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Consensus holds that Django, Kill--more properly, If You Live, Shoot!--is the most depraved, decadent, and altogether delirious spaghetti Western of that definitively depraved, decadent, and delirious genre. Tomas Milian plays a Mexican outlaw brought back from the dead to wreak vengeance on his former gringo colleagues. Too late: the gang has already fallen afoul of the most thoroughly corrupt town in Euro-trash history. Where to begin describing this twisted tarantella? It starts with so many crisscrossed flashbacks that you could mistake it for a sequel. One story pretty much ends, to be succeeded by another, like an old silent feature by people who used to making one-reelers. Then there's Mr. Sorrow and his pet army of black-shirted, teeth-flashing gay gunslingers. And the naked Milian, crucified and left to be ravished by rats, bats, and an iguana. Director Giulio Questi intended certain political overtones. Discuss among yourselves. P.S.: This is the uncut version. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Spaghetti Marinara.....No Meatballs.....
This review refers to "Django Kill...If You Live Shoot"(DVD edition by Blue Underground)....

This is a Spaghetti Western like no other. It's not your usual brand where you will find some comic relief among all the action. This one is pure in your face gruesome violence and perverse characters. It is however, a well made film that will keep you involved throughout this tale of evil vs. evil. No good guys here...aside from a couple of well meaning Indians and a woman declared insane by her husband, everyone is bad to the bone. Sound like your kind of movie?...Here's the story...

A gold thief(Tomas Milian), left for dead by his partners and found by two Indians who nuture him back to life,is out for revenge. Upon his arrival in the town called very appropiatley "The Unhappy Place", he finds the gang has already been here, only to meet with a horrible fate, as the towns people here it seems, are even more evil than the gold thieves themselves.As one of the thieves puts it.."Even God would not stay here." Two of the town's important men, have retrieved the stolen gold and will stop at nothing,even sacrificing members of their own families to a gang of depraved thugs, to keep all the loot for themselves. Milian, who may be classifed as an anti-hero of sorts, tries to stop these savages, putting himself in danger as well.It's every man for himself in this dark and graphic look at greed.

The ending is a shocker. It was at times almost like watching some old horror film and I was expecting Vincent Price to appear at any time.

I was amazed at how good this transfer to DVD by Blue Underground was. It's the original uncut version, in wonderful widescreen and had a nice clear picture with good color. The film may be viewed in the original Italian soundtrack(go to languages, or it will automatically default to English),with or without English subtitles. The sound is in DD Mono, but sounds pretty good. There are a few scenes in English(e.g. a barmaid is singing), that are very poorly dubbed, but won't divert from this shocker of a story. Extras include interviews with the director and stars, and a Still Gallery.

If you're looking for something along the lines of say... Peckinpah meets Poe...I would recommend "Django Kill"...

Get the popcorn ready and enjoy...Laurie

EASTER EGGS inside this DVD!
I will give technical specs on this DVD below, plus info on a few hidden extras (thanks, Blue Underground). I purchased this as part of the "Spaghetti Western Collection" and am reviewing this to give added detail to the generic review of the collection.

I couldn't justify a 2 star or 4 star rating because the lack of quality on the dubbing really dragged this movie across the same parched desert that almost killed Milian's character. But Blue Underground has been doing some fabulous work to keep the lesser- known movies from going into total obscurity, and actually, I'm glad they kept "If You Live, Shoot!" IYLS is also called, "Django Kill," which was only named that way because the distributors wanted to ride the coattails of the previous successes of "Django." However, IYLS has NOTHING to do with Django. At all.

Yet I liked this movie. I've actually watched this more than the "Django" DVD I also have. There's something about the structure of the movie's dark nature that intrigues me. The one scene I suggest you watch is when the bandits first enter the town. I am still floored by it, especially with the music that accompanies the scene. It can be quite shocking to many people, so be forewarned. If you are easily shocked, I suggest you read the slight spoiler in the following graph. If you have a tough side but don't like spoilers, it's your option to read or not to, but I suggest you skip the slight spoiler.

*****VERY SLIGHT SPOILER***** Skip graph, it's a spoiler nonetheless.... The scene starts when the group enters the bizarre town after a rough travel through a desert. A naked child stands with his back to the camera, obviously urinating. A little girl pulls the hair of a boy, and in the English version is heard saying, "Give up. Give up." Play it with the Italian track to discover that she is actually spitting in the boy's face 3 times. Also, a relative pins a young girl to the porch using his boots as she pleads for him to let her go. That whole scene, up to the point where the group reaches the tavern blew me away. It didn't help either when townspeople discovered gold in an injured man's body and used their bare hands to dig them out. ***End of spoilers***

The English dubbing made for the movie pulled it down. Try using the Italian track with English subtitles, it sounds more realistic. Milian's own voice should have been used, but for whatever reason, a more English- sounding voice was used. The two Indians... "With gold- made bullets...." And that singer at the saloon.... blech... I argued over a two- star rating, but there are plenty of macaroni flicks that deserve that. This is 2-1/2 stars, plus 5 stars for the transfer from the print and the care that is involved in making a Blue Underground DVD.

I would get the 4- boxed set, and might buy this movie again if I needed. Why? Because I love the spaghetti western genre and it's slim pickings in the category. I only have about 12 titles or so, and after these, it gets hard to find any more decent ones out there of all the (possibly?) hundreds that were made from the '60s through the late '70s. I would get it again. But for the regular movie buff, you might use your money of "Run Man Run" "The Great Silence" or "Companeros" instead. But purchase the Sergio Leone macaroni first, for they are the benchmarks of the European Westerns.

Technical info: Color in mono sound at 2.35:1 aspect ratio only; 117 minutes; English and Italian languages (mono); English subtitles only; extras include interviews with director Guilio Questi, Milian, and Ray Lovelock; original theatrical tralier; gallery of production stills and movie posters; a two- page insert with detail on the movie and chapter selections; PLUS...three HIDDEN videos! Maybe they're called "Easter eggs," which is fun to find. I hadn't noticed them until just now. They are located when you drag the mouse over the clenched hand (it turns pale) and also there are two pale gun icons that appear on the "Languages" and "Extras" pages which reveal hidden interviews. For those who use the DVD player, follow these instructions: On the Main Title page, go to Chapters and push the arrow key right to illuminate the hand. Press enter. On the Extras page, go to the Main Menu and go LEFT to reveal the gun, and hit enter. On the languages page, go to Resume and go UP to reveal the gun, then hit enter. Cool!

