Review: Egregious 'Strike Commando' Receives Terrific Release from Severin Films

Italian rip-offs of popular American action films were a dime a dozen in the 1980s, and filmmaker Bruno Mattei may have been the master of those projects. To him, nothing was sacred if it could make a quick buck, and his 1986 Vietnam war film "Strike Commando" may be the most egregious of his works. Ripping from pretty much every single Vietnam war film ever made, the Reb Brown-starring vehicle has all the hallmarks of a coherent film with none of the gusto or competence.

This is exploitation at its most blatant, cobbling together previously-used footage, a threadbare plot about a Vietnam war vet getting revenge, and a whole bunch of explosions to create something mind-numbingly awful. That said, it's not without its minor pleasures, like watching a bunch of Z-grade actors chew through scenery and flub their stunts.

Severin Films brings "Strike Commando" to Blu-ray with a new 2K master culled from the original negative for the first time ever. The presentation is stellar, with solid visual details throughout and a nice layer of natural film grain, although the clarity doesn't do the film any favors with its cheap sets and even cheaper props. There are a couple of special features included, featuring co-writer Claudio Fragasso and screenwriter Rosella Druidi, that are sure to please fans of Italian exploitation. In short, this is a great release of a film that doesn't exactly deserve this kind of care and attention.

Reb Brown stars as Sgt. Michael Ransom, a one-man war machine on the warpath against Vietcong, Russians, double-crossing U.S. officers, and so much more. After he survives a botched mission, a group of locals perceive him as a hero. But when he returns back to Vietnam to find his saviors slaughtered by a vicious Russian soldier named Jakoda (Alex Vitale), Ransom must take up arms and become a one-man war machine once again.

The charm of "Strike Commando," if there is any, is in the earnestness of Reb Brown's performance – an earnestness that isn't supported by the rest of the film. As a matter of fact, betwixt the short dialogue scenes that are already edited to death, the film amounts to not much more than a live stunt show with plenty of bullets. Even when the film arrives at its wild and bawdy climax, the seams are so clear that you can't help but laugh at the ineptitude. But that's Italian exploitation for you!

There's a fun anecdote from co-writer Claudio Fragasso in the interview included on this disc. Fragasso explains that after "Apocalypse Now" was shot in the Philippines, a sort-of film school was established to support other productions that wanted to use the country as a stand-in for Vietnam. It's information like this that make this release better than the film itself, as explanations behind the production process become much more interesting than the story being told. Once again, Severin Films has done an Italian exploitation film a great service on Blu-ray.

"Strike Commando" is now available on Blu-ray from Severin Films.