No, this film doesn't really belong here. It's a war flick alright but about the "wrong" war, i.e. WWII, not the Vietnam War. And the production doesn't have anything to do with the Philippines what so ever. So why? Well, numero uno: It's a great cover! And numero due: I just won it! Haha.
The only review on IMDb says among other things:
So, all in all, not a completely terrible movie, but definitely not a good one either. For Umberto Lenzi-completists this will be great fun to watch, but for other people this might be too boring to sit all the way through. Kind of reminds me of "The Inglorious Bastards", but worse
- Oh well, I never trust the bloody IMDb anyway so who knows what it's gonna be like. I mean after all this is from the director who also did such classics as NIGHTMARE CITY, VIOLENT NAPLES, and CANNIBAL FEROX.
Plot description from some bootleg place called Revok:
Its World War II in eastern Europe and the Nazis have succeeded in capturing a Swedish scientist. Their plan is to force the scientist to create weapons of mass-destruction so they can cause some serious casualties on the allies. It up to a group of local rebels to free the important prisoner from the Nazis before they run out of time. To help them with the mission, they enlist the aid of a couple of American pilots. Together the team battle their way through the war torn landscape, dodging bombs, bullets and shrapnel the Nazis continually unleash. This rare Umberto Lenzi war movie is an explosion filled journey that features a rad synth score by Fabio Frizzi and stars Inglorious Bastard's Peter Hooten as one of the American pilots. UNCUT from JAPAN
1988 - Un Maledetto Soldato (company unknown, incorrectly listed on IMDB as Regal Films)
[export title “Just A Damned Soldier”; released in Japan as “Violence Hunter” and in Germany as “Zum Sterben Verdammt”] [the VHS I'm getting (see scan) is definitely called JUST A DAMNED SOLDIER on the front cover but needless to say it may have been released more than once. Jack]
Director “Ted Kaplan”/Ferdinando Baldi Story/Screenplay Ferdinando Baldi Producers Scimo Glam, Massimo Vigliar Supervising Producer Tony Miland Music Elio Polizzi Cinematography Terence Zuker Editor Med Salkind Casting Rosy Stoller Production Design Sam Lorimar Art Direction Sam Lorimar Costume Design Henriette Bishop Hair Stylist Lyn Domingh Makeup Artist Paul Manson Production Supervisors Alex Coleman, Tony Miland Production Manager Anthony Kalvent Assistant Director “Kim Parker”/Tanya Foxx Draughtsman Tom Brooks Property Manager Farb Ungher Dubbing Editor Nick Alexander Boom Operator Frank Lautern Sound Mixer “Dick Tineber”/Alberto Tinebra Special Effects “Fredy”/Goffredo Unger First Assistant Camera Guy Clark Gaffer Ted Marins Stills Charlie Peralta Camera Operator “Tony Schiaving”/Antonio Schiavo Lena Grip Fred Targhet Seamstress Laura Albis Assistant Editor Mary Norman Assembly Cutter Lucy Nusch Production Accountant Alex Coleman Script Supervisor Jane Koster
Cast Peter Hooten, Mark Gregory, “Rom”/Romano Kristoff (Gus Johnson), “Steve Eliot”/Stelio Candelli, Christine Leigh, David Giberson, Roger Vivero, Elvie Hoagland, Ilonah Jean, Ernie Zarate, “Johan Dolaney”/John P. Dulaney, [uncredited] Mike Monty, Goffredo Unger
Check this out! In my search for rare & violent Turkish Cüneyt Arkin films (yes, I watch other films than from the Philippines, LOL) I stumbled over this Turkish VHS release of BATTLE RATS! Pretty cool that it was released there. The tape is dubbed in Turkish and no I didn't buy it (but if you want to click here).
Jesus Manuel's wife and first kid with Mike Abbott in Hong Kong (2008). Yes, thee Mike Abbott! :D
Big congrats to our friend Jesus Manuel who shouldn't be a stranger to readers of this blog as he's a frequent commentator here. And also for the past few months he's been doing his own excellent blog, Golden Ninja Warrior Chronicles, where he's set out to reveal all the info there is to be revealed on the cut & caste movies from IFD, Filmark, Godfrey Ho, Tomas Tang, Joseph Lai, etc. Some task!!!
Needless to say, our blogs cross paths as quite a few of the cut & paste movies from HK are Vietnam War movies and some of them even use footage from Filipino films.
Anyhoo, Jesus Manuel and the missus just had their second baby and not without complications but from what I know it seems all went well in the end, so big congrats from yours truly.
Here the man hisself showing off a rare VCD version of Cynthia Rothrock's HK movie BLOODY MARY KILLER.
You can thank me later!!! "Spiralheadcase" (an Englishman and legendary eBay'er living in Japan) has Antonio Margheriti's brilliant Vietnam War movie TIGER JOE up for auction. This very entertaining movie isn't released on DVD and this Japanese VHS is by far the best release there is! I have a copy myself and also a Danish somewhat letterboxed release and there's just NO comparison what so ever!!! This tape isn't SOMEWHAT letterboxed but FULLY letterboxed! Oh, did I mention it stars good ol'e David Warbeck! The auction runs for another 6 days and so far no-one's made a bid. Go here.
EDIT!!! I've just discovered an eBay seller in Sweden has the Japanese tape of Lamberto Bava's awesome BLAST FIGHTER at a buy now price of 8 (eight!) measly dollars!! Here. If I didn't already have two copies I'd buy it right away!! O_O
Thanks to Kiba of Cinehound forum I can now show you the full scan of the original Thai video-cd release of CANNIBAL MERCENARY (or Employ For Die (?) as the English title reads on the cover!). And if you haven't already then do check Andrew's review of the film here.