Poor Film Gets Top Grade DVD Treatment - Too Bad
First kudos to Blue Underground. They are doing a fantastic job with their DVDs - beautiful film prints, very good sound and extras. The quality of their Spaghetti Western DVDs actually look and sound better then the Leone Western reissues on MGM DVD. This is why I hate to give "Django If You Live, Shoot" a bad review. But....

I have been a huge spaghetti western fan for more then 35 years. A Bullet for a General, Death Rides a Horse, Sabata, The Great Silence, Keoma,The Big Gun Down, All the Leone films, range from fair to great. The grade D "If You Live Shoot" makes even the awful "Django Returns" look like Gone With The Wind by comparison

The film is compelling only because of some of the plot elements - combining Poe-ish macabre in a western setting. It starts with bad guys wondering into a really, really bad town - The atmosphere at this stage is truly creepy - but when it wears off we are left with ineptly constructed action scenes,fake gore, confusing camera setups, sloppy editing, hokey dialogue, tired clichés, uninteresting music and worse then usual dubbing.

The director and actors claim this film to be experimental because of the use of some flash editing[...] The sadism, horror, blood and freak show aspects were probably to gather an audience by word of mouth. The homosexual aspects come off as a fetish of someone involved in the film.

So what do we have left?

The original film stock has that cheap look - You'll know what I mean when you see it. This "look" has nothing to do with Blue Underground excellent DVD qualities. But due rather to the original lighting, camera lenses and focus techniques of the film makers.

Just about everyone overacts - The Stranger's two Indian friends are particular bad. I'm guessing that real Native Americans might find them insulting as they recite tired clichés with real bad accents- Did one of them actually refer to the "Happy Hunting Ground" ?

The dubbing - absolutely incredible.... The saloon girl singing scene is a hysterical - the song is completely inappropriate. The music is from the wrong time period and geographical area. This music style would not be invented for another 50 years. The words do not even remotely match her lips. It is one of the most ludicrous dubbing scenes ever to be seen anywhere.

The action scenes make no sense as good guys stand directly in front of bad guys waiting for the bad guy to shoot them... but for some reason the bad guy doesn't shoot them...but instead chooses to run around until the good guy shoots them. Otherwise no body seems be able to hit anyone with a bullet no matter how many shots or fired but then suddenly, for no reason, the guy gets hit by fifteen bullets.

The editors must have had a terrible time with what they had to work with. Often we can not even comprehend the reason why anything is taking place.

Did I mention the fakest blood this side of Dutch Boy paints?

For the most part the film just seems to meander around dully and aimlessly until an improbable climatic action scene and an unsatisfying ending.

The unique music we are accustomed to in Spaghetti Westerns is not present here either. Instead we have a bunch of tired Roy Rodgers style western clichéd themes.

There is the atypical spaghetti western scene of the hero being tortured. In this one...a crucifixion motif (where have seen that one before?) the poor "Stranger" has to deal with some National Geographic bats and a couple of iguanas. But don't fear the bats were nowhere near our hero - the jungle can be clearly seen behind them as the hero is tied up in jail. I never knew how bad iguana's can be. Their stare is very painful.

I can't imagine anyone who enjoys quality Spaghetti Westerns, American Westerns or even Splatter or Horror Films enjoying "If You Live Shoot"...But there maybe some members of NCBLA - The National Cow "Boy" Lovers Association who may like it - for this film actually builds up very lovingly to a rape of a boy by Gay Hopalong Cassidies. Oh did I mention there is also some real animal cruelty via dog kicking, and bizarre child abuse?

A message or warning to any weirdo who may like this kind of thing - it is all handled very badly.

Note - Tomas Milian and director Giulio Questi are both interviewed on this DVD. On their behalf they seem amiable, intelligent, and are surprisingly unpretentious- To their credit both actor Tomas Milian and director Questi have created a number of quality films and characters. Unfortunately "Django If You Live Shoot" is not one of them.

Disturbing yet interesting
Django Kill! is one of the most violent and contreversial spaghetti westerns ever made. Before this Blue Underground release, it was almost impossible to find an uncut version of this film. The DVD is well worth it. Django Kill! tells the story of a Stranger double-crossed by his fellow bandits and then tries to get his revenge. Tomas Milian stars as the stranger in one of the best title characters in the spaghetti western genre. The interviews with Milian, Giulio Gesti, and Ray Lovelock are very interesting since they deal with some of the more controversial scenes in the movie. The trailer is disappointing with the music playing behind the title being shown. In the movie, the violence is truly disturbing including the famous gold-digging in a man's chest and the scalping of one of Milian's partners. One of the best spaghetti westerns ever made with an odd sort of Gothic feel to it. Well worth the price!

Haunting Classic of the Genre...A MUST SEE!
Django Kill!, a prime example of the Italian spaghetti western as horror movie, is one of the most violent and experimental euro-westerns ever made. Director Giulio Questi gives the film a haunting, surreal veneer that suits well the many horrific elements. In keeping with the genre, it also contains a great deal of gothic imagery. The film does suffer from slow pacing at the half point and an overlong running time, BUT this ends up only adding to the surreal quality of the film in my opinion (Jim Jarmusch cited this film as inspiration for the beyond ridiculosuly slow-paced Johnny Depp western "Dead Man"), as well as building the character of the confused, damaged and bitter Django (brilliantly played by the wonderfully eccentric actor Tomas Milian, a familiar face in Italian cinema). Django Kill! hits all the bases of the genre: excessive (and I MEAN excessive, folks) violence, a stoic, Eastwood-esque anti-hero, the ugliest desert landscapes you'll ever see, and, of course, at least one scene set in a graveyard - and Django Kill! has more than its share of those. A classic must-see for fans of the spagheti western genre. Hopefully "Django the Bastard" will be released on DVD as well, another fine film in the unofficial series of "Django" films (and pre-dating "High Plains Drifter," which it obviously "borrowed" from).

