aka Escape from the Bronx; 1990: The Bronx Warriors II
(Fuga Dal Bronx)
Italy. 1983.
Crew
Director – Enzo G. Castellari, Screenplay – Enzo G. Castellari, Tito Carpi & Dardano Sacchetti, Story – Tito Carpi, Producer – Fabrizio De Angelis, Photography – Blasco Giurato, Music – Francesco De Masi, Special Effects – Tonino Corridori. Production Company – Fulvia Film.
Cast
Mark Gregory (Trash), Henry Silva (Wangler), Valerie Dobson (Moon), Timothy Brent (Strike), Thomas Moore (President Clark), Antonio Sabato (Toblerone), Andrea Coppola (Jay)
Plot
The TC Corporation wants to demolish Manhattan Island to build an ultra-modern city. They plan to relocate the gangs that rule Manhattan to New Mexico. At least, that is what they say publicly, but instead the corporation have brought in an armed Disinfestant Squad to exterminate the gangs. However, the gangs have been united under Trash and are fighting back. A newswoman Moon sneaks in, meets Trash and convinces them they could bargain if they had a hostage. And so Trash, with the help of a thief and his pyromaniac son, kidnaps the corporation president. However, this serves to spark off a war between the Disinfestants and the gangs.
Bronx Warriors II is a sequel to Italian exploitation director Enzo G. Castellari’s cheesy 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), which in itself was designed as a ripoff of Escape from New York (1981).
Bronx Warriors II is a much better film than its predecessor. Enzo G. Castellari’s direction is much more polished and evidently bettered over the first film. Despite a jerky start, the film picks up into a competently made action bloodbath. Indeed, the film’s true heart is as a spaghetti western (where Enzo G. Castellari had his beginnings) and it comes filled with all the slow-motion explosions, extreme zooms and closeups associated with the genre. The story is silly, the politics naive and simplistic, but at least the action is non-stop and allows no room for the wooden acting and atrocious dialogue to emerge any further than necessary. While not attaining to anywhere near high art, Bronx Warriors II at least proves entertaining.
Enzo G. Castellari’s other genre films include:- the giallo psycho-thriller Cold Eyes of Fear (1971); the supernatural film The House By the Edge of the Lake (1979); 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982); Shark/Great White (1982); the incredibly bad post-holocaust film The New Barbarians/Warriors of the Wasteland (1983); the action film Light Blast (1985); and Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989). These days Castellari is perhaps better remembered as director of the original Inglorious Bastards (1978).
Trailer here