Duri a morire

I saw this pretty much back to back with Fabrizio De Angelis's THE LAST MATCH (a film made 12 years later but with much of the same crew), and while they're both "bad" action movies which I happen to absolutely love, I have to admit I enjoyed them for very different reasons. While LAST MATCH was fun because of the ludicrous heights of its bad-ness, TOUGH TO KILL is a great movie because it uses its badness to dig a filthy hole in the ground and wallow in it.

I love absolutely gritty, dirty, low budget movies like this (or any of the many Italian Women-In-Prison or Nazi Exploitation films made around the same time) because it's all completely fantasic. It's like being transported to a completely different world with its own sense of reality. In TOUGH TO KILL, human life isn't so important as getting rich, and the lure of 1 million dollars causes the 4 main characters to rip each other to pieces even though they need to depend on each other to survive in the harsh African wilderness. Like the other reviewer said, you can't get much more macho with lots of guys running around without shirts (even Donald O'Brien, who I'd always assumed was wimp before this movie) and scarcely one woman in the entire movie. There's explosions, killing, maiming, etc. but none too graphic and the action scenes are also pretty scarce. What this film has though are some great African locations and a tightly-constructed plot that will draw you in if you get past the initial trashiness of the production. By the end of the movie I was actually rooting out loud for the hero to get the money, and I'm not sure if the surprise ending was exactly what I wanted, but it was pretty damn close. Have fun seeking out this gem and enjoy!

This film is VASTLY superior to many of D'amato's other films of the time and featuring a very similar Stelvio Cipriani score to the one used in THE GREAT ALLIGATOR a year later.

Among hundred of porno drama's and pure hardcore, Aristide Massachessi made some non-sexual films. This one is the example of non-sexual Caribbean action-adventure film. It was the first film that the director made on the locations of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic in 1978). Great exhausted of heat and voodoo faces of Donald O Brien and other members of crew did their best to make a pure fighting and absorbing hallucination-film. The story is about Africa The plot takes place in Africa, although you can see a lot of 100% Caribbean views those tiny streets, jungles, too much light and extremely good Caribbean funk music as score. The great deal of black actors, make this film look cool. There is a magnificent scene with soldiers going through river when terrible rain is falling- which looks better than such moments of "Nowdays Apocalypse". So, for all Damato's fans- this one is highly recommended.

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With a threadbare jungle mercenary script, a touch of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", zero nudity, and zero blood, this is a tough watch. Character development is nil, and the film is mostly aimless walking around in the jungle, by men who we care nothing about. The highlights would include a game of chicken with grenades, and a surprise ending. The lowlights would include a bloodless decapitation, gratuitous explosions, a stock footage cheetah, and a plot that hinges on someone having a million dollar price on their head, who we know nothing about. "Tough to Kill" is tough to watch, for obvious reasons. Not recommended, even for admirers of low budget exploitation. - MERK

Duri a morire (a.k.a. Tough To Kill) is a movie with a set of balls so large that they drag on the ground. Sam Peckinpah probably would have left the theater with a tear in his eye if he had ever had the chance to see this D'Amato outing.

The story, a simple one, concerns Martin, a small-time mafia hitman, who receives word on where he can locate a high-profile political assassin. The bounty on the man is up to one million dollars. The assassin has been doing mercenary work in the jungles of Africa to earn some extra cash. With very little effort, Martin manages to infiltrate the merc squad and gains access to the assassin.

Martin, and four others, use a routine attack on a bridge to take the assassin hostage. They set off into the jungle for their rendezvous in Georgeville. They won't all make it. Along for the journey is a congenial villager who seems to act as the group's guardian angel.. or is he?

Excellent cinematography helps to pump this film up a little but the bad dialogue manages to deflate it again. What I really enjoyed about Duri a morire was the way D'Amato introduced each of the mercenaries, gave them each a distinct personality, then played with them. He never allows the audience to form a solid opinion of them. I also enjoyed the ending which took me completely by surprise, even despite DAmato's various hints throughout the movie.

In closing, Duri a morire is a gritty, low-budget film about brooding men with enough machismo, chest-beating and testosterone for any two Nick Gomez movies. If you you can get around all the violence and silly, tough-guy, one-liners you might actually get a kick out of this film. I sure did!

What can I say about this film which hasnt already been said. Its a gritty, sleazy, cheap, but completely gripping action action thriller. You will be on the edge of your seat as the cast of completely unlikeable characters tear eachother to peices over a million dollar bounty. The pounding score and grimy setting really add to this nihilistic little nugget. This film proves that given a decent script and cast Joe D'Amato can really deliver the goods. A must see for fans of grimy jungle action thrillers and/or italian cinema.