And to agree with the following review on ONE point, "Cutthroats 9" is an interesting film, and a worthy footnote in the spaghetti genre, quite similar in it's desperation and extreme violence (it was available from EuroVista DVD in a Region 0 format when I purchased it a year or so ago, but I believe it is out of print now - worth owning in any case if you can find it...start searching the auctions or check Luminous Film Wurks), BUT a far less worthy film, with some oddly fragmented direction. Watch Django Kill! first, then delve into some of the other more violant, experimental spaghetti's; just don't expect ANYTHING even remotely reated to the Sergio Corbucci "Django," as this is an an "unofficial" sequal in name only. Viva Django! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

High Crime in Rio worth a look
This film is a solid sixties style tour in every aspect. It is a model of a "Mission Impossible' adventure and resembles an early James Bond flick *(Thunderball) in the carnival scenes and LARGO (minus the eye patch and Spectre ring) is even in THIS picture! A professor (Edward G. Robinson) plans a jewel heist and has four experts handle the theft. All of this takes place in Rio during 'Carnival' and we are shown how professionals work together to obtain the goal. A Playboy, A Safecracker, An Electronics Expert and A Military Enforcer work as the team. There is tension and struggle here that will keep you interested and the melody of the Carnival will remain with you long after the picture is over. A neat little plot twist is included in the ending scene in Rome. Well worth the viewing, not the greatest epic ever made but certainly entertaining.

Haunting Moods
Without re-hashing the synopsis of this classic heist thriller shown above, let me say I really loved two things about this DVD: being in Rio De Janeiro in the mid 60's, and the incredible haunting music by Ennio Morricone. His soundtrack is as good or better than any other movie he scored. There is some great, haunting bossa nova music in this caper. This movie was virtually impossible to find on video. Now you can view in the clarity of DVD. This movie is worth having if you love Brazil, and want to hear some classic moody 60's music. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Little known outside Europe, this picaresque spaghetti Western is among the most entertaining of the breed. Tomas Milian plays Cuchillo ("little knife"), an irrepressible scamp at large in post-Juarista Mexico who becomes custodian of a secret: where to find the fortune in gold meant to bankroll the people's revolution against the repressive Diaz regime. Now, Cuchillo is not politically minded. Cassidy (Donal O'Brien), a Texas gunfighter, used to be, but he's weary of fighting noble battles and wouldn't mind having that gold himself. Both characters wrestle with their inconvenient better instincts while tilting with a variety of adversaries. Directed by Sergio Sollima (The Big Gundown), Run, Man, Run! boasts an elegant mise en scène almost worthy of Leone. The exuberant score is by Ennio Morricone, no matter what the credits say, and Milian's theme song became an anthem for student protestors in 1968. John Ireland contributes a charismatic cameo as a populist generale. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Close to 5 stars (tech specs below) PLUS EASTER EGGS!
Only a smudge of oil would spoil whipping egg whites, so I can't give Run Man Run 5 stars. It's either perfect or not so, but I can rate it a strong 4/5.

Tomas Milian is one of my favorite actors in the European Western category, along with Cleef, Eastwood, Strode, and other notables. Milian always packs a strong punch when he delivers his performances. Milian's character Cuchillo grabbed me from the opening scene when he walked into trouble. That's a classic moment that I thoroughly enjoyed, and Milian held his character throughout the film. Donal O'Brien seemed just a bit too reserved. And the voice seemed pretty muddled. I feel Milian deserves much more credit for his work, ad I see that he is still going strong in the movie business.

Director Sergio Sollima (one of two other Sergios, the other being Corbucci) kept this on a lighter and somewhat faster pace than Corbucci's more solemn films.

The film transfer to DVD is terrific, with a fine mono audio and video track presented by Blue Underground. I don't know if I've done the right thing since no one else has mentioned it (like a Sixth Sense secret) but I've discovered that this DVD also has at least 3 Easter Eggs hidden. A review of the DVD If You Live, Shoot! also has 3 Easter Eggs, so if you ever get a Blue Underground DVD, look closer and you may find some presents.

I really enjoyed the script that was followed. It wasn't too heavy but wasn't too funny, like at least one film, "My Name is Nobody," if I can recall it correctly. One really hilarious moment happens when Cuchillo is strung up and has words with one of his oppressors. Talk about insulting! If I were the military official, I would have pulled an Indiana Jones on Cuchillo.

This DVD was part of the Spaghetti Western Collection I purchased, and of the four (Django, Mannaja, Run Man Run, and If You Live, Shoot!), I enjoyed this one the most. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this again, and it would help round out a fine collection of films for the lover of macaroni flicks. Tomas Milian fans would really love this (I think it's one of his best roles), and I think Donal O'Brien fans might be a bit disappointed. I would not compare this to the Leone classics, as the format is so different. Like comparing apples and grapes. They're both similar in very basic ways but fly into different directions as European Westerns. I wouldn't call the violence "shocking" by today's standards, at all. This isn't nearly as shocking as If You Live, Shoot! was.

Tech Specs and EASTER EGGS: A region- free NTSC DVD of 121 minutes in a nice transfer from original stock in its original theatrical release of 2.35:1 (widescreen only) and enhanced for 16X9; English and Italian mono tracks; optional English subtitles; poster and production stills gallery; a 1960s documentary on filming spaghetti westerns; Run Man Run: 35 Years Running documentary with video interviews of Sollima and Milian; trailer. There are also 3 Easter Eggs I found. The knife that Donal O'Brien holds on the main menu page can be highlighted scroll over Play but scroll LEFT); an invisible knife can be highlighted across Cuchillo's face in the chapters page (scroll to Main Menu then push UP); an extra trailers selection can be highlighted in the extras page (scroll to Main Menu and scroll LEFT). All of these can be gained by computer or DVD remote to access deeper information.

A long run
Run Man Run is a sequel to one of the great Spaghetti Westerns "The Big Gundown" unfortunately The Big Gundown isn't released on any format here in the US,so unless you've seen it on Cinemax or purchased an import,this movie might not appeal to you as much.
This is basically the continuing story of Cuchillo (Tomas Milian) the Mexican knife-throwing bandit,and his search for lost gold,with a Mexican Revolution spin thrown in.
This movie is a wannabe Leone type epic that comes off being episodic.At times this is a very good film but at others it drags on.Sorely missed is Lee Van Cleef who would have greatly improved this film,Donald O'Brien's character is a good one,but the chemistry was much better with Van Cleef.A decent Spaghetti,but way too long. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Suffused with the improvisational playfulness of the French New Wave and brimming with naked flesh and explicit scenes, Jens Jorgen Thorsen's freewheeling adaptation of Henry Miller's notorious novel offered a different kind of American in Paris and pushed the boundaries of sex on the screen. America pushed back: the film was seized on charges of obscenity in 1970 and condemned by the Catholic bishops review board. Though hardly tame by modern standards, it's less an underground classic than a curious timepiece. Paul Valjean is a colorless star, and behind the hedonism and erotic adventures is a chauvinist portrait of sexual relations (Philip Kaufman's Henry and June offers a more interesting take on Miller). See Quiet Days in Clichy for the marvelous black and white images of late-1960s Paris, an energetic supporting cast (many of them actual Parisian streetwalkers, according to legend), and Country Joe McDonald's ribald songs. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Tansgressive cinema from 1970
Transgressive cinema from 1970, variously banned and criticised for years after initial release. The acting, staging and photography (B&W) show some age, resembling prehistoric reality TV- unsanitised, unwashed and at times just plain distasteful.
The film is notable for its innovation, including the use of "speech bubbles" and a unique and often humourous score. The issue with showing generally unappealing and uninteresting people is that the film is similarly imbued with the same character. The scenes of 70's Paris are however great fun.
Watching this leaves a strange taste in the mouth, like eating cake and forgetting to remove the cardboard base, or finding a hair in your mother-in-law's moussaka.

