The Bronx Warriors Trilogy (1982/1983/1983)

In December 2009, Italian director Enzo G.Castellari (director of the original “The Inglorious Bastards”) and Shameless Screen Entertainment present, together for the first time ever, Castellari’s complete post-apocalyptic vision on DVD in THE BRONX WARRIORS TRILOGY, an exclusive three-disc collection featuring the cult classics THE BRONX WARRIORS, its sequel ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX and THE NEW BARBARIANS.

The three-disc set comes packaged in a limited edition special collector’s tin and includes reversible sleeves for each individual title. Additional special features include an introduction to the films by Castellari, plus an all-new 20-minute interview with the director. As an extra bonus for fans, the version of ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX included in the set is a newly restored anamorphic widescreen presentation complete with a Shameless rebuild edit that represents what is believed to be the most complete version of the film available anywhere.



Italian exploitation films took what was popular and put their own spin on it, so shortly after The Warriors and Escape From New York had been released to commercial success, a film taking elements of both was penned by Dardano Sacchetti and offered by producer Fabrizio De Angelis to prolific director Enzo G. Castellari. Castellari had worked in just about every genre, so moving to post-apocalyptic action wasn’t really a challenge. He is a man who knows how to get the most out of a limited budget and found his lead in his local gym, working out on his own in the corner. Though Mark Gregory had never acted before, Castellari liked the way he was built, so cast him as Trash, the leader of one of the gangs in the Bronx. As with Escape From New York, The Bronx Warriors is set in a dystopian future where one of the five boroughs has been abandoned by the government and left to its own devices. The various gangs have their own territory and peace is ensured so long as no one goes where they shouldn’t. Matters are complicated when a rich young woman leaves her school in the middle of the night and travels from Manhattan to the Bronx. Her father, a wealthy and powerful man, despatches Hammer, who was born there, to fetch her. Upon arriving, Ann was attacked by a roller skating gang and rescued by a motorcycle gang led by Trash. With Ann reluctant to return to Manhattan and under Trash’s protection, Hammer implicates Trash in a series of murders to spark a gang war so he can bring Ann back to her father. In films like this you don’t expect the cream of thespian talent or the most intelligent dialogue, what you do want and what this delivers, is a meld of various genre films with dubbed voices, outrageous costumes and obvious ambition. Mark Gregory, in his wonderful leather waistcoat, is an odd leading man but has the physique and presence to just about carry the role and is ably supported by the likes of Fred Williamson and Vic Morrow (with Williamson in almost exactly the same role Isaac Hayes played in Carpenter’s movie). The Bronx Warriors is nonsense, but enjoyable nonsense and is a fine way to spend 90 minutes with your brain on standby! It had massive success both in Italy and the U.S. so a sequel was green-lit while it was still playing.

Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Cast: Vic Morrow, Christopher Connelly, Fred Williamson, Mark Gregory, Stefania Girolami Goodwin, Ennio Girolami, George Eastman, Joshua Sinclair, Betty Dessy, Rocco Lerro, Massimo Vanni, Angelo Ragusa, Enzo G. Castellari, Nick Alexander, Giovanni Bonadonna, Carla Brait, Geoffrey Copleston, Larry Dolgin, Jason Klassi, Mickey Knox, Steven Luotto, Edward Mannix, Michelle Maren, Robert Spafford






Extras
- Remastered anamorphic widescreen presentation
- Warriors, Barbarians and Basterds – interview with Enzo G. Castellari
- Enzo G. Castellari introduction
- Shameless Fact Track by Paul Alaoui
- Original film trailers and alternate credits
- Collector’s Gallery from archive materials