Argentina / VHS / fs? / English audio / Spanish subs
Dir: Willie Milan
Cast: Vivian Cheung
Vincent Giffin
Jeremy Ladd
Arnold Nicholas
Patrick Scott
Rey Vhen
Eric Hahns
Brad Collins
Henry Strzalkowski
Ronnie Patterson
Audrey Miller
Debbie Henson
by GÜNTER MÜLLER
Aaaahhh… the 1980s! The sheer unbelievable Ninja craze! More cheap but cheerful Namsploitation flicks you can shake a severed foot at! Insane post-nuke mayhem! Yeah, those were the days… Enter Wilfred (aka Willie) Milan. In 1986 the auteur behind such cinematic Filipino gems (well, not really) as MAD WARRIOR (1985) and W IS WAR (either 1983 or 1986 – depending on which source you believe) – two lesser known entries into the crazy post-nuke cycle initiated by George Miller’s MAD MAX 2 – THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981) – tried his hands on a movie that mixes two of those very promising subgenres in order to make some quick cash.
It’s Ninjas in Vietnam this time, and although this sounds too good to be true, ULTIMAX FORCE falls a bit short of my expectations. Perhaps you remember Cirio H. Santiago’s hugely entertaining action nonsense NAM ANGELS (aka HELL’S ANGELS IN VIETNAM, 1989), that has got quite a similar concept, but is ultimately more satisfying. In Santiago’s case a few ultra-tough members of the rocker gang Hell’s Angels go to Vietnam to rescue a bunch of prisoners, and this film works so well because no one (neither the makers nor the cast members) takes this ludicrous concept too seriously. By way of contrast ULTIMAX FORCE seems to be deadly serious in all respects.
It tells the story of four Ninjas who search for one of their friends who is held prisoner in Vietnam by a sadistic camp commander. Will our tough-as-nails heroes manage to free their friend before he rots in one of those dirty hell-holes? Much to my surprise they fail, thanks to the evil Colonel Minh who prefers shooting his prisoners before the rescue team arrives, but that’s about the only original point in this cliché-ridden, lowbrow action flick. The characters are so extremely one-dimensional (particularly Arnold Nicholas as stone-faced leader Chris Burton and Rey Vhen as mean, arrogant Colonel Minh) that they make John Rambo look like the most complex character on earth.
Produced by Pierre C. Lee and written by Joe Avalon, ULTIMAX FORCE is at least good if dumb fun, provided that you lower your expectations immensely. PLATOON (1986) it ain’t – it has much more in common with the MISSING IN ACTION trilogy (1984 - 1988), only cheaper, sillier, and less spectacular. So our Ninjas (who have really cool names like Chris Burton, Dick Foster, Bill Norton and Mike Dobson) stroll through the jungles, talk stupid things and bump off Vietcongs by the dozens. Not in that order, necessarily. Mostly they rely on their machine guns to wipe out their enemies, but sometimes they also use grenades, chains and – of course – their swords.
There are a few shootouts (often spiced up with the sight of unfortunate men being riddled with bullets), punch-ups, fights and explosions, but it’s neither spectacular nor the least bit memorable. Sure, it’s entertaining, in a naïve, trashy way, but it’s far from being great. At least ULTIMAX FORCE is a real Ninja movie, in contrast to all those chaotic Joseph Lai/Godfrey Ho/Tomas Tang patchwork flicks.
The British DVD has got a very poor picture quality, and – to add insult to injury – it is supposed to be cut too! ULTIMAX FORCE was also released on tape in Germany on the Mike Hunter label under the title RUCKUS 2 – UNTERNEHMEN: “CONDOR”. For whatever reason they wanted to make us believe that it is a sequel to the action flick RUCKUS (1981) that stars Exorcist-babe Linda Blair. ULTIMAX FORCE is good, undemanding fun, shot on a low budget, with no redeeming values whatsoever. In other words: eighty minutes of stupid entertainment, no more, no less.
[originally posted on Günter's "The Return of the Ninjas" website]
Denmark / VHS / fs / English audio / Danish subs
Thanks to Frank (Australian Video Covers) for uploading the trailer off an Aussie VHS. And thanks to Cristian S from RaroVhs for the Argentinean VHS cover. Thanks to Henrik Larsen of Obskuriøst magazine for the Danish VHS cover (and for selling me the tape! Cheers).
VHS/Germany/format?/German dub/no subs. [click scan for bigger size]
Director Dante Varona Writers Fred Navarro, Lito Mena Producers Naty Almanza, Sunny Lim Cinematography Bobby Ongieo Editor Ludy de Jesus Special Effects Gorgonio Ible Production Designer Bert Gayanan
Cast Dante Varona, Rex Lapid, Robert Talabis, Tanya Faye, Danny Rojo, Anthony Faustzmann, Philipp Mann, Ernie Forte, Manny Dora, Misty Vargas, Ernie David
I know close to nothing about this film. I have the scan from Tony Li's FB page! Do any of you have this? Is there an English dubbed tape?
Bummer!! Someone else discovered the auction for this nice tape!!! :-/
Seller's description:
SYNOPSIS: SUPER RARE Greek VHS of a TOTALLY OBSCURE (imdb and google ignore it!!) 80's asian commando with mark tyler and chester howe! dir. by GODFREY HO!!
I asked Jesus Manuel about it and he says it might be aka THE SPY INFERNO. Info from the lucky winner would be nice. Cheers.