Wonderful!
Quiet Days in Clichy was the first Henry Miller book I read, at the impressionable age of 17. While traveling through Europe, I bought the Grove Press movie tie-in edition, featuring numerous stills from this picture. I read the book several dozen times, and as a result the images from the movie formed part of my memory along with Miller's words.

Now, more than 31 years later, the film is available at last, and I finally got to see those pictures come to life.

For me, watching this was a wonderful experience. It was one of those rare films that transported me completely to another time and place. For a brief 90+ minutes, I was my younger self again.

The story hasn't changed, but I have. I no longer find Miller's caustic sexism charming; in fact it seems childish to me. The explicit sex in the movie (there are a few bits that could be considered hard-core porn) is no longer shocking, and the freewheeling lifestyle depicted is, I now understand, something that was, and is, almost wholly imaginary.

For all the sexist attitudes of the two male leads, the female characters are brilliantly portrayed. Country Joe McDonald's brilliant music brings more surrealistic magic out of the picture, giving it not only a contemporary feel (the original story was set in the 1930s) but an atmosphere that helps it transcend the limitations of its low budget.

This is a faithful adaptation of Miller's book, which is good news for Miller's fans. If graphic sex makes you at all uncomfortable, by all means avoid this film. But if Miller's erotic work appeals to you at all, you owe it to yourself to give this one a chance. ... Read more

Amazon.com

They call him Blade (Maurizio Merli) because mostly he lets his hatchet do his talking for him. He's searched 20 years to find the man responsible for his father's death. This is puzzling, since the guy is right where he always was and where Blade started from. The real villain of the piece is not this economic-ecological despoiler (Philippe Leroy), a shrunken husk in a wheelchair, but his lieutenant (John Steiner), a blond fascist who looks like a twit version of Rutger Hauer and sounds like a cross between John Glover and the police chief in Young Frankenstein. (Blade is also blond, with a hairdo reminiscent of Pippi Longstocking's.) Sergio Martino, whose action direction is ludicrous, was obliged to fill many scenes with fog because the last Western town set in Italy was falling down around him. This was, he claims, "the last, or maybe next-to-last" spaghetti Western. None too soon. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A sad farewell to a very exciting movie genre
It's commonly said - and with good reason - that the movie 'The Man Called Blade' is the last entry in the interesting genre named 'western spaghetti' that dominated the Italian movies in the sixties and seventies. But, unfortunately, this movie is a very sad farewell to an otherwise exciting genre. This movie has a simple plot - like almost all the other movies of the same kind - but so full of flaws and absurd situations that the viewer - even an addict of spaghetti westerns - will be tired and boring before the middle of the story. In fact, 'A man Called Blade' is quite a rip off of 'Keoma', a huge sucess with Franco Nero, directed by Enzo G. Castellari. Maurizio Merli was picked up by director Sergio Martino to live Blade because of his resemblance with Nero, at these times completely out of westerns movies. A routine and poor imagined story of vengeance and hate, the movie goes on and on until an old fashioned 'finale'. Good performance by John Steiner, as the villain.

Should have gotten Morricone... PLUS EASTER EGG below
The music was a real letdown for me. I think that music in a movie can become something like a supporting cast member, but this music (by Guido e Maurizio De Angelis) just didn't fit in most places. Especially when the soloist began singing. Yuck. I mean, double yuck, out of luck, upchuck. I hope they weren't trying to save money by scrimping on the score. Sometimes the very thing that can save a movie is the soundtrack, and this one just didn't cut the mustard. It didn't have any semblance of being a thoughtful composition. If it had been pressed into an album, I wonder how many people would have purchased it? I'm sorry to ramble on, but the music just pinned my emotions down on this one. Just as I would gain some interest, the music shoots it all down. Guido's score (sorry, sir) didn't need a hatchet to kill "A Man Called Blade."

Maybe it was the music, but it definitely didn't help get me into the mood of this movie, which technically is another fine transfer from an original film stock and presented by Blue Underground. Honestly? I'd rather watch the opening FBI warning (a really cool animated revolving red light instead of the plain blue page) than sit through the musical score with the lyrics being sung.

I wish Blue Underground could have given the viewer an option to turn the music off. Maybe that's why I couldn't relate to the characters. Yes it's violent and somewhat surreal, but ask me whether I cared who died? The music made me wish it would hurry and end (with no lyrics, of course). If I had a hatchet in hand while watching this, the lyrics would probably have driven me to throw at the speakers. I wished that I could have gotten past the music, but it just permeated everything.

Tech Specs and at least one Easter Egg: Region free, NTSC DVD @ 96 minutes color from an original print in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (no full frame option) and enhanced for 16X9; English mono, Italian mono; optional English subtitles; trailer; featurette called "A Man Called Sergio (interview with director Sergio Martino); poster and production stills gallery; linear notes; a two- page pamphlet with deeper information about the movie. I found only one Easter Egg (2 previous Blue Underground discs had 3 of them that I found in each). This one is located on the Extras page. Highlight A Man Called Sergio and push RIGHT to reveal a hatchet to access.

PS- The score of two stars is for the overall DVD. If it hadn't been presented so well by Blue Underground, I would have given it only one star.

Brilliant Spaghetti Western 'Revue' of 1977
A very late entry into Italian western genre from Sergio Martino, better known as director of the "cannibal" exploit movies. Amazon's review recaps the plot very well so just a couple of tidbits: Martino has captured the essence of earlier 60's spaghetti westerns with their grim sets and grimier characters, almost to the point of parody. The theme of betrayal is very well done and even packs a surprise or two, while the motivation of greed pervades the film in better-than-average spaghetti tradition. Incidentally Martino seems to borrow the idea of a traveling dance troupe from Colizzi's "Boot Hill" with it's weird circus, and he seems to borrow plenty from Colizzi in general throughout the movie. Some others have complained about the music in this movie -- just wish I could find a separate soundtrack of this on CD! IMHO the music is great! This is one spaghetti fanatic who really enjoyed this movie although a few of the scenes could have been cropped for a faster pace -- but then again this was 1977 and not 2003! All told five stars from me and one of the best especially in light of the excellent technical rendition to DVD and restoration. A beauty! If only Martino made more like this one!

