The Last Hunter

I had the privelige to see this awesome movie on a huge screen in 1997, it was shown at a festival as a tribute to the late David Warbeck.

The opening sequence is truly stunning, a slow-burning scene in a brothel ends in huge explosions and sees Warbeck as an action hero in a white singlet years before Bruce Willis.

John Steiner once again shows his prowess as his squad is picked-off, leaving only Warbeck and the larger-breasted of the Farrow species (Tisa), to escape tiger-cages and discover the identity of a traitorous broadcaster.

Don't miss the final shot of Warbeck against the war-torn sunset, left to his fate in the jungle. It's a real kick in the guts, with the same power of seeing Martin Sheen rising from a swamp.

The one problem the movie really has is that the identity of the mysterious traitor is quite ridiculous, but not enough to grind things to a halt.

All in all, one to put at the top of your "must-get" list, right above beer, pizza and peanuts.

My review was written in February 1984 after a screening at Apollo theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.

"The Last Hunter" is an imitative Italian action film made in 1980. Its original title, "Hunter of the Apocalypse", points more exactly at the picture's origins, lifting liberally for visual images and situations from both "The Deer Hunter" and "Apocalypse Now", but outfitted with a different (and rather dull) storyline to avoid accusations of plagiarism.

Set in Vietnam in 1973, tale has Capt. Henry Morris (David Warbeck) on a mission to destroy a Vietcong radio transmitter which is sending demoralizing messages to the Yankee troops. He's aided on the way be a ragtag group including war correspondent photographer Jane Foster (Tisa Farrow), minority GIs Sgt. George Washington (Tony King) and Carlos (Bobby Rhodes) as well as a bitter and nutty Major Cash (guest star John Steiner), last-named filling the slot Robert Duvall occupied in "Apocalypse Now".

Payoff has most of the players sent to the Happy Hunting Ground by the time Jane helps Morris escape from watery tiger cages (a la "The Deer Hunter") to conveniently find the transmitter nearby. Gimmicky resolution consists of Morris' best friend 's girlfriend Carol (Margit Evelyn Newton) turning out to be the nasty voice of Ho Chi Minh trying to weaken our boys' fighting resolve.

Since his best friend committed suicide in a Saigon brothel at the beginning of the film by revolver (the Christopher Walken "Deer Hunter" role), finale is almost like bringing Meryl Streep in as the surprise villain. The same year, Newon played the uninhibited and undefeatable heroine in another European picture derived from these (and other U. S. hits), "Apocalypsis Canibal".

"Last Hunter" is dull between its outbursts of action scenes. As in Margheriti'ss earlier film, "Killer Fish", the model explosions are very good, mixed in with full-scale special effects work. Pic includes gratuitous, exaggerated gore effects as well.

Acting is fine, with British thesp David Warbeck serving well as Margheriti's gung-ho adventure hero (he represents the Italian helmer's cutrate version of Harrison Ford, having gone on to star in two imitations of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for Margheriti since "Hunter" was shot.

Farrow is a game trouper, willing to get her hair mussed, but one wonders why Woody Allen doesn't give her a Stateside assignment alongside her sister, Mia, to save her from being typecast as an Italian B-movie denizen.

The Last Hunter (1980)

*** (out of 4)

Set during the Vietnam War, Captain Morris (David Warbeck) agrees to go on a secret mission behind enemy lines where he meets up with some other soldiers and a photographer (Tisa Farrow). The group heads deep into the jungle where they face the enemy as well as some of their own who are just as bad as the Vietnamese.

Antonio Margheriti's THE LAST HUNTER is an entertaining rip-off of countless American Vietnam movies that were being pumped out by Hollywood. This one borrows from several of them but it seems the biggest influence on this film was THE DEER HUNTER. If you're a fan of Italian cinema then you'll certainly want to check this one out as there's plenty of wild, over-the-top action as well as plenty of sleaze, which is exactly what you'd expect from a film like this.

As you should expect, Margheriti does a very good job with the material as I'm sure they were working on a very small budget yet the film looks very professional and features some great action sequences. The highlight of the film is an insane shoot out in an American compound as the soldiers get a bit too relaxed and come under attack. This sequence features a lot of shooting, explosions and of course blood. Speaking of blood, if you like gore then you'll get plenty of that here with some rather insane moments of violence including an eye wound that would make Lucio Fulci proud.

The film also benefits from a nice cast to help keep you entertained. Warbeck is as fun as you'd expect him to be as he does a very good job in the lead role. He's such a fun actor that he can hold your attention throughout the running time. Farrow does a surprising nude scene here and she too is fun to watch. Obviously the two of them would appear in separate films by Fulci so it was fun getting to see them here. Former football star Tony King is also a lot of fun here as is Bobby Rhodes and John Steiner.

