Run and Kill

Starring:Kent Cheng, Danny Lee, Charlie Ng, Melvin Wong, Simon Yam, Esther Wing Ho Kwan, Sui Wah Fok, Lung Wei Wang, Li-Li Li
Director: Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang
Studio: Tai Seng
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

Bore me........2003-05-19

Unlike most Italian horror movies of the seventies which were notorious for some of their almost incomprehensible plot lines, this movie has a plot you could connect with the dots. This is not necessarilly saying a bad thing, but in this film's case, a simplistic plot of a lesbian witch trying to control a young woman via a doll and a cursed camera needed some bolstering through either some inspired acting or some kickbutt special effects. Sadly the dearth of both is painfully obvious in this film. To give Corrado Farina his due, however, his witch movie anticipated Argento's brilliant Suspiria by more than five years. Some of the same elements are in this film: creepy dream sequences, almost psychedelic flashbacks (and flashforwards!) and some inspired lighting in Baba Yaga's house. Isabelle De Funes is passable as Valentina, a player who is played by someone more expert-the lesbian witch, Baba Yaga. Lose the close-ups on her doe eyes, and keep her clothes on and I have to wonder how magnetic she still wouldn't have been. The hero, Arno, is so stereotypically macho that you will pray for his death half-way through the movie. The witch, played by Caroll Baker, could have stood for more fleshing out. Surely, keeping a dominatrix doll, cursing a camera, and concealing a gateway to hell on the first floor of your home begs a little insight into some motivation! Much of this problem may be due to the editing of the version I saw, which may have rendered parts of the film nearly nonsensical; like, for instance, why Baba Yaga is even bothering to waste her time on Valentina at all-it isn't for sexual reasons. The strengths of the movie are in Corrado Farina's frenzied direction. His blend of dream sequences, flashbacks and flashforwards (not to mention a very catchy title sequence!) Is the true reason to ride this movie out until the end.

A creepily atmospheric Italian horror film.......2003-04-10

Italian horror movies invariably seem to have a special look, sound, and feeling of baroque creepiness that make them successful. I'm not so sure that Kiss Me, Kill Me (aka Baba Yaga, aka The Devil Witch aka Black Magic) is really that great of a movie, but its dark atmosphere makes it satisfyingly effective. Based to some degree on a dark comic strip, the movie's noticeably surreal quality is greatly enhanced by a haunting musical score as well as the use of grainy black and white pictures of events unfolding at certain critical times. Isabelle De Funes plays Valentina Rosselli, a photographer living in Milan. On her way home one night, she encounters a very strange lady who calls herself Baba Yaga (played by Carroll Baker). This stranger tells Valentina their meeting was predestined, and she quickly insinuates herself into the life of our protagonist. Baba Yaga, we quickly learn, is some type of witch, and she certainly looks the part in costume as well as appearance; her pasty complexion and almost-white eyebrows standing out in contrast to her red lipstick-coated mouth does make quite an impression. Valentina tries to go about her work, which involves photographing semi-nude women, but Baba Yaga gradually puts her under her spell. She has strange dreams; quite unusual things begin to happen when she takes pictures with a camera that Baba Yaga has fondled; a strange doll Baba Yaga gives her begins to seem like something more than a normal doll. The tension and suspense is carried along quite nicely throughout, but the conclusion falls a little short of making this film an unqualified success.

This is a movie best suited for adults because it does contain a fair bit of nudity, but the sex, violence, and gore is actually rather limited. Gory and erotic are not words I would use to characterize this film at all. In fact, there is essentially no blood to speak of, and the one scene of violence is not as extreme as it might first appear. Kiss Me, Kill Me generates its horror from the atmosphere it creates, and in this endeavor it is largely successful. In one very nice scene, Valentina watches an old silent movie about a golem, but the golem connection to the doll Valentina is given may be lost on some viewers lacking a foundation in old-fashioned horror. Still, though, the doll in and of itself is creepy enough to be effective. If you don't have an interest in horror at all, there is a good chance you won't enjoy Kiss Me, Kill Me. For horror aficionados, the movie stands ready to help meet your daily requirement of creepiness, but your rations of blood and gore must be obtained elsewhere.

Good erotic witch tale.......2002-10-18

A somewhat strange offering that is based on folklore and erotic Italian comic books, Kiss Me, Kill Me is a first rate film set in modern Milan.

