The Big Racket (1976)

 The Big Racket (1976)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Fabio Testi, Vincent Gardenia, Glauco Onorato, Orso Guerrini, Renzo Palmer, and Romano Puppo











Nico Palmieri (Testi) is an Italian cop investigating an especially brutal gang whose specialty is extortion. If local shop owners don’t pay their protection money, the gang of toughs stop at absolutely nothing when it comes to ruining their lives. As Nico delves further into their world of amorality and violence, he realizes it doesn’t stop at extortion - it goes way higher up into international drug trafficking and funneling the money into larger and larger projects. Fearing the evildoers will soon be taking over all of Italy, Nico turns to Pepe (Gardenia), a criminal himself, albeit a charming one, for help. 

As the stakes rise, and realizing that the only way to handle the situation is by doing it themselves, Nico organizes what might be called a Revenge Team - getting together victims personally hurt by the baddies - and exacting their own brand of vigilante justice. The team consists of Nico, Pepe, Mazzarelli (Onorato), a man permanently crippled by the gang, Rossetti (Guerrini), an Olympic marksman whose wife was raped and murdered by them, Giulti (Palmer), whose daughter was raped by the gang and who then committed suicide, and Doringo (Puppo), a mercenary who wants a favor from Nico. Will they succeed?

The Big Racket is another highly entertaining masterpiece by the amazing Enzo G. Castellari. We’re huge fans of his, and as we’ve discussed in other reviews of his work, he seems to succeed in every genre he turns his hand to. 

This is a top-notch Poliziotteschi, and has a darker and more serious tone than his other collaboration with the great Fabio Testi, The Heroin Busters (1977). Testi’s crime film with Lucio Fulci, Contraband (1980) is yet another classic of the genre and well worth seeing if you haven’t already. As always for the Italians, and for Enzo specifically, the film is very well-shot, and is interestingly edited. It’s certainly colorful, as the time-honored disco scene proves. The music by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis is also typically excellent and fits the tone of the movie perfectly. The whole package is irresistible and you really can’t lose.

Out of the three Poliziotteschi directed by Enzo that were released on DVD by Blue Underground - Street Law (1974), The Big Racket and The Heroin Busters - The Big Racket is probably the most intense. Not to mention angry and perhaps nihilistic. Additionally, Fabio Testi (who is the original Fabio) has never looked cooler. 

These movies are fascinating records of the time, and the frustrations felt by the audience, who were living through real-life crime waves in Italy at that time, are perfectly expressed by Enzo and his team. Showing how solidly made they are, these movies more than stand the test of time today. They are perfectly suited for today’s audiences as well. That’s surely the sign of quality. It’s doubtful Blue Underground would have released them if, hypothetically, they were unwatchable, incoherent crud by today’s standards. 

The only real crime here is that BU is probably not going to release any more Poliziotteschi - by any director - anytime soon. We believe, sadly, that the ship has sailed on a wide enough audience buying these films on DVD, enough so that the company can make a profit. We certainly hope that isn’t the case, but we fear it is. The DVD boom of the early-to-mid 2000’s is over (seemingly it just got started...) but at least we have some of Enzo’s fine work which made it to disc at the right time.

The Big Racket is a classic of the genre and we recommend it highly.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Also check out write-ups from our buddies, A Hero Never Dies and 10k Bullets! 

The Heroin Busters (1977)

The Heroin Busters (1977)- * * * *

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Fabio Testi and David Hemmings













International heroin smugglers are traveling between Colombia, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, New York and Rome plying their sinister trade. Mike Hamilton (Hemmings) is an Interpol agent obsessed with stemming the tide of drugs from these professional narcotics-smuggling gangs. But he’s in his office. On the actual streets is Fabio (Testi), an undercover cop who makes plenty of enemies in the underworld. It all comes to a head when said baddies all come after Fabio, and he has to use all his wits to get away with his life. Can he do it?