Lowbudget, but Entertaining.
I'v herd allot of good reviews from this SP Western.I got it along with the Spaghetti Western box set. The movie was entertaining and you can expect cheesiness, but the Bayou Billy looking Hatchet character was cool and the DVD was restored very well. If it wasn't for the corny theme song they chose for this movie I would actually give it 3 stars, but every time that annoying murky theme song that didn't fit in played, It ruined my attention to the film. Overall I recommend this(although overpriced) movie,just push mute when the corny theme song plays and enjoy.

Just like they used to be
This one came well after the Spaghetti Western had rode off into the sunset (in fact, I think it was the last one ever made). And it's a doozy - probably because it's a throw-back to all those silly, action-packed spaghetti westerns of the sixties. Gunfights and brutal fistfights punctuate the tried and true tale of revenge every five minutes, so you can forgive the trite dialogue and the occassional sequence that doesn't make any sense. The hero, who comes across as a nastier version of Patrick Wayne, is perfectly balanced by gaunt-faced John Steiner as the villainous foreman who is not adverse the wiping out the hired help and even bumping off his boss in his quest to become the big cheese. The film is similar in look to Keoma (the Franco Ndero western that is a must-have for Spaghetti enthusiasts) - the same sets are used and it sounds like they've brought in the same singer for the "you've got to hear it to believe it" soundtrack. The only drawback is the obvious lack of budget in some of the bigger set-pieces and a climactic gunfight that falls strnegly flat (in fact, in several of the shootouts, the director simply has the bad guys all standing still in the same place and being picked off one by one by the hero - but what the hell, they did the same thing in Road to Perdition didn't they?). This is consistently rated among the top 10 spaghetti westerns ever made so it's worth a place in your collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Starting with its very name, the bizarre international hybrid known as the spaghetti Western was always a bit of a joke--but a joke that packed a wallop, and left viewers with jaws dropping in a combination of disbelief, astonishment, and sometimes admiration. The stylistic hallmarks, nihilistic tone, weirdly Latinate atmospherics, and postmodern self-consciousness of its imaginative universe made for an intoxicating breed of pop entertainment that changed not only the Western genre but also popular culture at large.

Its vogue lasted a decade and then some, from Sergio Leone's 1964 A Fistful of Dollars (released in the U.S. in 1967) to Monte Hellman's 1978 art film China 9/Liberty 37. Often, fully half of the 300 films turned out by Italian companies in any given year were spaghetti Westerns, which could be trusted to sell tickets the world over--under a delirious variety of titles from market to market. They tended to be shown in sleazy grind houses, via spliced and tattered prints. What a pleasure to report that Blue Underground has gone back to the original, mostly pristine materials to produce the crystal-clear, gorgeously color-saturated, widescreen DVDs in this boxed set. Few audiences ever saw these movies looking better than they will on the home screen.

The present quartet affords an admirably varied and illuminating cross-section of the spaghetti Western as entertainment phenomenon and mirror of its troubled time. Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966), with a Gypsy-named protagonist (Franco Nero) dragging a coffin through a mud world of bigotry and double-cross, spawned sequels ad infinitum; this release is the first in more than 30 years to be struck from the original camera negative. Django, Kill! (1967) isn't "Django" at all--it's If You Live, Shoot! (how's that for existential absurdism!), a wildly transgressive fever dream set in "a totally guilty town" and boasting a band of flagrantly gay gunslingers, director Giulio Questi's variation on Mussolini's Black Shirts. The gem of the collection, Sergio Sollima's Run, Man, Run! (1968), features an infectiously funny performance by Tomas Milian as a knife-throwing scalawag who became an icon to late-'60s student radicals; this film of almost Leone-class visual grandeur has rarely been seen outside Italy. Director Sergio Martino claims that Mannaja: A Man Called Blade (1977) was "the last, perhaps next-to-last" of the spaghetti Westerns. The strain was showing--but even this preposterous fantasia about a hatchet-throwing eco-avenger (Maurizio Merli) exerts a goofy fascination.

Incidentally, the short documentaries spotlighting each film are very enjoyable in their own right. The scruffily aged Tomas Milian is a particular delight. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Spaghetti Western collector's "Must Have"
I had written reviews on each of the movies, which are posted. My review of this 4- disc package examines the production quality of the DVDs themselves and does not deal with movie critiques.

First of all, the EASTER EGGS! I have yet to find a DVD that had Easter Eggs (those little tidbits that are hidden to treat people who either made a mistake with their remote or dragged the cursor over something to click on), and Blue Underground has at least seven or maybe more eggs inside the DVDs. I can't list them all here, and have made attempts to list the particular egss at the bottom of each movie review I posted on 5/Sept/03. If I recall correctly, If You Live Shoot! has 3; Run Man Run has 2; Mannaja and Django each have one that I discovered. Each DVD's Easter Egg has hidden trailers of other movies on DVD. Shoot! has two interviews in addition, and Run has an interview (each of the four reviews have detail on extracting each egg, and I hope amazon.com posts them all).

The most INCREDIBLE interview came from Shoot! where lead actor Tomas Milian makes some rather startling charges (he even suggests that he may be sued by his revelations of an accusation that he verified he was making during the interview). I will not spoil the interview, but it is worth searching the contents of the DVD to discover.

The lover of European Westerns will relish this find, even though some of the contents of the films aren't up to the caliber of a Leone epic. I knew before buying this set that the movies themselves would be a letdown if I were to expect anything near the filmmaking style of Leone and the musical genious of composer Ennio Morricone. The reason I made the purchase was to discover filmmaking OTHER than Leone's because at almost every turn, a macaroni feature airing on television will be one of the Eastwood trilogies or the epic, Once Upon a Time in the West (which is planned for DVD release in fall 2003).

TSWC is not recommended for the die- hard Eastwood or Leone fan, unless the viewer can be open- minded so as not to wind up comparing apples and oranges. One cannot and should not compare Leone's style with any other spaghetti western. He is in a class by himself.