Baba Yaga (played wonderfully by Caroll Baker) is a witch who tries to seduce and control a beautiful photographer, Isabelle De Funès (Valentina Rosselli). There is a love interest for Isabelle, Arno Treves (George Eastman), who also acts as a hero in the appropriate parts. Also involved is a doll that seems to sometimes be human, and who happens to be clad in leather and ready made for bondage and s&m sessions.

Isabelle meets Baba Yaga one evening on the street and is invited to Baba Yaga's house sometime. She takes her up on the offer and discovers in the house a hole in the floor that seems to have no bottom. Baba Yaga gives Isabelle a doll that she says will protect her. Baba has also fondled a camera belonging to Isabelle which then seems to cause bad things to happen whenever someone is photographed with it.

Throughout the movie Isabelle has dreams that are filled with eroticism and violence. A lot of these dreams are shown in very grainy film or as a set of grainy stills. Pretty effective camerawork all through the movie and the sets, acting and dialogue are better than average. The are a lot of [body parts] in the movie and also a whipping scene. Very little blood and no gore.

The dvd version released by Diamond Entertainment is bottom of the barrel, but the price is cheap enough at [money] that it makes buying the movie worth it. I read at one review website that the movie would be released in early 2003 by synapse films with a few minutes of added footage and hopefully a better transfer, but they do not mention it at the synapse website. I'm glad I own it and I would definitely recommend this as an interesting addition to any horror dvd collection

Great Italian tale of witchery.......2002-10-12

A somewhat strange offering that is based on folklore and erotic Italian comic books, Kiss Me, Kill Me is a first rate film set in modern Milan.

Throughout the movie Isabelle has dreams that are filled with eroticism and violence. A lot of these dreams are shown in very grainy film or as a set of grainy stills. Pretty effective camerawork all through the movie and the sets, acting and dialogue are better than average. The are a lot of breasts and behinds in the movie and also a whipping scene. Very little blood and no gore.

The dvd version released by Diamond Entertainment is bottom of the barrel, but the price is cheap enough at [X] that it makes buying the movie worth it. I read at one review website that the movie would be released in early 2003 by synapse films with a few minutes of added footage and hopefully a better transfer, but they do not mention it at the synapse website. I'm glad I own it and I would definitely recommend this as an interesting addition to any horror dvd collection.

Just do not buy this.......2002-09-20

This is hardly a priceless advice, since this DVD seems to be out of print. However, I suggest not buying this edition and go for the deluxe edition by Blue UndergroundBaba Yaga. Just so you know, this film is actually Corrado Farina's cult "Baba Yaga". I've seen this copy and you shouldn't trust it, as it's literally mistake-packed edition. Umberto Lenzi has NOTHING to do with this film, the aspect ratio is not respected (the film is horribly maimed by pan&scan). The Blue Underground edition features juicy extras such as the never-before-seen scenes originally cut from Italian censorship, plus about 10 minutes of stuff cut prior to first release (featuring Italian popstar Franco Battiato!) a lenghty interview with Farina himself, a vintage documentary by Farina on Guido Crepax (the author of the comic book on which the film is based) and even an easter egg with Tinto Brass. And the screen ratio is respected.

Average customer rating:

Your words can change your life.
Over the top
a great category III film

Run and Kill
Starring: Kent Cheng , Danny Lee , Charlie Ng , Melvin Wong , and Simon Yam
Director: Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

Mystery & Suspense | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Dr. Lamb
The Untold Story
Red to Kill
Daughter of Darkness
Beast Cops

ASIN: B00009KTVX
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Description

Considered a cult classic by many fans, this gory, violent thriller in the tradition of "The Untold Story" and "Dr.Lamb" is now finally on DVD! To teach his wife a lesson for fooling around, Fatty (Kent Cheng) hires a professional killer, a demented Vietnamese veteran soldier (Simon Yam from "Naked Killer"), to do the job. When Fatty refuses to pay for the hit once it is done, revenge is taken on his family. In order to preserve his own life, Fatty must now take on the killer himself. Co-stars Danny Lee from John Woo's "The Killer".