There seems to be no end to the amazing contributions of Enzo G. Castellari to the world of filmed entertainment. From Light Blast (1985) to his post-apocalyptic Video Store Classics 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) and The New Barbarians (1983), to his Westerns like Any Gun Can Play (1967), to his trilogy of top-notch Poliziotteschi, Street Law (1974), The Big Racket (1976) and, this, The Heroin Busters, the list goes on and on. Is there anything he can’t do? When you’re adept at so many genres, that level of talent opens you up to new audiences, and many different types of film fans have a special place in their hearts for Enzo. We certainly do.

Everything is top-notch here, from the way it’s shot and edited, to the acting, clothing, set design, etc., it’s firing on all cylinders. Enzo seemed to really want to show the grossness and evil of drugs, showing the subculture not as glamorous and exciting, but as disgusting and dingy. David Hemmings puts in an energetic performance, and the icing on the cake is the typically-stellar Goblin soundtrack.

But truly the man of the hour is Fabio Testi. He seems so effortlessly cool in everything he does, and pretty much the last half-hour of this movie is him doing a lot of super-awesome things. Enzo just stacks ingenious on top of ingenious until the audience is overwhelmed. If you’ve seen it , you know what we mean, and if you haven’t, the excellent Blue Underground DVD is available, now at an all-new low price. You can’t afford to NOT see it.

The Heroin Busters is yet another jewel in the crown of Enzo, as well as everyone else involved with this fine production.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

Also check out a write-up from our buddies at 10k Bullets!

Street Law (1974)

Street Law (1974)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Franco Nero, Giancarlo Prete, and Barbara Bach 











Carlo Antonelli (Nero) is a humble, but fairly well-off Genoese engineer. One day while at the bank, a gang of street toughs break in, rob the place, and assault some of the patrons. Unfortunately, Carlo is one of those unlucky customers, and the baddies even briefly kidnap him during their quest to evade the law. Carlo is profoundly changed by the experience. 

At first seeking help from the proper authorities, his anger and frustration grows and grows due to their lack of help. He decides to take matters into his own hands. Along the way he meets Tommy (Prete), a small-time thug who reluctantly agrees to help Carlo in his search for justice and revenge. Carlo also tries to enlist the help of Barbara (Bach) but her style of assistance isn’t nearly as forceful and effective as his and Tommy’s. Will Carlo track down his assailants? Find out today!

Street Law, aside from being a great and highly entertaining movie, is probably the most well-known example of Poliziotteschi in America. During the heady days of VHS, the cassette got wide distribution by VidAmerica. Most people with memories of video stores can remember that box, with the hooded thug pointing his gun at you. Sure, that guy isn’t really in the movie, and the artwork kind of takes away from the serious-minded tone of the film, but so what? Once again, director Enzo G. Castellari proves himself a master of any genre he turns his attention to, imbuing the film with a confident, competent, professional vibe that never drops the ball in the entertainment department.

Maintaining the intense, angry core of the movie is the great Franco Nero. You really feel for his character, and the violent bits have all the more impact for it. In classic Italian style, there are many insane, real stunts where it looks like dudes are seriously putting their lives at risk to entertain us. No CGI here! 

All of this is set to the incredibly beautiful background of Italy. Everything from the car chases to the few humorous asides are all directed and shot to perfection by Enzo and his team. But his trump card is getting the fabulous Guido and Maurizio DeAngelis to do the music. Their main theme is pitch-perfect and the awesomeness of this song, “Goodbye My Friend”, just raises the bar even more for the movie as a whole. Just the way the song is cued at specific parts of the movie shows a genius for editing and rhythm.

Of course, Street Law is filled with 70’s style. Sure, it’s a film relevant to the time it was made thanks to the subject matter, but the clothes, hair and home/office decor are fascinating in their own right. The prevailing style of the day seems to be to wear a sweater with a large-collared shirt underneath, with a blazer. All of which are made of different materials and designs. A lot of the exterior shots do look like it was cold out, so this probably kept everyone warm, not to mention stylish.

