Striker

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the film on AIP video cassette.

Bearing the generic title "Striker" (used for numerous '80s action pics), this above-average Italian actioner actually is a 1987 production called "Combat Force" introducing a pair of impressive gung-ho stars.

Frank Zagarino is the blond commando blackmailed (on a trumped-up charge) to go to Nicaragua on behalf of the Patriotic Freedom Organization to rescue a journalist (John Phillip Law) being held by the Sandinistas and their evil Soviet leader (John Steiner). Accompanying him on his mission is beautiful black commando Marta (Melonee Rodgers) who proves to be able to hold her own and then some in both hand-to-hand combat and wielding automatic weaponry.

Pic, attractively lensed on location in Santo Domingo, is a series of battles, captures and escapes that's well-executed by Enzo G. Castellari, here credited with a new pseudonym: Stephen M. Andrews. Zagarino is physically right for the role and has some okay emotional scenes later on after being introduced as a monotone "Rambo" clone. Co-star Rodgers is a find; her combination of statuesque beauty and convincing physical powers mark a logical successor to Pam Grier.

Weird touch has Zagarino's real-life dad (who bears a close family resemblance to the star) cast as the evil general in charge of the rightwing PFO. Their final confrontation carries some added bite.

The Italian filmmakers take pot-shots at both superpowers meddling in Latin America, with Steiner' heinous torturer for the Russkies while the PFO is revealed to be shipping arms to both the contras and Sandinistas as part of a drug-trafficking ring.

Tech credits are fine.

Here's yet another of those undemanding one man army ala Rambo, type affairs to emerge from Italy following the enormous success of Stallone's genre setting film.

It's actually not half bad if you know what you're getting into and features a particularly enjoyable performance from the always superb John Steiner, here playing the hiss-able villain with much aplomb.

I've also got to say that this film features undoubtedly one of the most beautiful actresses I have ever had the pleasure to behold, Melonee Rodgers; Every time she appeared on screen, I instantly forgot the films many shortcomings.

There's a fair bit of action throughout, most of it fairly well executed bar a few instances whereby the budgetary constraints overtly reflect in some of the set pieces - but hey, this is a B-Movie after all.

I've got to say though, that if there is one major underlying problem with this movie then it sadly concerns our hero played by a young Frank Zagarino. To describe his acting skills as wooden here would be to praise him unduly; Even the foliage he hides behind throughout the film outshines him! The scene in which he tries desperately to wring out some emotion following the death of his wartime buddy is utterly hilarious though. In fact not since that king of B-movie bad acting, the mighty Reb Brown, demonstrated a similarly painful to watch sequence in Strike Commando following the death of a small native boy, has there been such a rivetingly awful instance of an on screen performance.

Overall grade: 6.5/10

"Striker" may very well be the most generic and clichéd title you can use for a hard-boiled 80s action movie, but it does spontaneously remind me of the magnificent powerhouse & up-tempo thrash-metal song by the formidable band "Annihilator". Look it up! You'll love it if you're into aggressive guitars, and the lyrics are fitting too! "Waking the fury, the power, the beast! You challenged the best in the land. I'll show you no mercy, prepare for a fight! The ultimate force is at hand." Etc.

Anyways, "Striker" is the type of cheap exploitation B-movie cinema that simply remains irresistible to me. Even after seeing hundreds of lousy and incredibly cheap action flicks like these, I still look forward to the next. What makes them so addictive? They're Italian, produced during the late 80s, exaggeratedly anti-communist, copycatting all the glorious one-man-army classics starring Sylvester Stallone or Chuck Norris, Enzo G. Castellari directing, cast full of familiar sleazy faces, body count easily surpassing 200, misplaced drama & romance, ...

This one becomes extra hilarious if you think of it as an exploitation version of "Dennis the Menace". John Slade, the lead hero played by terrible actor Frank Zagarino, undeniably looks like Dennis the Menace with his boyishly cute face and blond hair. Moreover, Slade takes a slingshot on his mission into the Nicaraguan jungle with him and fires off bullets into his opponents' foreheads with it! Go Dennis. Slade's actual mission is to liberate leftwing journalist and former fighting buddy Frank Morris, but there are communist betrayers and double-crossers everywhere. "Striker" is lots of fun and insanely violent. Zagarino is a worthless action hero, but the supportive cast is great, with John Steiner hilariously overacting as the Russian baddie, Werner Pochath as the unreliable Dutch helicopter pilot, and the always charismatic John Philip Law. The unthankful but obligatory female lead is for Melonee Rodgers. She's unbelievably beautiful and not even that bad an actress. She only appeared in a handful of movies, which is quite a shame.

Judging by the period of release, the filming locations, the similar cast lists, and the cool cameo appearance of beefcake Daniel Greene in the last shot, I'm guessing "Striker" was made back-to-back with "Hammerhead". That's how I know Enzo G. Castellari: quick, dirty, and cost-efficient!

Fans of Frank Zagarino will get what they expect here. The plot involves a one-man-army who wreaks havoc on a band of evil-doers. There's plenty of action with little time wasted on romance, humor, or characterization. Jaws are punched, stomachs are kicked, and various kinds of vehicles get blown up. Zagarino finds several opportunities to take his shirt off and flex his muscles and, as usual, he must undergo lots of suffering -- mostly notably in a scene which has him shocked with jolts of electricity while he's hanging by his wrists. If all this sounds like an appealing way to spend an evening, then belly up to the trough and suck it up.

By the mid to late 80s the once unique Italian genre film became harder to identify from the pack of American post-Nam post-nuke films they started to ape. This is not to say however that these films weren't entertaining, they just aren't necessarily as memorable as the best Spaghetti Westerns, Gialli, and Poliziotteschi. Then there's Enzo G. Castellari's STRIKER, a Rambo rip off so big it will blow you to pieces (just like the film's countless Sandinista baddies). Full of slow motion and squibs, the film centers around the one man army that is reluctant mercenary John Slade (Frank Zagarino). Slade is sent on a mission to Nicaragua to save a kidnapped journalist (John Phillip Law) from the clutches of the evil Russian villain Kariasin played by John Steiner (sporting a hideous rat tail like haircut). From there the action rarely lets up as as throughout the film Slade slingshots, stabs, and machineguns whole platoons with an Uzi. Plot is pretty standard merc film fair complete with countless twists and double crosses. While clearly a very cheap, cheesy film, STRIKER is highly entertaining and has become one of my favorite 80s Italian Rambo ripoffs.

Fun fact: the film's screenplay was written by Eurocrime veteran Umberto Lenzi. It also features one of the most intense electric shock torture scenes I've seen outside of THE MINSTREL KILLER.