The DVDs all were from transfers of original prints. The quality of the video material was definitely from the origibal stock. Interestingly enough, Shoot! must have used some cheaper film grade, because the saturation seemed flat, which is no fault of Blue Underground because many of the movie productions of the time were cutting corners to save as much money as possible.

The work that was put into the box set really shows by the amount of information that each DVD box provides. Blue Underground deserves credit for renewing a fan's belief that a company is releasing such obscure titles not for high profit but for a love of the genre. I wouldn't expect MGM to release the 162- minute Good/Bad/Ugly in its original 176 minute fully- restored glory. They did release 14 minutes of footage as extras, but I feel they should have followed Blue's decision to release films completely unedited and uncensored, even if it means having to replace Italian language scenes into an English language release or allowing the runtime to jump towards 3 hours in length.

Blue put forth an excellent effort to give the lover of Eurowestern cinema more detailed information about films that we really appreciate.

Bravissimo!
Super collection of westerns--Italian style. There not as good as Sergio Leone's classics but then again few films are.

It's great to finally see the rare "Django Kill." This is truly a cult oddity if ever there was one. As much a horror film as it is a western it's full of bizarre, religious imagery as well as references to everything from Luis Bunuel to Edgar Allan Poe. This extremely violent, unforgettable film is presented uncut and, as with all the films in this set, the transfer is immaculate.

"Run, Man, Run" successfully tosses liberal doses of comedy and politics into the mix. Like "Django Kill" it also stars the wonderful Tomas Milian as Cuchillo, a knife-throwing thief.

"Mannaja: A Man Called Blade" is the most conventional and latest film (1977) of the set. Still, it's extremely entertaining and stylishly directed by Sergio Martino (Torso). Maurizio Merli is great in the title, hatchet-wielding role.

The classic "Django" is exclusive to this set. Though Anchor Bay also released this title some time ago, this new transfer came from the original negative and is far more colorful and less grainy. As for the film, it's a must. From the great opening of Franco Nero dragging a coffin behind him to the insanely catchy theme song, "Django" holds you in its grasp.

All four films look exceptional, come with English language and Italian tracks with optional English subtitles and boast a nice selection of extras--interviews, trailers, poster/still galleries, etc.

Thank you Blue Underground for releasing such a cool set. ... Read more

Description

Kidnappers have snatched the wife of violent prison warden Oliver Reed and demand the release of inmate Fabio Testi as ransom. But when the warden allows his prisoner to escape, the two become trapped in a deadly conspiracy that reaches from the halls of government to the bullet-riddled city streets. Can an obsessed lawman and an escaped convict survive the forces of corruption as well as each other, or does the ultimate law of society belong to the revolver? Released in America as "Blood in the Streets" (with the immortal tagline "Makes 'Death Wish' look like wishful thinking!"), this suspenseful crime thriller was co-written and directed by the legendary Sergio Sollima (Violent City, Run Man Run) and features a pounding score by maestro Ennio Morricone. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Solid!
Oliver Reed is very good - even if he doesn't dub his own voice here. (Still waiting for an uncut, widescreen US release of 'The Devils'.) Fabio Testi also holds his own, if you can overlook the voice actor's mediocre performance. (If Jeremy Irons were a pretty-boy matinee idol he'd look just like Fabio Testi. Check him out in 'What Have You Done to Solange?' - an EXCELLENT giallo.)The Morricone score is wonderful as always, and the cinematography is great. Some may not be able to get past certain elements that come with the territory with these Italian ones. (The dubbing, for instance.) Too bad for them. These movies are actually cinematic - while Hollywood movies have become big TV. There are no jarring elements or rough edges - no risk, nothing new, nothing of real interest. That's why I stopped going. Or maybe I'm just getting old. I like the atmospherics, the stylish grace notes and the willingness to risk offence - the charming moments of (probably) unintentional humor that one encounters don't shut me down for the movie. And in Italian cinema the adherence to a formula is often liberating in the particulars. "Suspiria", for example, had a plot that could have been written by a six year old - ... For all the familiar genre moves - that movie doesn't look like any other movie ever.

This is a well-paced, character driven actioner with an extra dimension of humanity that one might not expect - credit director Sergio Sollima for that. In most current American action movies the hero is pretty much invincible, and if anyone dies the movie barely notices - not that you'd care, anyway. This leaves endless scenes of explosions - servicably photographed from multiple angles so they will cut with the hyper-MTV editing that is supposed to trick the audience into thinking that something is actually going on on the screen. Its like watching an oversized video game that you're not allowed to play yourself. I'd fall asleep if these things weren't so noisy.

'Revolver' seems to take place in a different universe. People don't just disappear the moment they die, as if they never existed. They may be given an elgaic send-off or haunt the movie later with the reprecussions of their passing. In one scene a bleeding bystander, who really means nothing to the story, begs for help before the main characters and the movie leave him to expire in the street. As cold as that sounds, its not nearly as cold as the grand-scale bloodless Hollywood meyhem that passes for entertainment and doesn't seem to offend anyone. I'm making more out of it than the movie itself does - but entertainment that acknowledges the negative effects that violence has on human life is just about unheard of these days. This made 'Revolver' stand out for me.

That said, this IS just an engaging thriller that fulfills it's modest ambitions and leaves you feeling satisfied. Its not any more believable than others of its ilk, and its not trying to change anyone's life. Its just a movie - but actual movies are rare these days.

A nice change of pace
I've never seen a movie quite like Revolver. The best descriptor I can muster is "spaghetti thriller". It's a seventies crime drama with a bit of Dirty Harry, a helping of Reservoir Dogs, a few drops of eau de western, a scoop of melodrama, and a dash of political commentary. Though it oscillates between boredom and epic, Revolver delivers the kind of entertainment that today's movies can only parody. If you buy into the characters, you'll be treated to a satisfying drama. If modern sensibilities prevent that, you can at least enjoy the campier aspects and delight in the commanding score.