Customer Reviews:

Your words can change your life........2006-06-28

Wow what a trip. This dude fatty is having a real bad day and it is not getting any better soon. There is some stuff in this film that you can bet your life you will never see in an American film and I gotta say some of the stuff is over the top, in a good way.
If you want the whole story laid out for you read the other reviews, but if you want to be surprised like I was just push play and kick back baby for fun and mayhem. Fatty (Kent Cheng) may not look like he would be a man of action but then looks can be deceiving . Kent Cheng gets a big pat on the back for doing a top notch job as Fatty.
You will be happy you dug around to find this film, see it !!!

Over the top.......2004-12-14

"Run and Kill" is yet another one of those Hong Kong Category III films I seek out whenever possible. I wrote awhile go something to the effect that these sorts of films aren't coming out anymore since the Chinese took over from the British. I'm not sure I can confirm that statement, although it does seem peculiar that every Category III film I've seen came out in the early 1990s. If you aren't aware of the magic of Category III, they are films that take violence way, WAY over the top. You'll see things in a Cat III film that you will never see in a Hollywood picture. I'm reminded of "The Untold Story," perhaps one of the most controversial films with this ranking. In that movie, a killer wipes out an entire family--including the children--in a lengthy series of scenes that will shock you to the core. Our own violent cinematic excursions rarely show this type of violence committed against children. You'll see some sinful teenagers hacked up by a guy in a hockey mask, sure, but not small children. On one hand, Category III films come closer to the horrors of real life by refusing to cut away when the most defenseless members of society run afoul of the criminal element. On the other hand, refusing to cut away makes the movie tough to watch.

"Run and Kill" is in many ways just as shocking as "The Untold Story." The film doesn't begin that way, though. Director Billy Tang starts us out slowly by introducing us to Fatty Cheung (Kent Cheng), a stout, happy go lucky sort of chap whose life seems wonderful. He owns his own gas supply business, is married to a beautiful woman, and has a young daughter he loves. Fatty is an amiable guy, whether he is chatting up people at work or bouncing his way down the street on the way home. Regrettably, Fatty arrives home from work one day to discover his wife in bed with another man. He's angry at first, but tends to blame himself just as much as he blames his spouse. What a guy, eh? Most of us would go nuclear on the spot. Fatty instead goes out to drink his blues away. While he stumbles around in an alcoholic haze, he strikes up a conversation with the vivacious Fanny (Esther Wing Ho Kwan), a lady with underworld connections. She introduces Fatty to someone who can take care of his pesky wife. Cheung is far too drunk to realize what's going on, but through a miscommunication he agrees to hire a gangster to kill his wife. Guess what happens next?

Not only does Fatty not remember much of what happened, he doesn't have the money to pay off the gangsters. Not paying a gang for a murder contract usually translates into another murder. His only alternative is to run off and hire another gang to defend him, this time a bunch of tough Vietnamese goons. A battle ensues between the two gangs when Fatty goes to a movie theater to pay off the first gang, with the Vietnamese coming out on the losing side. Fatty, Fanny, and one of the Vietnamese gang members end up in an abandoned airbase for a lengthy series of tortures involving a lead pipe. At least Fatty and Fanny get off easy; they sit at a desk and watch the Vietnamese guy hang from the ceiling in utter agony. Enter into the picture Fung (Simon Yam), a powerful killing machine linked intimately to the gang Fatty hired to save his bacon. He's a Vietnam War veteran whose interest in this abduction centers on the fact that the gang member hanging from the ceiling is his cousin. He swoops in, killing every Chinese thug in sight, and saves the day--almost. Fung's cousin perishes in the escape attempt, and now he blames Fatty for the man's death. Fung eventually abducts our hero's daughter in order to force a showdown with Fatty. And what a showdown it is!

Don't expect a happy ending in "Run and Kill." Yam's character does something so brutal, so unconscionable to Fatty's daughter that it's best left unsaid here. No one swoops in at the least minute to fulfill the obligatory happy Hollywood ending, not in this film. Instead, Fatty must become just as vicious and bloodthirsty as his enemy if he is to save his own life. By the end of the film, the main character is a far different man than the one we met at the beginning of the movie. "Run and Kill" forces us to contemplate what we would do if faced with a similar set of increasingly outrageous and extraordinarily unlucky circumstances. It would have been easy for Fatty to just fold up and give in to his tormentors, but he obviously has steel coursing through his veins when push comes to shove. We expect him to snap under the pressure based on what we know about him from the beginning of the film. An overweight, henpecked guy who blames himself for his wife's infidelity actually standing up to professional assassins? Stranger things have happened.

