: Chronicles of the Wasteland." Overall, "Warriors of the Wasteland" is is not a good movie by any measure in the conventional sense, but if you're a fan of these sorts of low-budget post-apocalyptic type of films, then this one is one of the better Italian entries into this disreputable subgenera.

Pulling cinematic threads together I Nuovi Barbari saw a second life when it's model city sets were reused in Lucio Fulci's Guerrieri dell'anno 2072 (The New Gladiators). I could be wrong and an Italian man could have gleaned a lot of work building cardboard cities for all those 80's Italian post-apocalypse films. Regardless, the opening credits let us know the world came to an end due to a meteor or some stagehand's forgotten cigarette crashing into a cardboard city. After this we have to deal with another of Max Rockatansky's cousins that suffers a few mental setbacks. Scorpion drives around in his mock up V-8 Interceptor with a big glowing bubble dome in the roof, superfluous tubes, and hood mounted chrome skull. Scorpion's enemies are a smorgasbord of peeved caddies that roll across the wasteland in their super-modified golf carts complete with slicers, dicers, disintegrators, spears, donkey molesters, and other implements of golfing terror and destruction. The terrified victims of these rampaging carts are hard pressed not to completely outrun these lumbering carts of woe and despair. Laden as they are with donkey molesters, flame throwers, tin foil, and extra passengers these vehicles of the brave new wasteland top out and redline around 2 MPH. Apparently all the survivors of the wasteland made fun of the golf carts because One (George Eastman), the leader of the post-apocalyptic rugged caddies that call themselves the Templars wants to kill everybody in the wasteland. Scorpion (Giancarlo Prete) being the yin to One's yang only wants to kill a select few people, mostly ones that ride around on golf carts causing trouble. One (Eastman) establishes himself as the true entity of evil early on by effortlessly ripping (or rather breaking) a bible in half in a rather comical display of strength. Giovanni Frezza makes an appearance as the young mechanic and you may very well recognize him from Bava's Demons 2 or Fulci's House by the Cemetery. Giovanni gives another stellar performance as he freely transforms from his diminutive figure to a strapping, full-grown stuntman in a blond wig when convenient.

Warriors of the Wasteland is a study in one take magic as it becomes painfully obvious that many special effects were botched and just left in, no retakes allowed. Most painfully obvious is a fleeing citizen almost, but not quite, (botched special effect!!??!?!) decapitated by a golf cart donkey molester. The head kind falls over staying connected and the body just slumps over, although it twitches effectively. Anybody can tell this should have been shot over but either the budget didn't allow or Enzo G. Castellari (the director) just didn't care. Another effect has a golf cart shaft spear a man's rump, this may have been intentional as Scorpion receives a similar fate later on with a different kind of spear. Regardless, the effect is particularly lackluster. At this point things are bleak and we haven't even gotten to Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson showing up. In a departure from ripping off Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, I Nuovi Barbari steals from Rambo II and has Johnny Rambo appear, only Sylvester Stallone has morphed into Fred Williamson for so reason, go figure. Nadir (Williamson) decapitates his share of helmeted cart riders with his explosive bow and arrow combination. Add into the mix Scorpion's love interest and you have your fab four fighting the white clad Templars of destruction and their menacing go-go golf carts of pandemonium.

Look for wooden acting, flat action, and gratuitous use of metal beer kegs placed inconveniently as obstacles to be rammed by vehicles or have actors fly through. Even at its worst I Nuovi Barbari is a superior work to later American counterparts that involve either lots of water or a guy delivering post apocalyptic parcels made by a certain guy that waltzes with lupines.

As far as post-apocalypse Italian cinema goes, Warriors of the Wasteland is just dull. None of the characters are nearly quirky enough to entertain, they're just bleak, bland characters not nearly archetypal enough to empathize with. The fact that Scorpion's mock muscle car is up against nitro-charged golf carts makes for rather dull chase scenes. By comparison Escape from the Bronx had tightly choreographed action scenes that set your adrenaline pumping. Escape from the Bronx was made two years after this so Enzo may have had time to sharpen up his directorial skills. However 1990: I guerrieri del Bronx (Bronx Warriors 1990) was made the same year as Warriors of the Wasteland and is leaps and bounds better than I Nuovi Barbari. I'd just chalk it up to Enzo having uneven directing skills or possibly just tacking an extra movie on after Bronx Warriors wrapped up filming. As far as Italian apocalypse films go, this is one of the weaker entries.

The cover of this little stinker has a bunch of punkers (none of which are in the film) so i went into it expecting a punk rock style exploitation flick from the late 80's and instead discovered the funniest ROAD WARRIOR rip off ever! It's one of the tons of Italian knock offs of the early 80's so you know it's gonna be cheesy but this one is just ridiculous! Ultra cheap with plenty of action/violence and enough funny gore to satisfy any fan of 80s b-rated sleaze. Not to mention a ridiculous soundtrack! The only thing that's missing is some boobies. Not that there's no sex just not anything arousing in any way. Of course it takes place in the post apocalyptic future where a gang of ridiculously costumed barbarian types called the Templars set out to destroy the few humans left as punishment for the crime of being born. Cool enough plot for me! Basically this movie is pure shite but it's funny as hell especially when watched with chicks or people who are not fans of crappy movies. Trust me, seeing the expression on their face during the Templars initiation sense will make hunting this baby down well worth the hunt!

I see from the reviews on this board that the film in question is dividing opinion hugely. On one hand many reviewers are describing this as one of, if not the worst movie ever made whilst others are touting it as an unintentional work of genius. For what it's worth, I would place the movie as somewhere in between the two extremes.

Yes, the film is admittedly a low budget, low brow rip off of Mad Max……but…….taken for what it is, and if you approach it in the right frame of mind, it's actually a pretty decent, undemanding watch. In fact, I would even go as so far as to suggest that the film is actually one of the better post apocalyptic Mad Max inspired outings to spring out of Italy during the 1980's.

That staple plot of a lone group of survivors terrorised by nomadic barbarians rears its' hoary old head yet again here. In this case, the villains are a group of self appointed purges of humanity calling themselves The Templar's who are headed by that Italian B-movie stalwart of villainous roles, BIG George Eastman who plays a character named (oddly) One.

There is ostensibly some enmity between One and the hero in this, Scorpion, based on some undisclosed prior events. For his part, Scorpion seems content to drive around in his souped up car and periodically wipe out Templar raiding parties although predictably, Scorpion and One are bound to meet up at the films climax for one final battle.

Although the budgetary constraints are overtly apparent in the films overall look, there are a number of commendable action and gore sequences littered throughout the running time including a humorous beheading scene and a number of bodies exploding in a particularly cool manner! And let us not forget, how can any film be entirely bad when the always awesome Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson is on board?! (Well with the exception of the atrocious Delta Force Commando of course!)

May I finally just add a special mention to Anna Kanakis, the actress in this who Scorpion saves from a Templar assault……she is seriously HOT, HOT, HOT stuff! – Hell, watch the film to feast your eyes upon her if nothing else!