Cheap 1990: Bronx Warriors (DVD) Price

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Customer Reviews of 1990: Bronx Warriors

Simpleton plot and dialog, but very strong on the visual aspects
BRONX WARRIORS (1983) from Enzo Castellari will principally be of <
>interest to fans of the director, as well as the occasional <
>retro-movie goer, who is into Mad Max style movies, wherein the world <
>or sections of it show people living in a No-Man's Land divided into <
>dozens of gangs, each with their own uniforms, fighting styles, <
>belief systems, organization and ceremonies. e.g. a funeral of a key <
>biker fallen in combat is shown. A kind of diversity is celebrated, <
>whic his not unlike modern society today. <
> <
>The story is partly a legacy of Star Wars I, in which there are <
>bizarre characters carrying out their lives in a bubble away from the <
>rest of the world, exactly like a science fiction comic book. <
> <
>The music and soundtrack is excellent, as are the many special <
>effects, such as the flame throwers, knife and physical battles, etc <
>Some numbers are reminiscent of Jean Luc Ponty's fusion music, or <
>Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here or The Wall, or Carmina Burana for <
>example. <
> <
>The visual aspects are outstanding, showing hot rods, classic cars <
>from the pre-50's era, Harley Davidson motorbikes, people getting <
>engulfed in red hot flames, blood packs going off as a result of gun <
>wounds. There's also a special sensitivity of the director in <
>selecting unusually artistic filming locations and moments, such as <
>the World Trade Center towers in a panoramic view, seen from the <
>Bronx, or a typically colorful sunset. <
> <
>The cast is also very well chosen, in their unusual visual <
>presentation, out of the norm and appealing for that exact same <
>reason . <
> <
>The filming is extremely clean, and sharp, a pleasure to see in its <
>wide-screen format. <
> <
>There are a few vulnerable moments, such as a birthday celebration, <
>or tender moments between the protagonist "Trash" and his new <
>girlfriend, for which the director should be congratulated for <
>bringing a hint of balance and realism to this nihilist story. <
> <
>Unfortunately, there are multiple downsides to this picture, the <
>foremost being the simpleton script, plot, and dialog that drags it <
>down from what otherwise could have been an overall very decent <
>effort. <
> <
>Another one, is the stereotypical consideration of the largest <
>American cities being wastelands, combat zones, made up of abandoned <
>housing projects, with gang strife such that even the law is afraid <
>of walking the streets in those areas. <
> <
> <
>There's a few one-liners some may like, such as "He's a killer at <
>heart" to which the other character replies " No, he's just an a#$ole <
>who thinks he's G-D". <
> <
>The litmus test is whether people would want to see this picture <
>again, and the answer is no. Not because features anarchy, but <
>because the film doesn't possess the all-important dream-like quality <
>and high paced unfolding action that the public expects but won't get <
>from this release. <
>