The only supplements on the disc are two trailers for films called "Memento" and "Prison on Fire." As far as picture quality goes, expect to be disappointed. "Run and Kill" looks bad, much like the film transfers for a couple of other Category III films distributed by the same company. Expect a lot of hazy, grainy scenes here. Moreover, many of the night scenes look quite murky. I don't know whether these problems are due to the film stock, the age of the movie, sloppy transfer work, or a combination of all three. Whatever the case, the poor picture takes away from the viewing experience. I'm still giving "Run and Kill" five stars, though. It's too over the top to do anything less.

a great category III film.......2003-11-29

run and kill is a title im sure that most of you are familiar with. if im correct it is the first film by "bad boy" billy tang and a great debut feature it is. the acting by simon yam is totally unforgettable (just look at the guys facial expressions very, very scary). he plays the best psychopath next to anthony wong. as for kent chengs part, he is likeable but up until the end isnt all that realistic due to the comedic overtones of his character in the beginning but during the climax it is almost a total transformation of character on his part (from a slapstick "fatty" to a dead serious but still very cowardly man who is fighting for his life). the plot is very simple and im not even going to bother describing it. this film definetly isnt for everyone as it has the obligatory rape scene (thank god its not as graphic as the one in the untold story) which is in almost every category III film as well as a little girl being immolated in front of her own dad in very authentic fashion (i cant say that it was fun to watch). i would have to say that the most memorable parts of the movie for me were of course simon yams character and his dont give a f*** who i have to kill to get revenge demeanor (dont forget about the guys facial expressions either their just plain unsettling) as well as "fatties" attempt to "rescue" his daughter after shes been sitting in a fire for the last 15 minutes and her charred body pumped full of lead by friendly mr yam at which point "fatty" picks his daughters unrecognisable corpse up and runs away with it only to break off her head on a wall to which he monotonly remarks "oh where did the head go"! you probably wont be seeing a scene like that in another film any time soon. you also have some very memorable fight scenes which include very realistic punches and kicks to bodies and heads (seeing "fatty" being thrown around like a 350 lbs. rag doll is quite entertaining too) you also get a granny being tossed out a window for your money. overall i think that this film was a solid offering as far as category III films go. it is a good starting point for the uninitiated as it isnt too disturbing but is definetly a film for the desensitised or those who watch these sort of films on a regular basis. i would also recommend dr. lamb (its much more disturbing and serious except for the cop humor) which also stars simon yam as the "taxi cab killer" and features his patented psycho antics and exceptionally frightening visage and expressions (kent cheng plays a cop in it too). theres not much more to say other than while watching this and all category III films keep in mind that they are from a different country with different sensibilities (they obviously dont have any restraint as far as killing children and the elderly for entertainment). they use these movies as an outlet for their daily stress and it obviously works so dont hold it against them if you end up seeing one and find it disturbing or your unable to watch it.

Average customer rating:

It deserves a second viewing! Excellent
A kill of many a shadows

Shadow Kill
Starring: Oduvil Unnikrishnan , Sukumari , Reeja , Thara Kalyan , and Murali (II)
Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

Silent Waters
Bicycle Thieves (Criterion Collection)
Cache (Hidden)
So Close to Paradise
Buffalo Boy

ASIN: B000AM4POK
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Description

IN 1940's Southern India,a hangman named Kaliyappan struggles with the guilt and the implications of the exectuions that he carries out.

Customer Reviews:

It deserves a second viewing! Excellent.......2007-02-19

This award winning movie well deserves a second viewing to fully understand the work of a great movie director, the language, customs, styles of the movie.

The title, Shadow Kill means to kill one indirectly. Set in India in 1942, an old man Kaliyappanhas is also called "The Hangman". He has carried out numerous executions and he knows that he has hung the innocent. As the hangman, he also receives benefits from the King who orders the executions and a hanging hasn't occurred in a while.

Customary, after an execution, the rope is given to the hangman, who then keeps it and burns pieces of it. He uses the burnt ashes to cure the ill in the village. One's death gives life to another.

Two stories come together here. There is a story of the haunting the hangman endures, excessive drinking, depression, anything to stop as hangman. The other story within the story, is narrated by the jailers who tell about the rape and murder of a girl and a young man wrongly accused, which means he is next to be hung. See how they impact the hangman with this narration.