How can you lose with a movie about a one-man justice squad starring Franco Nero and directed by Enzo? You can’t, and the inoffensive dubbing doesn’t get in the way, plus the cool climax puts the icing on the cake. If you don’t already have it, be sure to pick up the Blue Underground DVD.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Hammer (1990)

Hammer (1990)- * * *1\2

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Daniel Greene, Melonee Rodgers, Donna Rosea, Jorge Gil, Jeff Moldovan, and Frank Zagarino










Hammer (Greene) is a Cop on the Edge. Back in ‘Nam, he and a group of buddies had a small clique known as the Storm Riders. When one of said old buddies, Greg (Moldovan) reaches out to him, seemingly in trouble, Hammer responds, but then Greg is murdered by a mysterious assassin (Zagarino). Now Hammer is a cop over the edge. He chases the man, but he escapes. It’s then that Hammer goes on vacation to Jamaica, and proceeds to go on a rampage and cause all sorts of havoc while there. Hammer must fight through corruption, drug dealers, liars, cheaters, and just about every sort of baddie there is. Will he ever make it back to U.S. alive? Find out today!

“Wow, there’s actually a movie with Daniel Greene, Frank Zagarino and Jeff Moldovan and it’s directed by Enzo G. Castellari? That’s amazing!” That quote was taken from...us, when we realized the movie Hammer existed. And you thought Fred Williamson was the only Hammer. Well, it turns out Daniel Greene can Hammer it up with the best of them. With his hair lookin’ better than ever, Greene puts in a winning lead performance. The greatness of Enzo just proves itself even more with this highly entertaining and enjoyable romp.

The opening chase between Greene and Zagarino is an impressive movie highlight, and they even get a jet ski chase again later. Zagarino is perfectly cast, because he doesn’t say anything and he’s the slippery bad guy who the audience can readily hate. Plus he has some awesome sunglasses. Weirdly enough, during the first chase scene, on the soundtrack we get the “Sweet Child O’ Mine” guitar solo, but it’s never credited anywhere. Could it be a possible under-the-radar steal? It does firmly place the movie in 1990, however. Right where movies should be.  It was also nice to see Masterblaster (1987) co-stars Moldovan and Donna Rosea reunited in a different movie.

In all fairness, the movie does start to run out of steam just a tad somewhere towards the middle/end, but that’s a common thing and very slight in this case. Enzo hits all the right action notes, including the time-honored final warehouse shootout. There really is plenty here for fans to sink their teeth into, and this movie should be more well known.

Featuring the catchy tune “Island Man” by Charlie Cannon, Hammer should satisfy anyone’s craving for classic early-90’s action. 

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Striker (1987)

Striker (1987)-* * *1\2

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Frank Zagarino, John Phillip Law, John Steiner, and Melonee Rodgers













When journalist Frank Morris (JPL) is jailed by the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the one and only John “Striker” Slade (Zags) is sent in to rescue him because he’s the “best in extraction from hostile territories”. While in country posing as a Canadian photographer, he teams up with a local woman, Marta (Rodgers), who acts as his guide and confidante. Soon enough, the Strikester proceeds to decimate the population of Managua. But the true baddie behind it all is Kariasin (Steiner). His name even sounds evil (i.e. “carry a sin”.) With the odds stacked against him, will Striker be able to complete the mission and make it out alive? Find out today!

Striker is very fun, classically 80’s action and one of the better Rambo knockoffs we’ve seen to date. Marrying that with another popular DTV genre of the day, the El Presidente movie (don’t forget Nicaragua was a hot subject at the time and in the news a lot), and tied together in that wonderfully Italian way by co-writer Umberto Lenzi and the great director Enzo Castellari, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

One Frank Anthony Zagarino, or Frankie Zags as we like to call him, has one of the better (?) super-wooden monotones committed to film. His speaking voice is the equivalent to a hospital life-support flatline. He makes Don “The Dragon” Wilson sound like Crazy Eddie. His elocution aside, he has some radically awesome sunglasses that say to the world “the ultimate badass has arrived”. Plus he has a wide variety of ways to kill his enemies. Some movies contain just constant shooting and that can get boring after awhile. The makers of Striker had the good sense to realize that variety is the murderous spice of life. Famously, he even has a killer slingshot, making him look like Dennis the Menace in a fit of ‘Roid Rage.

