Il giustiziere della strada

In Water World, they have too much water and are looking for Dry Land. In this flick, there's too much dry land and not enough water. If there is such a thing called a Road Warrior genre, you would find this film in that section. The screenplay to this film was probably 20 pages long. Most of the film has truck and car chases with explosions and gun fights. A typical post nuclear holocaust sci-fi film with bad actors. this film could have used ten more years of development.

Comparing this with "Mad Max 2" in terms of quality is akin to a cage match between a donkey and a grizzly bear; the outcome is a foregone conclusion. If however, you were to compare this with "New Barbarians", or "1990 The Bronx Warriors" where technical ratios are more equal, then "Exterminators" isn't a bad yarn.

The premise concerns a post apocalyptic world in which water is scarce, and various territorial tribes emerge to claim what little water there is in isolated wells. Crazy Bull is the main adversary and his vicious sidekick Shadow (Cunningham) packs a claw that commands respect. It's a shame that Cunningham didn't find greater exposure in her film career, as she showed a lot of promise and has a decent cinema legacy.

The visual effects, as expected, are the heroes, including the trailblazing stunt-work in which dune buggies leap and pirouette in the air, while bodies are flung around like rag dolls. There's plenty of gruesome carnage in keeping with the sub-genre. Scripting is minimal, although as most of the story is essentially borrowed, grafted and re-imagined, it's not altogether critical for success. I've seen a few of these post-apocalypse biker pictures, some with more recognisable faces and more sophisticated production values, but "Exterminators" holds its own and so if this is your cup of tea, drink up.

In a post-apocalyptic future an outpost turn to a stranger to battle a motorcycle gang over a location where water, the most precious substance is located.

Directed by Giuliano Carmineo Exterminators of the Year 3000 (Il Giustiziere della Strada) is no doubt a Mad Max 2 copy-cat, but is was certainly not first or last. Released in 1983 the same year as a flurry of others including Escape from the Bronx, The New Barbarians, Endgame, 2019: After the Fall of New York to name a few. While it suffers from the usual co-Italian production issues of the 80s, clunky dialogue, lapse in logic, choppy editing, dubbing and sound design, what it does have is great practical stunts and car chases accompanied by a catchy notable (of the time) soundtrack from Detto Mariano. Also Alejandro Ulloa's cinematography captures some interesting subterranean, flatlands and rugged terrain locations. Carmineo camera work has a flair and roughness that gives this offering charm along with the low budget constraints that forces him to be dangerously inventive during the action setups.

The cast do there best with Dardano Sacchetti, Elisa Briganti and José Truchado's script. I've never heard any one say "mother-grabbers" before. Robert Iannucci makes for a good lead as Alien. Alicia Moro is notable as Trash. Actor Fernando Bilbao as Crazy Bull does his best Vernon Wells' Wez impression. Venantino Venantini's small role as John offers screen presence, with child actor Luca Venantini as Tommy (and his a little pet hamster) doing a good job.

Overall, in filmmaking they say 'never work with children and animals' - this has both. If you can swallow 1970s and 80's vehicles in a future set in year 3000 you're in for a good time.

Insanely entertaining post-apocalypse garbage from those always dependable Italians is good for some excitement and *many* laughs. Robert Iannucci, looking like American actor Martin Kove, stars as sleazy lone wolf "Alien", roaming the desert landscapes and making trouble. He makes the acquaintance of the young Tommy (Luca Venantini), who was tagging along with others of his community on the quest to obtain water. You see, in this vision of the future, H2O has become the most precious commodity. What Alien really wants to do is turn a profit, and it remains to be seen if he'll really step up to the heroic plate.

Iannucci is an enjoyably gruff protagonist, and the supporting cast is just tremendous fun. Tommy, who definitely takes his lumps, turns out to have a most amusing secret, leading to some priceless gags. The movie co-stars the beautiful Alicia Moro as Trash, the excellent Luciano Pigozzi as "Papillon", Eduardo Fajardo as the Senator, Beryl Cunningham as Shadow, and the true scene stealer in this gloriously goofy escapist flick, Fernando Bilbao as Crazy Bull. Being made to utter some hysterically dumb lines, and looking like he wandered off the set of "The Road Warrior" to appear in this, he provides great entertainment value. Some viewers may find the sequence in which Tommy gets drunk to be in poor taste.

Production & costume design and music are good, if rather standard, for this sort of thing. This movie is far from being original, but it still manages to show its audience a good time. The action is often genuinely exciting (dig those vehicle stunts!), and there's one hilarious, amazing segment in which Alien and Trash infiltrate the building housing the water source and must contend not only with booby traps (shades of Indiana Jones), but mutated guards wielding flamethrowers.

If you can't get enough of the whole "post nuke" genre, then don't pass this one up. It's a *real* hoot.

Eight out of 10.

My review was written in January 1985 after watching the movie on Thorn EMI video cassette.

"The Exterminators of the Year 3000" is a weak imitation of "The Road Warrior" hit. In unusual fashion, it opened simultaneously in the theatrical (on 42nd St.) and home video market, with meager prospects in either medium.

After a plotless opening reel of old cars chasing around (though set in the year 3000, pic populated with well--preserved models from the 1960s and 1970s), story concerns the search for water in a post-nuclear wasteland. Teamed up are the handsome hero Alien (Robert Jannucci), a petty girl he used to know named Trash (Alicia Moro) and a cute bionic boy Tommy (Luca Ventantini). Tommy's dad was murdered by the big baddie Crazy Bul, who leads a gang of bikers whom he tastefully calls "Mother grabbers" in the poorly-dubbed dialog when not shouting out quaint expressions such as "Let's purloin that water".

When Tommy loses a biomechanical arm, they go to an ex-astronaut Papillon (Alan Collins) to fix it. Papillon has already fixed Alien's souped-up stolen car which is called the Exterminator. Baddies are defeated and pic ends with the star trio frolicking in the first rainfall in years, though the Earth's ozone layer has been destroyed by nuclear bombs making for cloudless skies.

Pic has little to offer beyond okay stunts and action footage. Oddly anticipating "Road Warrior II's" casting of Tina Turner, veteran black actress in Continental productions Beryl Cunningham is cast as a vicious killer in Crazy Bull's gang.