The acting by the hangman was superb! .....MzRizz

A kill of many a shadows.......2005-12-24

Review by V. G. Baburaj from www.chaosmag.net

Nizhalkkuthu : shadow kill : an act of black magic that has reference to the Mahabharata, where the practitioner exhorts the spirit of the one to be killed, to enter a symbolic shadow and then stabs it. Thus the one whose spirit is entrapped, is killed.

* * * *

Nizhalkkuthu by Adoor Gopalakrishnan is a deceptively simple film at its exterior. But, if one is able to tread his way in, it is an extremely complex film with many layers to it. Perhaps a narrative that is similar to Adoor's own earlier film, Anantharam.

At one level, Nizhalkkuthu is a film about Kaliyappan who is mentally traumatised being a hangman, and largely because some of the convicts, he thought were innocents.

How could a man, whoever he is, kill another? Even if he thinks that he is right by doing so or if the other is guilty in his perception? It could be one's limited perception and even more limited analysis of the facts available to him. And what shall one do to wash away the sins he has commited by killing or causing to kill someone. When the truth can not be assumed to a logical conclusion, as illustrated by Kurasawa's Rashomon, how could it be framed into a law or system?

On the other hand a system (read state) is not able to function without such a framework. Because a framework of the system makes it convenient to carry out its objectives. Therefore, a system will administer what fits its convenience. In Anand's novel 'Journeys of Govardhan'*, when the king finds the guilty's neck too big for the noose, he orders to find a neck that suits the noose, in order to protect the law and therefore the state. It is important for the state to administrate its laws to sustain itself. If it fails to do so, it (the state) will collapse.

So, it does not matter for the state if it can not find out the truth, but it shall force its laws on someone it finds convenient to assume guilty. Even if he is or could be innocent. Such a dilemma is only the threshold of Nizhalkkuthu.

The story is set in 1940's pre independent India, where we see the hangman Kaliyappan's son bringing home a charkha. He tells his younger sister that with the threads made in his charkha, would be woven to create some colourful clothes for her.

Charkha, in 40's context becomes a symbolic tool of independence. Obviously with reference to Gandhi's independence movement and his use of charkha in his battle against the powerful British empire. A simple thread that is created out of charkha gained a revolutionary dimension.

The genius of Adoor uses this simple thread as the core metaphor in his film, Nizhalkkuthu.

From the thread that was being formed in the (Kaliyappan's son's) charkha, Adoor deftly cuts to a magical shot of numerous lines of threads and to the prisoners transforming these threads into a thick twisted rope.

A hangman's rope.

This becomes a rare and exceptionally powerful metaphor used in Indian cinema.

Thus the metaphorical thread transforms into different things for different people. A weapon to fight for (the society's) independence to the young man. Hope and aspirations for the young girl. And a hanging (executing) rope for the state.

A power-centric state thrives on by annihilating its citizen's freedom and by taking away their rights and aspirations. Kaliyappan's trauma and pain is for his proximity to this truth.

The hapless Kaliyappan, who has become a tool in the clutches of the state, would know better about the innocence of the convicts. It is only his sensitivity that makes him identify with the victims or the convicts. Here, the suffering of the convict and the hangman becomes one. It is only that sensitivity that makes him feel, everything that is happening around him, is happening to himself.

Kaliyappan simply is the conscience of the society.

A deeply agonised Kaliyappan could seek solace only in mother Kali. Mother nature. Once provoked she could turn herself into the absolute destroyer. Only she could destroy everything that has wronged and recreate them new.

It is by submitting to her, Kaliyappan too possess the power to heal. The killer turns healer. By doing a reverse act. By burning the hangman's rope.

This becomes the doing of Nizhalkkuthu.

Abolishing the (wronged) state, by burning it's symbol of dictatorial power.

* * * *

At the final sequence, when Kaliyappan's son substitutes him as the hangman, the way it has been treated is as if he (Kaliyappan's son), is the convict himself who is sentenced for the capital punishment, is quite an ending of strength and prophecy.

The conflict between the state and the individual remains one of the most relevant subjects ever. From Kafka to Anand and to Adoor.

Someone said a good film starts after you leave the cinema hall. True to Adoor's Nizhalkkuthu, some of the jarring elements starts to fade away and at another level a powerfully profound cinema starts to begin.

___________________________

*'Journeys of Govardhan', an outstanding novel by famous Malayalee writer Anand

The Spaghetti Western Collection (Run Man Run / Mannaja / Django Kill / Django)

Average customer rating:

Spaghetti Western collector's "Must Have"
Bravissimo!

The Spaghetti Western Collection (Run Man Run / Mannaja / Django Kill / Django)
Starring: Tomas Milian , Donald O'Brien , John Ireland , Linda Veras , and Marco Guglielmi
Director: Sergio Sollima , Giulio Questi , and Sergio Martino
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Westerns | Genres | DVD | Video

Blue Underground | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

Westerns | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Once Upon a Time in Italy - The Spaghetti Western Collection (A Bullet for the General / Companeros / Four of the Apocalypse / Keoma / Texas Adios)
The Sabata Trilogy (Sabata / Adios, Sabata / Return of Sabata)

ASIN: B00007ELDL
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Amazon.com

Starting with its very name, the bizarre international hybrid known as the spaghetti Western was always a bit of a joke--but a joke that packed a wallop, and left viewers with jaws dropping in a combination of disbelief, astonishment, and sometimes admiration. The stylistic hallmarks, nihilistic tone, weirdly Latinate atmospherics, and postmodern self-consciousness of its imaginative universe made for an intoxicating breed of pop entertainment that changed not only the Western genre but also popular culture at large.

Its vogue lasted a decade and then some, from Sergio Leone's 1964 A Fistful of Dollars (released in the U.S. in 1967) to Monte Hellman's 1978 art film China 9/Liberty 37. Often, fully half of the 300 films turned out by Italian companies in any given year were spaghetti Westerns, which could be trusted to sell tickets the world over--under a delirious variety of titles from market to market. They tended to be shown in sleazy grind houses, via spliced and tattered prints. What a pleasure to report that Blue Underground has gone back to the original, mostly pristine materials to produce the crystal-clear, gorgeously color-saturated, widescreen DVDs in this boxed set. Few audiences ever saw these movies looking better than they will on the home screen.

The present quartet affords an admirably varied and illuminating cross-section of the spaghetti Western as entertainment phenomenon and mirror of its troubled time. Sergio Corbucci's Django (1966), with a Gypsy-named protagonist (Franco Nero) dragging a coffin through a mud world of bigotry and double-cross, spawned sequels ad infinitum; this release is the first in more than 30 years to be struck from the original camera negative. Django, Kill! (1967) isn't "Django" at all--it's If You Live, Shoot! (how's that for existential absurdism!), a wildly transgressive fever dream set in "a totally guilty town" and boasting a band of flagrantly gay gunslingers, director Giulio Questi's variation on Mussolini's Black Shirts. The gem of the collection, Sergio Sollima's Run, Man, Run! (1968), features an infectiously funny performance by Tomas Milian as a knife-throwing scalawag who became an icon to late-'60s student radicals; this film of almost Leone-class visual grandeur has rarely been seen outside Italy. Director Sergio Martino claims that Mannaja: A Man Called Blade (1977) was "the last, perhaps next-to-last" of the spaghetti Westerns. The strain was showing--but even this preposterous fantasia about a hatchet-throwing eco-avenger (Maurizio Merli) exerts a goofy fascination.

Incidentally, the short documentaries spotlighting each film are very enjoyable in their own right. The scruffily aged Tomas Milian is a particular delight. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Saddle up and strap on your holsters for this outrageous quartet of Spaghetti Western classics! Along with "Django, Kill!" (1967, 117 min.), "Run Man Run" (1968, 121 min.), and "Mannaja: A Man Called Blade"(1977, 96 min.), exclusive to this collection is the new special edition of Sergio Corbucci's classic, "Django" (1966, 90 min.), restored for the first time from the original camera negative recently discovered in a Rome vault untouched for over three decades! Franco Nero stars as the lone, coffin-dragging stranger who roams the West towards a destiny ruled by vengeance. A landmark classic packed with indelible images and some of the most shocking brutality of any Spaghetti Western ever made, this is the still-controversial epic that defined a genre, launched a phenomenon and inspired over 50 unofficial sequels! Also included for the first time is the optional Italian audio track featuring Franco Nero's own voice. Following two years of extensive restoration, this is the most stunning and complete version of "Django" you'll ever see in a powerhouse box set that'll blow you away!

Customer Reviews:

Spaghetti Western collector's "Must Have".......2003-09-07

I had written reviews on each of the movies, which are posted. My review of this 4- disc package examines the production quality of the DVDs themselves and does not deal with movie critiques.

First of all, the EASTER EGGS! I have yet to find a DVD that had Easter Eggs (those little tidbits that are hidden to treat people who either made a mistake with their remote or dragged the cursor over something to click on), and Blue Underground has at least seven or maybe more eggs inside the DVDs. I can't list them all here, and have made attempts to list the particular egss at the bottom of each movie review I posted on 5/Sept/03. If I recall correctly, If You Live Shoot! has 3; Run Man Run has 2; Mannaja and Django each have one that I discovered. Each DVD's Easter Egg has hidden trailers of other movies on DVD. Shoot! has two interviews in addition, and Run has an interview (each of the four reviews have detail on extracting each egg, and I hope amazon.com posts them all).

The most INCREDIBLE interview came from Shoot! where lead actor Tomas Milian makes some rather startling charges (he even suggests that he may be sued by his revelations of an accusation that he verified he was making during the interview). I will not spoil the interview, but it is worth searching the contents of the DVD to discover.

The lover of European Westerns will relish this find, even though some of the contents of the films aren't up to the caliber of a Leone epic. I knew before buying this set that the movies themselves would be a letdown if I were to expect anything near the filmmaking style of Leone and the musical genious of composer Ennio Morricone. The reason I made the purchase was to discover filmmaking OTHER than Leone's because at almost every turn, a macaroni feature airing on television will be one of the Eastwood trilogies or the epic, Once Upon a Time in the West (which is planned for DVD release in fall 2003).

TSWC is not recommended for the die- hard Eastwood or Leone fan, unless the viewer can be open- minded so as not to wind up comparing apples and oranges. One cannot and should not compare Leone's style with any other spaghetti western. He is in a class by himself.

The DVDs all were from transfers of original prints. The quality of the video material was definitely from the origibal stock. Interestingly enough, Shoot! must have used some cheaper film grade, because the saturation seemed flat, which is no fault of Blue Underground because many of the movie productions of the time were cutting corners to save as much money as possible.

The work that was put into the box set really shows by the amount of information that each DVD box provides. Blue Underground deserves credit for renewing a fan's belief that a company is releasing such obscure titles not for high profit but for a love of the genre. I wouldn't expect MGM to release the 162- minute Good/Bad/Ugly in its original 176 minute fully- restored glory. They did release 14 minutes of footage as extras, but I feel they should have followed Blue's decision to release films completely unedited and uncensored, even if it means having to replace Italian language scenes into an English language release or allowing the runtime to jump towards 3 hours in length.

Blue put forth an excellent effort to give the lover of Eurowestern cinema more detailed information about films that we really appreciate.

Bravissimo!.......2003-01-20

Super collection of westerns--Italian style. There not as good as Sergio Leone's classics but then again few films are.

It's great to finally see the rare "Django Kill." This is truly a cult oddity if ever there was one. As much a horror film as it is a western it's full of bizarre, religious imagery as well as references to everything from Luis Bunuel to Edgar Allan Poe. This extremely violent, unforgettable and supremely weird film is presented uncut and, as with all the films in this set, the transfer is immaculate.

"Run, Man, Run" successfully tosses liberal doses of comedy and politics into the mix. Like "Django Kill" it also stars the wonderful Tomas Milian as Cuchillo, a knife-throwing thief.

"Mannaja: A Man Called Blade" is the most conventional and latest film (1977) of the set. Still, it's very entertaining and stylishly directed by Sergio Martino (Torso). Maurizio Merli is good in the title, hatchet-wielding role.

The classic "Django" is exclusive to this set (and my favorite of the films presented here). Though Anchor Bay also released this title some time ago, this new transfer came from the original negative and is far more colorful and less grainy. As for the film, it's a must. From the great opening of Franco Nero dragging a coffin behind him to the insanely catchy theme song, "Django" holds you in its grasp.

All four films look exceptional, come with English language and Italian tracks with optional English subtitles and boast a nice selection of extras--interviews, trailers, poster/still galleries, etc.

Thank you Blue Underground for releasing such a cool set.

