aka Quel maledetto treno blindato
aka Counterfeit Commandos
aka Deadly Mission
aka G.I. Bro
aka Hell’s Heroes

Director: Enzo G. Castellari (Keoma, The Heroin Busters, The New Barbarians, 1990: The Bronx Warriors)

Cast: Bo Svenson, Fred Williamson, Peter Hooten, Michael Pergolani, Jackie Basehart

Severin Films / 3 Disk Explosive Edition / Color / 1.85:1 (16×9) Widescreen / 89 mins / Not Rated / Reg 1 (NTSC)/ Dolby Digital Mono / Purchase 3 Disk or Single Disk Editions

A truck load of military criminals during WWII are being hauled off to their Court Marshall when the convoy is attacked by the Nazis. Most of the lot are killed but five escape and quickly make a tenuous pact to help get each other safely to the Swiss border. Along the way they have to fight their way through German roadblocks, dodge air attacks and basically blow shit up. During one of the shootouts with the Germans, the “Filthy Five”, as I have dubbed them, team up (again tenuously) with a Nazi soldier who has deserted his troops.

While hiding out, the “team” shoots who they think are German soldiers (they were dressed as such) but are actually Americans on a mission to heist a Nazi train because it holds plans for a new weapon that will be used against the Allies. The convicts assume the identities of their fallen comrades (fucking Communist word!) after they are mistakenly identified by a band of French freedom fighters. Can the boys pull off the ruse and become heroes or will they do anything they can to make it to Switzerland?

With a cast including Svenson (Walking Tall, North Dallas 40) and Williamson (Boss Nigger, Black Caesar and loads of other classic exploitation classics) you have to be salivating over this release, right? Castellari himself is a filmmaking god of Italian exploitation. And with Tarantino doing a remake of it, it has to be cool, right? The answer is unequivocally, “yes”. Yes a thousands times, yes. This is coming from a guy who doesn’t especially like war movies. But I have never seen one as fun as this one.

Williamson eats up every scene he is in with his sly, stogie smoking grin and mighty gun-toting swagger. Svenson is his powerful, reserved, ass-kicking self. And the supporting cast, especially Michael Pergolani as “Nick” were right on point. The action never stops from the opening scene to the raucous ending. Gino de Rossi did a superb job with the effects. Explosions and crashes every-fucking-where. The score by Francesco de Masi (which is including in the 3 disk version) is fan-damn-tastic. It will rattle around in your head for days.

Severin outdid themselves on the extras included with the Explosive Edition. As I mentioned above, one of the disks is the soundtrack that you should stick in your iPod and listen to at length. Of course, there is the conversation between Castellari and Tarantino that is basically Quentin being a hyperactive fanboy, talking 90 miles an hour and Enzo (who obviously speaks very little English) smiling and nodding a lot. There are also interviews with everyone, and I mean everyone. The cast, director, effects guy, producer, screenwriters and gaffers. OK, I made up the gaffers part, but I’m just saying, it was in-depth. If you haven’t already ordered this fucking movie (or plan to), I will disown you. You are NOT my children anymore, you ungrateful bastards! (See how I tied that in?) Anyway, really, if you buy this movie, in either version, and you don’t love it, I will give you your money back. No, not really, but I would if I was rich. No, I’m lying again… just watch this fucking movie (and buy the DVDs)!

Related posts:

1. New “Inglorious Bastards” and “Eagles Over London” Trailers from Severin Films
2. Last House on the Beach (1978 Review)
3. The Sinful Dwarf (1972 Review)

Tags: warsploitation

This entry was posted on July 20, 2008 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.