Striker is, for all intents and purposes, what we normally call a Jungle Slog, but thankfully there’s really not much slog. There’s too much highly implausible and funny action on display. The movie basically succeeds in spite of the performance of Zags. For as little energy and screen presence as he brings to his dialogue scenes, that is counterbalanced by John Phillip Law (or JPL as we call him) - he really is at his absolute best in this movie. Plus Striker has one of the better exploding helicopters we’ve seen in a while, and naturally it has the prerequisite torture scene.

Not to be confused with any of the many other action heroes named Striker in the 80’s, this one has enough entertainment value to raise it above the level of many of its contemporaries. Chalk up another winner to AIP. Plus Jeff Moldovan is credited as a “Special Action Supervisor”, and Daniel Greene is on board in an uncredited role as a trucker. So you really can’t lose.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

The New Barbarians (1983)

The New Barbarians (1983)-* * *

AKA: Warriors Of The Wasteland

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Fred Williamson, Giancarlo Prete, George Eastman and Giovanni Frezza


“The Templars are ministers of revenge!” - One








In the year 2019, after the nuclear holocaust, an evil band of marauding evildoers called The Templars want to be the ultimate “Warriors of the Wasteland”. These amoral baddies will stop at nothing to achieve their evil ends, but, unluckily for them, there are still heroes left in this harsh, unforgiving world. Scorpion (Prete), Nadir (Fred) and a young tot who’s handy with cars as well as a slingshot - making him a post-apocalyptic Dennis the Menace (Frezza) band together to fight the Templars and their leader One (Eastman). Will our heroes prevail - or will the Templars rule the ruins? Find out today!

The 80’s post-apocalyptic boom was in full force here - both in Italian production studios and shortly thereafter in video stores. With the usual suspects both in front of and behind the camera - director/co-writer Enzo G. Castellari, writer Tito Carpi, producer Fabrizio DeAngelis and most noteworthy of all, music by Claudio Simonetti - they probably figured “plot? Who needs plot? Let’s go out to the countryside and just see what happens.” And while you think that might not work, it totally does, because of all the creative inventions on show. By inventions we mean the outfits, props, hairstyles, vehicles, weaponry and all the little innovations in between. Thankfully, the untraditional approach of making the movie more about the inventions than anything else paid off.

Differentiating itself from the previous year’s 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982), The New Barbarians is a rural post-apocalyptic escapade, while 1990 is a grimy urban tale. There are plenty of “pew pew!” lasers on show here, as well as plenty of flamethrowers, blow-ups, and of course the prerequisite torture scene. Additionally, it seems a lot of time was spent of the sound effects, which go a long way. Visually, there are many cool shots in the movie, and the beauty of the photography is clearly evident on Media Blasters’ DVD. Sadly, a lot of this was butchered on the Warriors of the Wasteland VHS released by Thorn EMI back in the day.

While Fred Williamson doesn’t seem to actually say very much in this movie, it’s okay, because he lets his bow and arrow with exploding arrows do most of the talking. The movie is filled with crowd-pleasing effects and moments: don’t you wish you had a button in your car that would make a door fly off just in case someone happened to attach a bomb to it? Man, those post-apocalyptic weirdos thought of everything! So don’t get so angry and frustrated you rip a bible in half with your bare hands - just watch The New Barbarians tonight!

Comeuppance Review by Brett and Ty

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)

1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)-* * *1\2

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Mark Gregory, Christopher Connelly, Vic Morrow, Stefania Goodwin, and Fred Williamson













In 1990, the future, street gangs have taken over the Bronx, and it is officially designated “No Man’s Land”. A lone hero, Trash (Gregory) is a member of the Riders gang . He wants to protect his girlfriend Ann (Goodwin) from the onslaught of violence and lawlessness, but she’s the daughter of the President of The Manhattan Corporation, the suits who are really running things from behind the scenes. Part of Trash’s quest is to get to Ogre (Williamson), a powerful man in the underground community. In order to do this, Trash and his compatriots must fight through a dizzying array of enemies. Meanwhile, Hammer (Morrow) and Hot Dog (Connelly) are monitoring the situation. If that all sounds confusing, don’t worry, as 1990 is a year that can’t come too soon!