IMDb





Shooting on this began immediately after The Bronx Warriors wrapped, with Enzo Castellari drawing heavily on the themes and styles of Mad Max for another post-apocalyptic film. Set in 2018 when society has collapsed and people live in tribes, a loner, called Scorpion, finds himself being hunted down by the Templars, a ruthless gang that seeks to wipe out or enslave everyone on the planet. Scorpion discovers a peaceful group of religious survivors and becomes their protector when the Templars learn of their existence. He can’t do this by himself and has a young boy, a mechanical genius, to help him repair broken vehicles and design new weaponry. A mysterious archer, another loner, keeps a keen eye on Scorpion and turns up at the most opportune moments with his explosive-tipped arrows and deadly aim. The New Barbarians perfectly typifies the Italian exploitation movie: it was cheap and quickly made, stole virtually everything from popular contemporary films and features actors from other exploitation films – Fred Williamson and George Eastman were in The Bronx Warriors and Giovanni Frezza from Fulci’s The House by the Cemetery. You also have an attractive woman (in this case, Anna Kanakis) in a skimpy outfit. The film has nothing to do with the others in this set and is only linked by the same director, editor, producer and a couple of cast members. It has nothing to do with the Bronx but has the same post-apocalyptic theme and sense of lawlessness with one man against the forces of evil. Some of this is laughably bad, with stilted dialogue and wooden acting but the technical aspects are sound, particularly the direction and editing. The costumes and props won’t convince anyone that this is a post-nuclear future, but there is something endearing and enjoyable about the film that makes you forgive its shortcomings and just enjoy the ride.

Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Cast: Mark Gregory, Henry Silva, Valeria D'Obici, Giancarlo Prete, Paolo Malco, Ennio Girolami, Antonio Sabato, Alessandro Prete, Massimo Vanni, Andrea Coppola, Eva Czemerys, Moana Pozzi, Romano Puppo, Carla Brait, Maurizio Fardo, Tom Felleghy, Salvatore Furnari, Enzo G. Castellari, Lewis E. Ciannelli, Paul Costello, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Giovannella Grifeo, Steven Luotto, Edward Mannix, Michelle Maren, Riccardo Petrazzi, James Sampson, Martin Sorrentino, Pat Starke, Frank von Kuegelgen






Extras
- New, restored, anamorphic widescreen version
- Shameless rebuild edit
- Shameless Fact Track by Paul Alaoui
- Alternative film trailers and credits
- 20 Shameless trailers.

IMDb





This sequel to The Bronx Warriors takes place several years after the first film finished and is obviously a cynical cash in on Escape from New York as there is no escaping with the protagonists wanting to stay in the Bronx! Trash is still around but has lost his leather waistcoat and found a lycra top! As a cynical and disenfranchised loner, he spends his time dodging the authorities and selling ammunition to other survivors. He is basically Public Enemy #1 and the opening scene shows him shooting down a surveillance helicopter with a handgun! The General Construction Corporation has seen the real estate possibilities of the Bronx and intends to tear down the existing buildings and build a city of the future. Offering to relocate residents to New Mexico, a hit squad of ‘disinfectors’ go in to the borough and forcibly remove anyone who won’t leave voluntarily, burning or shooting them. A journalist from the Bronx knows what is really going on and is desperate to tell the story but the all-powerful corporation discredit her with their spin that everything is running smoothly and peacefully. Events escalate until Trash and the other resistance fighters are staging all-out war against the disinfectors, prompting the corporation to send in their amoral ruthless head of security to wipe them out. This is a slight oddity as, unlike the others which borrow heavily from/rip off (delete as applicable) other films, Escape from the Bronx actually beats others to the punch, most notably RoboCop. With the ambitious assistant to the megalomaniac property tycoon and corrupt officials using law enforcement to aid their own nefarious plans, the film predates not only RoboCop but Demolition Man, with an underground resistance movement.

Director: Enzo G. Castellari
Cast: Giancarlo Prete, Fred Williamson, George Eastman, Anna Kanakis, Ennio Girolami, Venantino Venantini, Massimo Vanni, Giovanni Frezza, Iris Peynado, Andrea Coppola, Vito Fornari, Zora Kerova, Fulvio Mingozzi, Enrica Saltutti, Marinella Troian, Patsy May McLachlan, Franco Maria Salamon, Stefano Randazzo, Ivano Silvari, Arthur Bergman, Sherman 'Big Train' Bergman, Enzo G. Castellari, Paul Costello, Stefania Girolami Goodwin, Andrea Girolami, Edward Mannix, Paul Dion Monte, Riccardo Petrazzi, Susan Spafford, Frank von Kuegelgen






Extras
- Anamorphic widescreen presentation
- Director Enzo G. Castellari introduction
- Shameless Fact Track by Paul Alaoui
- International trailer
- The Argent Trailer Park – Nuns, Cowboys and Heroes.

IMDb

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