BROTHERS IN BLOOD (Italy, 1987)

Original title: LA SPORCA INSEGNA DEL CORAGGIO
AKA BLODBRØDRE (Denmark) 

VHS / Denmark / fullscreen / English dub / Danish subtitles / long uncut version

review by JACK J

1974. As BROTHERS IN BLOOD begins we're back in Vietnam. A handful of US soldiers are in deadly combat with an overflow of Vietcong soldiers. In the most critical minute a chopper finally arrives to take them out of their hell hole but just as the last guy is about to get on board he's hit by a bullet.

There's screaming and yelling, and the Vietcong is closing in so in the final moment the pilot decides to take off even tho the wounded soldier lying on the ground obviously isn't dead. Tough luck. Then jump to 12 years later. The former leader of the group (Bo Svenson) is back in the US spending his nights in bars boozing and getting into fights. His wife isn't too thrilled. o_O

Anyway, one night he watches the news on telly and learns that his old war buddy, the one they left behind, is still alive and is being held hostage in some South American country. Needless to say, he leaves his wife without a word and heads off to find the other members from the old group.

The members are spread out all over the place; One runs a casino and is in trouble with the underworld; One has a family with an ill kid; and Werner Porchat plays a drag queen who's under the thumb with some South American general (if ya catch my drift). By the way, the last movie I saw Werner Porchat in was Umberto Lenzi's WILD TEAM, also set in South America (altho it's actually filmed in the Dominican Republic, LOL) and also quite entertaining.

Anyhoo, Bo Svenson collects the group, none of them are particularly happy about having to save their old friend but somehow Svenson (with NO trace of a Swedish accent, he's clearly dubbed by somebody else) convinces them it's the right thing to do and off they go. They steal a helicopter and weapons not knowing that the FBI are making arrangements with the crook South American government to kill them off once they've rescued the hostages. I'm not going to reveal the ending but there's lots of shootings and explosions. Haha.

BROTHERS IN BLOOD is certainly a fine way to spend around 90 minutes, that's for sure! There's heaps of fighting, shooting and explosions (altho in contradiction to the Filipino films they don't always have exploding huts in the Italian films, LMAO). And some fine acting too. Bo Svenson is a fine character actor. ;-)

I always thought Werner Porchat had one of the best bad guy mugs around. Unfortunately, he died a few years back. There's really no gore and no real explicit violence other than people getting gunned down and blown to pieces but on the other hand we DO see that a lot. Not the best trashy war film ever but as I said it's pretty entertaining.

The print I watched is the Japanese VHS which is dubbed into English and looks great as it's presented in its letterboxed format.


Directed by:
Tonino Valerii

Starring:
Bo Svenson
Werner Pochath
Peter Hooten
Martin Balsam

Three International Sister Films
Italy, 1987

Reviewed copy:
Columbia Video (Japan)
VHS, Letterbox, English dub w/Japanese subtitles
Running time: 1h34m

Trailer:




VHS / Japan / letterbox / English dub / Japanese subs


VHS / Holland / format? / English dub / Dutch subs

[you can click all scans for bigger size]


Thanks to Diabolik for scan of the Danish VHS and for uploading the trailer (it's off a Danish ex-rental VHS. In English, no subs) and thanks to KingofB (Teade) for the Dutch cover scan!!!