I may be cynical, but sometimes I look at my DVD collection and see 50 copies of the same movie. Explosions, love interest, conservative "twist" ending, cut! Revolver may be just as derivative of 1970's flicks as the explosion fests of the 21st century are today, but for some reason it was refreshing to watch. I can't see anyone lavishing "rabid fanboy" praise on it, but Revolver was enjoyable, moving at times, and had two great performances. If you thirst for a change of pace, but want to retain the comfortable action standbys of guns and violence, Revolver may be right up your alley. The fantastic extras don't hurt either. ... Read more

Description

Innocent young Eugenie (Marie Liljedahl, luscious star of "Inga") is taken to an island paradise where she is initiated into a world of pleasure and pain controlled by the sinister Dolmance ("Lord of the Rings'" Christopher Lee). But when she surrenders to her own forbidden fantasies, Eugenie becomes trapped in a frenzy of drugs, sadomasochism, and murder. Can a frightened girl in the grip of carnal perversion find sanctuary in the orgies of the depraved? Jess Franco, the infamous director of "Vampyros Lesbos" and "Venus in Furs," brings you this legendary erotic classic, based on the Marquis De Sade's notorious "Philosophy in the Boudoir" and co-starring Jack Taylor (Succubus) and Maria Rohm. Presented completely uncut, this rarely seen shocker remains one of the most controversial explorations of extreme sexuality in European cinema history! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Soledad Miranda-Where are you?
I came to this film after watching Eugenie de Sade, also made by Jess Franco; but, sadly, not availabe in America at the moment. The contrast between the two is startling. I love Eugenie de Sade; but of course, that film had Soledad Miranda in the title part and this film does not, which may explain a lot.

This film fails for three reasons: the acting, the direction, and the script.

Firstly, the acting. To say that Marie Liljedahl is no Soledad Franco would be a little unfair; after all, who is? That she made her name as a porn star rather than as an actress is apparant throughout every scene in this film. Half the time she seems to fumble in front of the camera wondering what to do. Maybe she is looking for direction from Jess Franco which, apparantly, she doesnt get. She isn't helped by the fact that this is an English language production and her voice is so-very-obviously dubbed. She also has to play opposite Maria Rohm, who excels, as does Christopher Lee.

Secondly, the direction. Jess Franco comes over like an amateur film maker with no real idea of what to do. His over use of the red filter, his clumsy editing, and his inability to direct Marie Liljedahl damns the film completely. Although this is obviously made be the same director that made Eugenie de Sade the following year, his flair seems to have deserted him here. Maybe he needs Soledad Miranda to inspire him?

Thirdly, the script. The idea of an innocent girl being slowly corrupted until she becomes evil is a fascinating theme. Sadly, the script handles it in such a kack-handed manner that I failed completely to believe that Eugenie would behave in such a way. She would be traumatised by her experiences, not corrupted.

So there you have it. One Goddamnawful film! It has one redeeming point: Marie Liljedahl's bottom. (This is what the one star is for) If she wasn't voted Rear of the Year in 1969 when this film was made, then she should have been. However, if this is not reason enough to buy this DVD, then buy Eugenie de Sade instead-it's available from Amazon UK. Eugenie de Sade - Now there is a minor classic.

Awesome!
I've just seen one of the most compelling films made in Europe. The cast of the film pulled all the stops to make it really intense and erotic. The good things about that though is that Jesus Franco doesn't have to be explicit to shock or anything but leaves everything to your imagination. The only down-turn in it all, is that the film maybe finishes to quickly! Once the beautiful Eugenie gets on Long Island you don't want to see the end of the film! She's drugged and abused but to her it's still an experience that she finds intriguing and exciting! I recommend you see this film and I bet you'll go and try to find a similar as soon as it ends. Marvellous!

Okay for a rainy day, as they say.
The problem I have with Franco films is this: they're full of beautiful naked women that really don't do much but lounge around. An erotic film should have something remotely akin to a sexual encounter. Even in 1969 they could that, especially in Europe. Well, there is some minor lesbianism in a scene or 2, but....
I'm not going to get into plot details because few people in this film's crowd are interested in sitting through this to critique the plot. If it's truly based on a De Sade work then great, but from my experience a De Sade tale honestly transferred to film would in reality be nothing less than XXX rated (and in some cases a snuff film). So clearly there are elements missing from this flick in the translation from book to movie, as it's not pornographic. Just a PSA to De Sade literary fans.
Franco--with his total of 3 movies bearing the "Eugenie" title--gives De Sade a bad name, believe it or not. The books are much better, and not as tame as Franco makes them out to be.
However, compared to his contemporary Jean Rollin (who was comfortable making the occasional porn film, as it happens), Franco certainly had decent budgets to work with and clearly used them well. He gets sexy actresses, and nice movie sets which fit the story. His direction isn't pedestrian, but he must have skipped school on the day that really important filming techniques were discussed, such as keeping the audience engrossed with the characters. So he decided to make up for that by parading nude women around, and I will definitely not complain! It's always a plus when a film has nudity with a purpose, and I think Jess Franco typically manages to provide that purpose.
"Justine" is probably the highlight of his career, but this particular Eugenie film, overall, is actually pretty entertaining. Not something you'd want to watch again and again, but one that you'll find yourself wanting to pull out of the shelf on occasion.

If you are a fan...
All the reviews here are from people who are not or who are not necessarily fans of Jess Franco's work. Let it be said though, if you are already a fan, you are going to love this dvd - it's his best film, and available for the first time ever!

Fast forward review
Well, just keep your finger on the fast button, because there are zero sleaze scenes worth keeping or even looking at here. We're talking typical rotten Franco effects, including one scene with so much red light you can hardly tell what's going on, and a single whipping scene that is quite obviously being done with soft bathrobe belts. The only thing in the entire film worth a peek is a suntan oiling scene, but it wouldn't even rate the Playboy channel. No stars. ... Read more

Description

Fabio Testi (Revolver) stars as Luca Di Angelo, an idealistic family man and cigarette smuggler in the treacherous Naples underworld. But when a rival gang slaughters his brother and abducts his wife, Luca triggers a psychotic mob war that goes far beyond mere revenge. Get ready for a crime saga unlike anything you've ever seen before as director Lucio Fulci unleashes his most gut-splattering, brain-blasting, flesh-frying scenes of cruelty and carnage imaginable. This is Contraband! Marcel Bozzufi (The French Connection) co-stars in this depraved shocker (also known as The Naples Connection and The Smuggler) that most Fulci fans have only seen in censored versions. Blue Underground is now proud to present Contraband fully restored from the producer's original negative for the first time ever in America! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Cheap from A to Z
Bad dialogue, bad directing, bad acting, bad camera work, and slow describe this waste of time. Grab a camcorder, go see "The Godfather", and you probably have tools enough to make a better film than this; and as far as action and gore are concerned -- it's lame.

The Goriest Gangster Flick Ever
One question that should be asked is - Why are there hardly any mafia films based in Italy? Sure we have the Godfather series with its flashbacks of Sicily, but what about Italy? There are not many and certainly even the best of movie lovers will have trouble trying to list one or two if any at all! So here you have one... and its good!... in its own very odd strange way.