Average customer rating:

Created to Kill
Starring: Vincent Baggetta , Joyce Brothers , Barbara Carrera , Jack Colvin , and John Elerick
Director: Ralph Nelson
Manufacturer: 905 Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000HDZKCS
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Average customer rating:

Barbara's Beauty
Silly junk
JACK COLVIN...Oscar Moment????
Barbara Carrera, Where Art Thou?
Embryo / DVD

Created to Kill
Starring: Rock Hudson , Barbara Carrera , Diane Ladd , Roddy McDowall , and Anne Schedeen
Director: Ralph Nelson
Manufacturer: Trinity Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Horror | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Strange Bedfellows
Avalanche
Gun Fury
Battle Hymn
Rock Hudson Screen Legend Collection (The Golden Blade / Has Anybody Seen My Gal? / The Last Sunset / The Spiral Road / A Very Special Favor)

ASIN: B000G1R312
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Customer Reviews:

Barbara's Beauty.......2006-06-30

I remember seeing that movie when I was a teenaged kid. Unfortunately my DVD was not too clear, but I enjoyed seeing how beautiful Barbara was and still is.

Silly junk.......2005-12-08

Best actor: the dog
Best Actress: wasn't in this movie
Running time with banter of witty friends and cocktails: 114 minutes
Running time home alone: 114 hours
Winner: Worst production values for the year
Winner: Worst copy to DVD - EVER

JACK COLVIN...Oscar Moment????.......2005-02-19

The scene with Rock Hudson in which Jack Colvin (playing Dr. Winston)was torn between medical ethics and mere trust in a dear friend is the pivotal moment in this film. The excruciating agony in which Dr. Winston is debating in his subconscious is no doubt evident in this accomplished actors face. Dr. Winston makes no promise at that time but we can tell that an internal battle will be raging within him until his final decision can be made. Later Dr. Winston, in full operating gear, calls Rock to inform him that he's got what Rock's looking for. Fatigue and uncertainty is worn well on the actors face, for the result( as later we learn) could be disastrous.
Jack Colvin, the greatest character actor of the 20th and possibly the 21st century hits another homerun in this "pre-Jack Mcgee" performance. I believe before Rock Hudson passed on he was quoted as saying, "One of the greatest accomplishments of my life was working with the legendary Jack Colvin."

Barbara Carrera, Where Art Thou?.......2004-08-13

EMBRYO is about Dr. Paul Holliston (Rock Hudson), a scientist who has recently lost his wife (also a scientist). Holliston hits a doberman with his car (a 3 ton cadillac) on his way home one stormy night. He rushes the dog home to his lab, where he is unable to save her. However, the doberman is pregnant, so the good doctor keeps the doggy fetus alive, injecting it with an experimental growth hormone. The little canine grows at an amazing rate, reaching adulthood within hours! Holliston names the dog "Number One" and is astonished by it's intelligence (the dog gets it's own food out of the fridge, drops the empty bowl in the sink, opens doors, etc.). Unbeknownst to the doc, Number One also has a mean streak, as is displayed when it kills another dog and hides it's body. Of course, Holliston thinks everything's great, and soon looks for a human fetus to try his serum on. He gets his chance when another doctor helps him acquire a fetus from a doomed prostitute. Back in the lab, Dr. H. performs his latest experiment with similar results. He watches as the fetus grows up at super-speed. Next thing he knows, he's got an adult woman on his hands (Barbara Carrera), with superior intellectual powers matched only by her exotic beauty. Some of the best parts of the movie come when she is busy absorbing knowledge. Named "Victoria", she is introduced at a party as Holliston's new assistant. In one fun scene, Victoria plays an arrogant chess master (Roddy McDowall) to a humiliating finish. Unfortunately, things get serious when Victoria starts getting sick and figures out that she is not long for this world. This causes her to seek out the method by which she can stay alive, at the expense of others. A pretty good mad scientist thriller, EMBRYO has enough creepy / funny moments to keep my interest...

Embryo / DVD.......2000-06-15

Shame on Passport Video. My VHS Tapes look better than this DVD. The transfer looks to be off someones 6 hour tape. What a waste. I'll think twice before I purchase another Passport Video.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

My Favorite Brunette

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [WS] [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Navigators: Baudin vs Flinders

Stargate Kommando SG 1 - Season 3 Box