THE LAST HUNTER isn't a film that's meant to be taken serious. I'd argue that its ending is the weakest thing about the picture but if you're a fan of action, gore and Italian craziness then it's certainly worth watching.

¨Hunter of the apocalypse¨ or ¨Héros d'apocalypse¨or ¨Cacciatore 2¨is set during the Vietnam war, an American soldier, Captain Henry Morris (David Warbeck) , gets trapped behind enemy lines. A squad of buddies (Bobby Rhodes , Tony King , who are accompanied by a reporter : Tisa Farrow) sets out to rescue him . Later on , the group arrives in a headquarter commanded by a stranger commandant , Major William Cash (John Steiner) . After that , captain Henry is trapped in Vietnam jungle , tortured , beaten, and still he fights. The Brutal Story of One Man's Fight for Survival Behind Enemy Lines. You're living a nightmare... in a hell hole they call Nam! The Most Horrific War Movie Ever Made!The screen explodes in a blazing spectacle of war, there was no escape for... THE LAST HUNTER

This moving film packs frantic thrills , perilous adventures , relentless feats , buck-loads of explosive action and violent events . This one isn't a film against the Vietnam War , but an entertaning and amusing movie full of noisy action , gore and violence . Medium budget European war film that lost continuity with US cuts . The noisy action is uniformly well-made , especially deserving of mention the rip-roaring final scenes in which the motley group is really besieged by the Vietcong , including some spectacular shootouts and blowing up . Anthony M Dawson or Margheritti as expert in special optical effects and model-making , that's why he provides a lot of explosion , crossfire , gory images , guts and mayhem . David Warbeck is the leader in this thrilling Vietnam wartime movie about a commando getting to carry out a deadly assignment . During the 1970s Warbeck became a popular European star of low-budget genre pictures made in Italy, the U.S. and England. His notable films include Antonio Margheriti's Teasure island of the outer space (1987) , Tiger Joe , Black cat , The Ark of the Sun God , Rat man , Formula for a murder and Luci Fulci's Beyond (1981) . Warbeck made his final film appearance in Jake West's Razor Blade Smile (1998) . He early died of cancer in 1997 , London , aged just 55 years-old . He is well supported by a fine plethora of B-actors and regular in Italian sub-genres such as Bobby Rhodes , Tony King , Massimo Vanni , John Steiner , Luciano Pigozzi as Alan Collins who's nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre playing a Bartender.

Atmospheric cinematography by cameraman Riccardo Pallottini who unfortunately died in a plane crash during location filming in the Philippines, in fact the movie is dedicated to him . Being shot on location exteriors were filmed in the Philippines and the interiors scenes shot in Rome. The motion picture was professionally directed by terror/action/adventure expert Antonio Margheritti, though it displays some failures and flaws . Anthonio was assisted by his son : Edoardo Margheriti who served as second unit filmmaker . Antonio often used pseudonym Anthony M Dawson, he was born in Italy 1930 and passed away in 2002 . Italian writer director of horror and exploitation films, a former university engineering student who began shooting in 1956 . Antonio directs with ordinary aplomb and being especially known for films as Yor, Virus and Horror castle. He was specialist in model-making, optical effects , FX, miniature as floods, scale models and explosions . He directed all kinds of genres such as wartime : The last hunter, Tornado, Codename Wild geese, Der Commander, Command Leopard . SCIFi :War of planets , Planet of the prowl, Criminal of the galaxy, Yor the hunter from the future, Treasure planet . Spaghetti Western as Joko, Dynamite Joe, The stranger and the gunfighter, Take a hard ride, Ghosts go west, Joe implacable, God said to Cain . Terror as Virgin of Nuremberg, Cannibal Apocalypse, Alien from deep, Flesh for Frankenstein. Action : Operation Goldman, Indio, The squeeze, Cyberflic. Rating :5.5/10. Acceptable and passable.

This film is one of the most entertaining Vietnam flicks ever produced. Truly excellent opening 10 minute scene, followed by a 40 minute lull. Picks up toward the middle though and keeps on chuggin along. Great cast, excellent gore effects, awesome explosions, cool claustrophobic camerawork, and a lot of funny dialogue make this well worth the 90 minutes. The poor Pan+Scanning is easy to forgive with a couple viewings. Owes more than a lot to APOCALYPSE NOW and THE DEER HUNTER, but honestly, who cares? Grade A entertainment.