Ah, 1990: The Bronx Warriors. A video store classic if there ever was one! Just starting from the opening credits, you know what you’re about to see is going to be an absolute treat. The Walter Rizzati music is pitch-perfect, the outfits are amazing, the vehicles are a joy to watch , and the weaponry is filled with eye-catching innovation. It’s yet more proof, as if any was needed, that the 80’s rule!

We’ve always been fans of Enzo G. Castellari, and here he puts his stylish directorial touches (as well as a role in the movie) towards the time-honored post-apocalyptic movie. In more recent years, this has come to be synonymous with “slog”, but here, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Pretty much using The Warriors (1979) and Escape From New York (1981) as its template, the filmmakers behind 1990 somehow managed to come up with their own unique beast. The Italians really have their own style, and here they put their energies to an extremely entertaining use.

Trash is truly a hero for the 80’s. First off, his name is Trash. Are you really going to argue with him? Well, there’s really no second part to that. Adding to the nostalgia factor, there are plenty of scenes that feature the World Trade Center towers. But 1990 offers something new even there: how often do you see a dude playing the drums right out in the open in front of the towers? And later on, there’s even a New York cake with the towers on it! The “icing on the cake” (sorry) is that this falls into another category we love: movies that take place in the future but are now the past.

We really enjoyed 1990 and we’re pretty confident you will too. The Media Blasters DVD looks great, and needless to say, blows away the old Media tape, quality wise. It’s hard not to love 1990.

Also check out a review by our friend, the DTVC!

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Light Blast (1985)

Light Blast (1985)-* * * *

Directed by: Enzo G. Castellari

Starring: Erik Estrada, Peggy Rowe, Michael Pritchard, and Ennio Girolami















When evildoers with a fake news van and a giant super-laser threaten to blow up the city of San Francisco if their ransom of five million dollars (later upped to 20 million) is not given to them,  it's up to Inspector Ronn Warren (Estrada) and his partner Lt. Curtis (Michael Pritchard) to stop the nefarious, weight-lifting ex-college professor Dr. Yuri Soboda (Girolami). It's a race against time as Warren must put together the pieces - from a mysterious morgue to the final chase - before everyone in the city by the bay gets their faces melted off! Is he man enough...or is he just a "turkey"?

Light Blast is an incredibly fun, highly entertaining winner. From Estrada's killer entrance, to the super-laser, to the rough-and-tumble action sequences and everything on down. Estrada's never been better than here as the charismatic cop Warren, who wears a cool jacket, and like Last Man Standing's (1996) Kurt Bellmore, has a policy of only hijacking awesome high-powered cars for his chases. Pritchard is lovable as Curtis, and they have a nice camaraderie, as Warren also does with his wife Jacqueline (Rowe). It's "Light" years away from that disgrace to laser movies, No Time To Die (1984). Drench that in an awesome score by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis and the confident direction of the legendary Enzo G. Castellari, and you have a comic-book-style action piece with plenty of re-watchability value.

On top of being fast-paced, funny, violent, well-shot, and consistently good with no dull bits (no mean feat in itself), 80's fanatics will get a kick out of the clothes, cool watches, phones, cars, microfiche, hats, tape players, an early form of GPS, and, of course, the infamous laser with its great effects. You know Soboda is evil because of his scarf and mustache, and like any baddie worth his salt, he has a command center. Light Blast has plenty of mystery and intrigue, and, as if all that wasn't enough, there's even a rockin' revenge sub-plot. It'a a quality production that knows its audience and delivers the goods to it in enthusiastic spades.

Light Blast truly has it all. If you're looking for an upbeat ride of a film to Blast you out of the movie-watching doldrums, this is just the ticket. It made us believe again.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett