The Violent Breed (1984)

The Violent Breed (1984)-* *1\2

Directed by: Fernando Di Leo

Starring: Harrison Muller Jr., Carole Andre, Danika La Loggia, Woody Strode, and Henry Silva










Back when they were all in ‘Nam together, Mike Martin (Muller Jr.), Kirk Cooper (Silva) and Polo (Strode) were the best of buddies and they always looked out for each other: saving children, rescuing hostages and even pulling bullets out of each others’ bodies.  This team of soldiers worked together well, with their expertise being in surprise attacks. To the shock of Mike and Kirk, Polo willingly stays behind in ‘Nam.

Years later, both Mike and Kirk are CIA agents. It turns out that Polo is one of southeast Asia’s worst offenders when it comes to drugs and arms smuggling. He’s working with the Russians, the Mafia, everybody. So Kirk sends Mike to Bangkok to find his old compatriot Polo and stop his evil doings. While there, he meets a hooker with a heart of gold, thanks to the “comic relief” French madam (La Loggia), and they take on Polo’s army (yes, he commands his own army) of goons. And what is Mike’s girlfriend Sharon (Andre) up to? Dare you try to find out?

The Violent Breed is your classic jungle/exploding huts shoot ‘em up with constant gunfire and explosions. After a while, it all gets pretty numbing. Muller is the glib, wisecracking hero who always seems to land on his feet. While he fights the baddies, his Harrison-fu is on full display. Silva and Strode, both great actors, could have done much more with their meager roles.

 Director Fernando Di Leo has done considerably better work than this in his career, and everything in this film seems to drag on and on. Perhaps he was just trying to fit in to the then-current Italian action boom, but this one falls pretty flat. You’d have to be a pretty big Harrison Muller Jr. fan to try to track this one down. Seeing as we’ve reviewed FOUR of his movies to date, Comeuppance Reviews seems to be your one-stop Harrison Muller Jr. shop. Who else can claim that?

Seemingly a continuation of The Final Executioner (1984) formula (both have Muller and Strode), and again released by Cannon/MGM in those cool big boxes on VHS (as was its predecessor), The Violent Breed, despite its promising name, is middle-of-the-road action at best.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett

The Final Executioner (1984)

The Final Executioner (1984)-* *1\2

Directed by: Romolo Guerrieri

Starring: Harrison Muller Jr., Marina Costa, Renato Miracco, Karl Zinny, Cinzia Bonfantini, William Mang, and Woody Strode











Surely anyone reading this site is familiar with Italian post-apocalyptic movies, and The Final Executioner certainly falls into that sub-genre, but it is a decidedly second (or perhaps even third)-tier entry. Just imagine 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982) or The New Barbarians (1982) crossed with The Most Dangerous Game (1932) with a dash of The Rules of the Game (1939).

After the nuclear apocalypse, a class system developed. A privileged, non-contaminated upper class, and the radiation-contaminated masses. Presumably to do double duty as a really entertaining sport as well as cleanse the population of “undesirables”, the rich invented a game: “The Hunt”, where they let loose the unwashed masses and shoot them for fun. The upper, hunting classes consist of  Edra (Costa), Louis (Miracco), Evan (Zinny), Melvin (?) and the flashy, mercenary-style hunter Erasmus (Muller). One day, a disgruntled member of the underclass decides to fight back. After the baddies kill his wife (Bonfantini), Alan (Mang) becomes intent on revenge against the hunters. Being an intellectual and having no fighting background, Sam (Strode), a former New York City cop, extensively trains Alan in the warrior arts. Will Alan and/or Sam wreak vengeance upon those snobby “hunters”?

The director, Romolo Guerrieri, was a journeyman-type director, having worked in many different genres over his long career, delivering product to keep pace with the varying trends in Italian cinema. You’d think someone with his filmmaking experience would have noticed the weird, sluggish pace and nonsensicality of what he was directing. Perhaps he DID notice this, so he gave the film a lot of exploitative elements, plenty of sex, nudity, constant violence, shooting, chases, blow-ups and even rape. Amazingly, this film is still boring. It just goes to show, if you have zero character development, the audience cannot become interested no matter how much sleaze and violence you throw at them.

Thankfully, this does have most of the hallmarks of the Italian post-nuke world we’ve come to know and love: absurd dubbing, motorcycles and cars with crazy, “futuristic” appliances on them, unbelievably wacky costumes and the like. Interestingly, this also has a comment on the Italian class system, using the apocalyptic wasteland as a backdrop for it. Perhaps the filmmakers had Salo (1975) in mind, but the end product is junky and uninspiring.

But it does have a nice electronic score, and it is worth noting that the movie is called The Final Executioner, and there is a scene with a flamethrower, recalling the two Exterminator movies. Could that be a coincidence?

Released by Cannon, the VHS in the U.S. was put on shelves featuring the memorable silver big box. If you’re looking for a good example of Italian post-apocalypse movies, this is not a good example to start off with, but the presences of Harrison Muller Jr. and Woody Strode are among its redeeming qualities.

Comeuppance Review: Brett and Ty

Getting Even (1988)

Getting Even (1988)-* * *

Directed by: Leandro Lucchetti

Starring: Richard Roundtree, Michael Aronin, George Ardisson, Deborah Keith and Harrison Muller Jr.