Contraband is a lost classic that has now been restored here on this DVD. What happens when the world's foremost gore director decides to make a crime caper? Answer - more blood than Al Pacino can shoot up in all his gangster flicks put together. Although the plot is mostly non-existent and certainly there is little here in terms of brains, there is plenty of action and horror to boot.

Basically the plot revolves around several smuggler gang families from Naples all snubbing each other out in the worst possible way imaginable... and that is all there is it to it really.

Everything on display here is pretty pointless but it is not done badly at all and the acting is a little better than what you would expect. There are several gore scenes that stand out - a woman getting her face torched to full melt, a gangster having his head machine gunned to pieces, a mob leader having his throat blown off, plenty backs of the heads flying across the room, cops arresting nuns, horses burning up, mobsters getting boiled alive, gangster shot up in church, a vicious rape sequence, intestines being shot out and lots of screaming - all done to the tune of a funky eighties disco beat that is more apt for a ...movie. No Sir, you will not find this one playing on television any time soon.

If gangsters, guns and gore is your thing then you'll love it, but don't get this expecting the cinematic flair of what Hollywood has done with this genre.

Bloody Crime Drama
One of Fulci's best films. A violent italian made crime drama about smugglers of cigarettes and dope. Very gory. Starts out a little slow in the beginning but picks half way in with a vengeance. All the action sequences are top notch. Not so much suspenseful as they are shocking. Recommended viewing for anyone that is a fan of Fulci or Italian spaghetti westerns made in seventies like Django and Mannaja.

Fulci made a Crime Flick? Fugeddaboudit!
The wonderfully warped world of the late Italian film director Lucio Fulci offers much to the fan of horror films. His most notable films, "City of the Living Dead," "Zombie," "The New York Ripper," and "The Beyond" are legends amongst fans. Rabid Fulciophiles excitedly point to his mind blasting gore scenes as proof positive that he is one of the true greats when it comes to sleazy horror films. Who among us can watch the Olga Karlatos splinter gouge in Zombie and not swell up with pride in a job well done? Or note the razor blade devastation in "The New York Ripper" without cringing in ecstatic delight? Horror fans the world over continue to offer paeans of praise to good old Lucio's memory. I myself have often cast my eyes to heaven after surviving one of Fulci's gorefests. Unfortunately, too many Fulci fans overlook his technical weaknesses while singing praises for his screen violence. Let's face it, several of the maestro's films are all but incomprehensible in terms of script, pacing, and cinematography. At least "Contraband," Fulci's contribution to the crime film genre, has a semi-coherent narrative to go along with his trademark gore.

"Contraband" takes place in Naples, Italy. Two brothers, the Di Angelos, who happen to be cigarette smugglers, run into problems after an opium smuggler attempts to ply his trade in the area. What follows is a lengthy run of assassinations directed against the tobacco syndicate. After Luca Di Angelo, played effectively by Fabio Testi, loses his brother in a hail of bullets, he avoids his wife's advice to get out of the business and launches a vendetta against the men who are trying to take over his smuggling operation. Predictably, Luca's enemy abducts his wife and young son in order to force Di Angelo to join forces with the drug trade. Equally foreseeable is a huge mob war resulting in numerous fatalities before Luca saves the day.

If this summary seems short, that is because this is about all there is to the film. Fulci tries to incorporate a few twists and turns in the plot, but the whole thing is convoluted and often times uninteresting. There is one scene where Luca Di Angelo and the other cigarette smuggling bosses meet to discuss the threat they face from drugs that reminded me of the Vito Corleone/Sollozzo scene in the first Godfather film. The comparison is only fleeting, since "Contraband" could never compete with Coppola's cinematic masterpiece. Ultimately, the best thing in this film is Fabio Testi. The guy looks like a star and can actually act like one as well. The rest of the cast is forgettable.

The gore is really a hit or miss affair in this film. There are several great ideas here, especially a dip in an acid pool and a blowtorch applied to a face. Regrettably, a majority of these effects fail to arouse any interest because the execution is so mediocre. On the other hand, a shotgun blast to an abdomen and a bullet in the throat are notably effective. In short, the effects in "Contraband" are not the best we've seen from Fulci. Personally, the atrocious dubbing continually distracted me from any of the other elements of the film, as did the ultra cheesy disco soundtrack. Oddly enough, as bad as the main disco theme was, it does stick in your head for a few days. So does the song playing during the scene where the Di Angelo brothers meet one of their fellow smugglers in a discotheque. The musical score is not something one usually takes away from a Lucio Fulci film, but it happens with "Contraband."

There are few extras on this DVD version, which is completely expected on such an old, low budget cheese fest. There is a trailer for "Contraband," along with text biographies on Lucio Fulci and Fabio Testi. For a Fulci beginner this film biography of the director is an excellent summary of his career and major works. I think including a few extra trailers from other Fulci films would have been nice. There are no commentary tracks, either. While the director is dead and cannot comment on the film, how about getting an expert on his films to step in and do one?

Lucio Fulci not only dipped his toe into the crime film genre, he also did a western, a science fiction film, and a sword and sandal flick. I am interested in seeing those films because they are a Fulci creation, but I think in the meantime I will stick to his horror movies. At least with his gore films I know where I stand. Fulci completists will want to obtain "Contraband" for their collections, but for the rest of us who admire the work he did in a few memorable films this production falls solidly in the "to rent" category.

Great addition to a gorehound's Fulci collection
I'll admit, the artwork on the cover of the DVD case had me thinkin this was some corny James Bond type spy flick, the only thing attractin me to it was that the master Fulci had directed it, and I'm an enormously diehard Lucio Fulci fan. After hearin good things about it, I picked it up, and I'm so glad I did.

Along with New York Ripper, Maniac, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer , Man Bites Dog and Cannibal Holocaust, this is one of the most violently aggressive movies I have ever seen, I loved every minute of it. It is slow-paced in some parts, and the disco music kinda got to me at some spots, but the blowtorch scene among others made up for any weaknesses. And trust me, the violence and brutality are definitely Fulci-esque: One of the henchmen gets blasted in the gut point blank with a double barrel shotgun, splattering his innards, while another guy gets his throat shot out, and, of course, there's that great 80's exploitation flick staple: gratuitious nudity. Also, the rape scene is pretty intense, anyone with a wife or girlfriend might have a hard time stomaching it, but after all these years of violent cinema, I'm pretty much desensitized to anything. 5 stars for sure, go grab this if you love Fulci's work or bloody Tarantino crime movies. ... Read more