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The Bronx is No Man's land!
Enzo Castelarri's "Bronx Warriors" does what many truly great films do: It inspires fascinating discussion and provokes mixed reactions. The male friend with whom I saw it back in 1993 and I were so enthralled that we kept our significant others waiting to leave for our respective Christmas vacations because we kept phoning each other to discuss symbolism and interesting themes in the movie. While I continue to absolutely love the film, I also recognize why some viewers have not shared my reaction. Perhaps you have to have at least considered a forbidden love affair or perhaps you have to have found yourself trapped in a relationship where you feel you have lost your voice to appreciate what Trash explores. <
>The story centers around Ann (Stefania Girolami in an Oscar-winning performance) and her boyfriend, Trash (Mark Gregory--who also won an Oscar for his extraordinary performance). She leave her upper-class home in New York after her father (apparently) arranges for her to take over the Manhattan Corporation, which controls 60% of the world's arms production!. Ann, who has willed herself not to speak since age 6, expresses herself through her beloved motorcycle. <
> <
>The true story of who fathered Ann is never revealed in the movie, but the context suggests that she is Hot Dog's illegimate child born from an illicit affair. The hinted-at story of Sandy conception provides a key to understanding both why Hammer later begins an affair with his Bronx neighbor Rat (George Eastman) and why he makes a mail-order marriage in the first place. I suspect that Hot Dog's aging father may have wanted to see him settled--preferably far away so that his unconventional behavior would no longer be a source of social embarassment--and given Ann's muteness and out-of-wedlock child, her father probably couldn't find a suitable suitor in the Bronx. <
> <
>Ogre (Fred Williamson) first encounters his future wife on a lonesome gray beach surrounded by her crated belongings. His tiger gang buddies begin carrying many household items up the muddy path to his dreary homestead. But Ogre refuses to bring Witch along, despite Ann's apparent distress and Trash's pleas that her mother MUST have her motorcycle. <
> <
>Ann's motorcycle, abandoned on the New York beach, captures the sense of what 20th century Bronx life might have been like for too many women--treasured possessions, the last ties to "civilization" left behind. <
> <
>Rendered voiceless without her motorcycle, Ann begs Ogre to return for her motorcycle through notes and more pleas from Ice. Finally she persuades Hot Dog--a truck driver whose messed up leg evidences the extent to which he has "gone native" and who is considered less civilized by his neighbors--to guide her back to the beach. Ann comes to life again as she, at last, gets to ride. Drawn by her passion for the motorcycle, Ogre arranges with Trash to trade land for the Motorcycle. Without consulting his witch, Ogre assures him that Ann will provide lessons too. <
> <
>During first of these lessons, Ann strikes her own bargain with Hot Dog, whom she still considers a boor: She will trade sexual favors to earn back her motorcycle, one piece at a time. Ultimately, her reluctant bargain grows into full-blown love and passion. The dark, brooding tone of "Bronx Warriors" however, suggests that something in this situation will go tragically, and probably violently, wrong. <
> <
>Castellari has filled his movie with awesome rock music (actually played by Bon Jovi) and intriguing imagery. The metaphor of rock music as voice and losing and regaining one's voice, Ann's role in changing her father's fate, the question of whether Trash's bargain reflects a man taking control of his life or just being victimized in a different way, and many other complexities make this a movie worth watching again and again and again.

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Spaghetti Fred!!!!!
Who knew society would go so far down the crapper by 1990? The Bronx is lawless, with gangs running the whole show, though I suppose the rest of New York is okay, though it seems a little like a police state. A very important chick flees to the Bronx and is pursued by the corporate bigshots who need her back. And who better to send when you need some some [...] kicking done and a girl rescued than Vic Morrow? Morrow's actually pretty cool in this. He plays a loon called "Hammer"(funny, you'd think Fred Williamson would have this name!) who's doing a job, but is pretty much looking to annihilate everyone by playing all the gangs against each other. The chick falls in with one of the many groups, who like in Walter Hill's The Warriors, have their own themes. The main gang, The Riders, look mainly like refugees from the Blue Oyster gay bar in the Police Academy films. They aren't particularly tough or threatening. They don't even really do anything unless it's in self defense. The gang leader and central character, Trash, seems to be modeled after Eric Adams of Manowar. In fact, I kept waiting for him to suddenly belt out, "Brothers everywhere, raise your hands into the air. We're Warriors.....WARRIORS OF THE BRONX!" Trash gets a liking for the new woman and becomes aware of Vic Morrow's plan, so he decides to team up with Fred Williamson's gang. Like in The Warriors, he has to cross through territories run by hostile gangs to get to Williamson's palace(he lives like a king). One gang wears Ace Frehley makeup, silver tophats and canes and fight with a kind of Fred Astaire dance movement. Being the 80s, of course you have the gang on rollerskates. I enjoyed this film probably more than I should of. I found I actually liked a few of the characters and really did want to see what happened to them. If you tell anyone this, I'll deny it. A great addition to this disc is the Fred Williamson interview. It's about 40 minutes and covers his humble beginnings as an aspiring architect, through his football career, through his movie career. He talks about his start in blaxploitation(some interesting facts here), and how much he loves the low budget film scene as well as the Italian film scene(some very interesting tidbits here. Interesting stories about various Italian directors including Lucio Fulci). He also expresses distaste for big Hollywood productions. I had never seen or read an interview with Williamson, I get the feeling he doesn't do alot of them. I've always been a fan of his, but after this interview, I must say I really love the guy. Sure, he's got an ego, a big ego, but at the same time seems so friendly and down to earth. I'll bet Williamson is the kind of guy who really embraces his fans. The director interview is okay, but nothing special. All in all, 1990: Bronx Warriors is a film that's gonna be loved by a handful of people, and hated by everyone else. I'm sure you already know which group you fit in.