Roy Evans (Muller) is a Vietnam vet who spent five years in a prison camp. He has flashbacks of those dark times often, and he recalls a time when he tried to carry his wounded buddy to a chopper before it took off. Unfortunately, it was piloted by the sinister Slisko (Aronin), a man who you can tell is evil by his name. Slisko literally kicks them off the chopper and he takes off. 

Now, in the present day, some psycho is roaming around NYC leaving a trail of dead prostitutes in his wake. And they all have a unique signature: the knife wounds are made by a curved knife called a "criss". Could it be the work of the nefarious Slisko? Evans and 'Nam buddy Dundee (Roundtree) want answers - and revenge. But they must answer to the mysterious FBI agent Roberts. So after tracking him all over the city, their quest leads them to Bangkok where they meet up with Pearl (Keith), a beautiful woman who's handy with a machine gun. They then learn Slisko is running weapons to the guerillas. So with machine guns a blazin' and huts a-explodin', the deadly trio get to the truth - in the most violent way possible, of course.

Of the two Richard Roundtree/Harrison Muller Jr. team-ups, this one is far better (than its counterpart, Miami Cops, 1989). This one is more of a pure action movie, with plenty of bullet hits and blow-ups, and quasi-Rambo stylings. Muller Jr. and Roundtree should be using a machine gun and a rocket launcher, respectively, not tooling around Detroit pretending it's Miami. Maybe that's a bit unfair, but what's interesting about Getting Even is that they must go back to Asia and defeat the baddies using the techniques they originally learned in 'Nam. Circle of life. Or death, more accurately. It even ends in the time-tested "Final Field Fight". But what is the final twist?

Of course, there is the prerequisite funny dubbing, and the funny dialogue they are dubbing with (in a Vietnam flashback, a character yells out "The Radio Shack is right up ahead!"...that's really funny), and, like Miami Cops, the film quality is not great. Speaking of funny things, you wouldn't think, of Muller Jr. and Roundtree, that Muller would have the thicker, fuller afro, but there it is.

This may seem weird, but in some of the actions of the characters, it resembles the NES game "Renegade". To add weird on top of weird, Muller's character drives a "Renegade" Jeep! Could that possibly be a coincidence? And in the "there were three Vietnam buddies but now one is evil and the other two have to deal with it" sweepstakes, Getting Even certainly gives American Eagle (1989) a run for its money.

So if you must see a team up of the charismatic Roundtree and the "why is he here?" Muller, see this one.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Miami Cops (1989)

Miami Cops (1989)-* *

Directed by: Alfonso Brescia

Starring: Richard Roundtree and Harrison Muller Jr.












The great Richard Roundtree portrays Gamble, a jaded detective working the mean streets of Detroit. He is teamed up with rookie Bobby Delaware (Muller Jr.). It seems Delaware became a cop because his father, Philip Delaware, was killed while trying to take down some killers/drug smugglers and they got away. Now the junior Delaware wants revenge. But it doesn't come quickly, and now the seasoned cop and the naive rookie go around town stopping baddies, while Delaware incrementally finds answers about his father's death. Eventually their quest takes them to Italy where the final showdown occurs. Will Gamble and Delaware be able to settle the score?

Directed by Alfonso Brescia, a man with a long career in the Italian film industry and infamous somewhat for his hackery, one of the first things you'll notice about Miami Cops is that...it doesn't take place in Miami! Nor does Miami come into the plot or dialogue in any way shape or form. This is clearly an Italian knockoff attempt at Miami Vice, but it was too little too late at that point in time, and Gamble and Delaware are no Crockett and Tubbs. At least Delaware is no Crockett.

Even the name "Delaware" smacks of an English-as-a-second-language attempt at writing a name that sounds "American". The logic is airtight, just name him after a U.S. State! Add to all that some silly dubbing, dingy film quality and the fact that the movie seems way longer than it actually is does not bode well. It's just pretty run-of-the-mill with no surprises. But on the good side, we have the charismatic presence of Richard Roundtree to keep the whole venture afloat...barely. He does what he can, but he's only one man. Is his winning personality enough to fight against all the other mediocrity around him? Only you can be the judge, and it depends on how big a Roundtree fan you are. Sure, he's so cool, his maroon blazer matches his maroon car (have you ever color-coordinated with your vehicle?) but it does make him look like a realtor. Speaking of his suits, he has a really snazzy gold number that he puts with his extended cigarette holder to go undercover at Chassy's Disco (apparently a real Detroit location). It makes him look like he is going to be in a Sam & Dave tribute act. Roundtree is by far the best thing about Miami Cops.

In the clothes department, main baddie Curtis Grover (possibly Grover Curtis) can't compete with Roundtree's awesome suits, all he has is a pale purple sweater and silly shades. And as far as Delaware's concerned, all the other cops haze him about his stylish, well-tailored suits. Luckily, an obese man named Uncle Andy comes to his defense. He was buddies with the elder Delaware. Once the other cops hear this, they begrudgingly give him some respect.

Released by Cannon, Miami Cops is too long (or it least it feels that way due to some of its blandness), and it desperately could have used a bit more originality, but Roundtree and the smooth sax on the soundtrack are present and accounted for.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett