Jaguar Lives (1979)

Misguided attempt to turn world karate champion Joe Lewis into an action star in this globe trotting James Bond knockoff. Unfortunately he makes his closest rival at the time Chuck Norris look decidedly charismatic in comparison and the intended movie career never took off.
  The producers went all out with the rest of the casting and as a result we have Christopher Lee as a drugs baron, Donald Pleasence as a South American dictator along with euro cult regulars Woody Strode, Barbara Bach, Capucine,Simon Andreu, Sally Faulkner (as a nun!!!) and Hollywood legend John Huston.
  The action scenes are well staged and the fights competently shot but the end result is strangely unengaging. It's one of those movies that almost falls into the 'so bad it's good' category. Almost........

Il Corpo (1974)

Aka The Body.
 An average but never boring early entry in the erotic thriller genre starring Ethiopian model Zeudi Araya, Leonard Mann and Carroll Baker in a supporting role.
 It's the usual plot for this kind of movie: adultery, murder and blackmail all among the beauty of the Caribbean islands. It reminded me of one of half a dozen movies Joe D'Amato made in the same locale later in the 70's and the Piero Umiliani score isn't to dissimilar to those Nico Fidenco supplied to D'Amato's films either.
  After viewing the trailer to this one i had no desire at all to see the movie but it really isn't very indicative of the film in itself, very misleading indeed.

Sister Street Fighter (1974)

Sonny Chiba steps aside in this Street Fighter entry to let Etsuko 'Sue' Shihomi take centre stage. It's a pretty standard story involving drug gangs and kidnapping but the plot is secondary to the non stop barrage of bone crunching fight scenes. Blood spurts into the camera lens, eyes are gouged, necks are snapped and at one point Chiba even disembowels an opponent  with his bare hands.
 A worthy entry in the Street Fighter series and the first of four starring Shihomi, looking forward to the others!!

Naked Violence (1969)

Naked Violence (1969).
 When a school teacher is brutally murdered by her class of students its up to detective Pier Paolo Capponi to crack the case and discover just who is to blame and why.
  More a police procederal/drama than his usual high octane thrillers this early Fernado Di Leo effort has more than a few surprises along the way. Susan Scott is his social worker girlfriend but is rather under used this time around.
 It's definitely a lesser effort from the director but that still puts it in a class above many of his contemporaries in the Italian crime genre.

Un Detective (1969)

Un Detective (Ring Of Death) (1969).
Corrupt cop Franco Nero gets involved in blackmail and murder along with Adolfo Celi and Florinda Bolkan in this Romolo Guerrieri crime drama. Stylishly shot and a little over complicated at times it's an interesting early entry in the Italian poliziotteschi genre. Great supporting cast that includes Delia Boccardo and a superb soundtrack from Fred Bongusto also help things along. Not bad at all.

Death Rage (1976)

Death Rage (1976). Antonio Margheriti directs Yul Brynner in his
final film and it's a decidedly average affair at best. Brynner
is the mob hitman sent from New York to Italy on a job that gives
him a chance to avenge the death of his brother. Martin Balsam is
the local chief of police and Barbara Bouchet plays a stripper
(for a change!!!). Highlight is definitely the fantastic score by
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, a funky belter of a soundtrack.
 One for Italian crime completists only.

 

 

Las Crueles (1969)

The Exquisite Cadaver (1969). Macabre and twisted little Spanish film from Vincente Aranda the director of The Blood Spattered Bride. Capucine stars as the woman exacting revenge for her lovers suicide by sending body parts to the man responsible. Part art house part exploitation movie and totally engaging throughout, a really enjoyable but totally obscure treasure.

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)

Enjoyable British science fiction movie from Hammer regular Terence Fisher. Willard Parker is the token American star this time round (Forest Tucker not available?) who must thwart an alien robot invasion with his group of survivors of a deadly gas attack. The plot owes more than a nod to John Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos and never really explains much but moves at such a pace you never stop to question the plot holes. All good fun and one for fans of the Quatermass movies.

Milano Calibro 9 (1972)

Fantastic Italian crime film from Fernando Di Leo, a million miles away from Slaughter Hotel. Double crosses, tripple crosses, gunfights, bombings and Barbara Bouchet as a nightclub dancer are just a few of the highlights. Lead actor Gastone Moschin reminded me of a cross between Jason Statham and Ron Perlman, low on personality but heavy on menace... A favourite film of Quentin Tarantino and i can see why, a classic.