"Goma-2", or "Killing Machine" to make it sound a little more international, is an early 80s action/exploitation movie from Spain that is almost completely forgotten, but unjustly so! If you don't set your expectations too high, this actually is a very entertaining and exhilarating macho-flick with a solid B-movie cast, plenty of fires and explosions, nasty bare-knuckle fighting sequences, feisty music, and utmost evil bad guys you'll love to hate.
Former cult icon and hunk from Mexico Jorge Rivero stars as Txema; ex-member and plastic explosives' specialist of a feared terrorist organization, but nowadays peacefully settled down as an international truck driver and happily married with Eliza. When transporting fresh apples from Spain to Germany, he bumps into an angry French mob that wants to destroy his cargo. I can't really figure out who they are, though. I assume they are the local fruit and vegetables mafia, and want to protect the French economy? Either way, the bosses of this "mafia" are pure evil, especially the head patron played by the one and only Lee Van Cleef. The legendary actor played a lot of unsympathetic roles in his career, but Julot from "Goma-2" earns a spot in the most hateful top three!
Julot's minions set fire to the truck with Txema's pregnant wife still inside, and he watches her burning to death. This is - and I'm sorry to say so - a good thing for the movie, though, as the woman who plays Eliza is a terrible actress. When Julot also humiliates Txema in court and treats him and his brother-in-law to another serious beating, it's time for our angry trucker to polish up his old terrorist skills!
"Goma-2" may not be refined or artful Spanish cinema, but it surely entertains massively. There's never one dull moment, and there's even suspense and a little bit of genuine drama. My sole regret is that Txema wasn't an expert in knives or torturing techniques during his time at the terrorist organization. Explosions are cool, but the bad guys' deaths nearly aren't painful enough compared to the agony they caused.
