‘The first to die were the lucky ones!’
1990: The Bronx Warriors is a 1982 Italian sci-fi action film set in the future when this part of New York has been taken over by street gangs.
Directed by Enzo G. Castellari [Enzo Girolami] (Great White; Keoma; The Big Racket; Street Law; High Crime) from a screenplay co-written with Dardano Sacchetti and Elisa Briganti, based on Sacchetti’s story. Dialogue in the English version was by Antone Pagán (uncredited). Produced by Fabrizio De Angelis.
The Deaf International production stars Vic Morrow, Christopher Connelly, Fred Williamson, Mark Gregory, Stefania Girolami, Ennio Girolami, George Eastman and Joshua Sinclair.
The soundtrack score was composed by Walter Rizzati (The House by the Cemetery).
Reviews:
“Its pacing is very uneven, and less devoted fans of the genre may well get bored […] Try to stick with it, though, if for no other reason than to witness the funeral rites of the Riders, and to see the Ogre’s girlfriend, Witch (Betty Dessy), dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit, fighting off those flamethrower-packing equestrian riot cops with a bullwhip.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“Castellari’s camera frolics in the ruins with lots of great comic book panel-style compositions, strikingly posed shots and swooping crane movements going up and down between exposed floors from the outside of a blasted out building. You can tell he’s having a good time -it’s all way better than one would think it needs to be, at times it’s almost Hawksian.” Acidemic
“The film has plenty of pleasures, both of the genuine and the so-bad-it’s-good variety. Director Enzo G. Castellari makes incredible use of astonishingly blighted filming locations […]The fight scenes, very well choreographed, are much better than to be expected.” Arthouse Grindhouse
” …the acting in 1990: The Bronx Warriors is simply awful. Gregory, who was apparently discovered in a gym and did not have any acting experience, looks notably stiff in front of the camera and at times even confused by the lines he utters, while most of the men who follow his orders actually frequently appear annoyed […] Gianfranco Amicucci’s (The Inglorious Bastards) editing is equally unconvincing.” Blu-ray.com
“The plot borrows liberally from The Warriors (eccentric gangs – including a hockey team and a dancing squad – duking it out), Escape from New York (a man sent into a wasteland to retrieve an important person) and Mad Max 2 (the post-apocalyptic aesthetic). But that only increases the kitschy fun.” Broke Horror Fan
“The corruption, the one-man vigilante, enemies forming temporary alliances – joining forces against a common foe – and the whole damned show going up in flames. I can’t say that it is a futuristic Spaghetti Western, but there’s definitely that kind of vibe to it, and several of the other Sci-Fi/Post Apocalypse films too.” Cinezilla
“This movie contains lots of bloody but photogenic violence, a pouty but good-looking hero who (or whose dubber) can’t act his way out of a wet paper bag, a villain who is played by the most familiar name in the cast, a variety of bizarre theme gangs to liven up the proceedings, and a whole slew of strange weaponry.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
” …the film sports a slew of memorable performances (albeit not always for the same reason). Old pros Morrow and Williamson are great, of course […] while Gregory (a “shy guy” who was discovered in Castellari’s gym) makes for a fun action hero even if his acting ability is a tad limited […] and you also get some slick cinematography and an atmospheric score by Sergio Salvati and Walter Rizzati.” Mondo Digital
“1990: The Bronx Warriors is a shabby, rather cheesy action film […]The action only moves from one fight sequence to the next. Each sequence is filled with ridiculous poses […] but when it comes to the fight sequences the camera is oddly set far too far from the action to make what is happening in any way involving.” Moria
“Enzo G. Castellari shows his talent, once again moving outside the parameters of your average genre film and makes a very fun take on this worn-out genre. We all know going into a flick like this that you’re not going to find a lavish script or amazing focus for character development and for what it is, The Bronx Warriors is pretty spectacular.” Varied Celluloid
” …the action is a blast to watch and really where the film excels. Fights are almost hypnotic, even while trying ape the grunt-dancing style of The Warriors. Most of the actual battles between the gangs have little to no consequence plot-wise but provide well timed breaks between goofy drama and haphazard story development.” Video Religion
YouTube reviews:
Trailer:
Cast and characters:
Vic Morrow … Hammer
Christopher Connelly … Hot Dog
Fred Williamson … The Ogre
Mark Gregory … Trash
Stefania Girolami Goodwin … Ann
Ennio Girolami … Samuel Fisher
George Eastman … Golan
Joshua Sinclair … Ice
Betty Dessy … Witch
Rocco Lerro … Hawk
Massimo Vanni … Blade
Angelo Ragusa … Leech
Enzo G. Castellari … Vice-President
Sandy Alexander … Outlaw Biker
Giovanni Bonadonna … Paul
Carla Brait … Iron Men Leader
Technical details:
1 hour 37 minutes
Audio: Mono
Telecolor
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
Original title:
1990: I guerrieri del Bronx
