User Reviews

Bruno Mattei's most entertaining movie is a laughably bad Vietnam effort (read RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II clone), financed in Italy but shot in the Philippines, where film stock is cheap. The film is a so-bad-it's-good classic, which starts off pretty seriously before degenerating into chaos about halfway through. It's an under-directed, over-acted bad film masterpiece without an ounce of common sense in its head, and this is why I love it so very much. Every plot incident is directly stolen from the Stallone flick; as you watch it you'll be wondering why the heck they didn't sue. The setting is the effectively steamy jungle, the only other locations a crummy building at the end of the film. Helicopter shots are grainy stock footage, then there's a hilarious interlude with a ship which explodes (an obvious miniature).

Taking the lead is wooden beefcake Reb Brown who overacts for all his worth. Brown is appalling, yet his attempts at acting give the film some of its most hilarious moments, like when he goes berserk firing his gun, shouting "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!". The dubbed dialogue is also particularly funny in this film, whether it be Brown running in the jungle shouting "JAKOOOOOOOODA!" or the cheesy Russian bad guys ("I'm going to kill you, Amerikana!").

As the 'plot' plays out, Brown finds himself tortured on an electric fence (just like Stallone) before escaping and shooting hundreds of inept Vietcong. The bad guys in this flick are numerous but probably the same five actors used over and over again. Cheap huts explode, thousands of rounds are shot through the trees, and Ransom's trick seems to be throwing knives in the chests of his enemies – again, just like Stallone. In the plot 'twist', it turns out his superior, Christopher Connelly is corrupt, so at the end he goes in and explodes a small dummy supposed to represent Connelly! Absolutely hilarious entertainment. Other cast members include Alex Vitale as the exceedingly funny and non-threatening 'muscleman' villain (who gets a grenade shoved in his gob!), old-timer Luciano Pigozzi as a French priest (he gets bumped off after about five minutes screen time) and Filipino film regulars Jim Gaines and Mike Monty (the latter in the Richard Crenna role). For fans of pure schlocky cheesy entertainment, this awful Mattei flick takes some beating!

Bruno Mattei, may he rest in peace, undoubtedly was the uncrowned king of Italian exploitation cinema. Especially during the 1980's, he and his loyal buddy Claudio Fragasso fabricated nearly two dozen of hilariously incompetent, cheesy and most of all blatant imitations of famous Hollywood action/Sci-Fi blockbusters. "Predator" received a makeover called "Robowar", "Aliens" became "Shocking Dark" and this misunderstood masterpiece of cinema is a shamelessly flagrant "Rambo" knock-off. But still, even though the idea of a "Rambo" clone sounds totally uninteresting, you should definitely check out "Strike Commando" because this literally is a non-stop feast of dumb plotting, atrocious acting performances, grotesquely absurd action sequences and hilariously fake sentimentality.

Reb Brown – according to the VHS cover the newest world star – plays the deadly one man Vietnam commando squad Michael Ransom. He lost the rest of his elite buddies when the cowardly Colonel Radek aborted a mission too soon and obviously he wants retaliation. He ends up among Vietnamese villagers and learns that the biggest enemies in the area are actually Russian KGB troopers led by the sadist Jakoda. Russians! Russians in the Vietnam jungle! What are the odds? And apparently they really do address to Americans by yelling "Amerikanskiiiii"! This is obviously just a description of the plot in a nutshell. There's a lot more going on, one sub plot more ludicrous than the other, but the best bits of entertainment are to be found in the details. Our hero's wide variety of outrageous battle cries, for example, like when the Vietnamese boy he befriended dies in his arms or when he jumps off an exploding boat right after he executed the entire crew. Another massive highlight – one that nearly brought my mate and I close to crying with laughter – is the bare knuckle fighting showdown between our hero and the beefcake Russian, which includes quotes like "I'll break your back, Americanski" and ends with a dive from a cliff even though there wasn't a cliff in sight at the beginning of the fight. Ultimately priceless is the "friendship" that Michael Ransom develops with a Vietnamese boy. When asked about life in America, Ransom tells the kid that in Disneyland popcorn grows on trees and he will take him there one day. Obviously the kid's mom is mad at him. She probably doesn't like popcorn. Apart from all the unintentionally laughable moments, "Strike Commando" is actually a very violent film, with countless explosions and people dying from machine gun artillery and/or knives randomly flying around. The bloodshed and cruelty is never too shocking, however, not even during the infamous torture sequence compilation, and you'll be too busy laughing anyway.

Okay, once more and all together: Jaaaaaaaaakoooooooooooooodaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

American commandos in Viet Nam raid an enemy depot. During the operation they are discovered and the general in charge sets off the explosives before his men get clear. All but one are killed. The survivor makes it to a small village where he's hailed as a savior. He briefly helps the people before being rescued. He is sent back to the village to help organize resistance but arrives to find everyone dead. He is captured and tortured by Soviet and Vietnamese bad guys.

Testosterone pumped action film gets sillier and sillier as it goes on, with torture sequences that will have you on the floor laughing. You will not believe that anyone could have been even remotely serious in this out there exploitation film that is nominally a rip off of the Rambo movies. Give the producers credit for keeping things moving and action packed but where you watched the film at the start because it was interesting action drama by the end you're watching because the film has become so over the top and silly that you want to see where its going to go. Granted its clear towards the end that the film is being slightly tongue in cheek, but at the same time its maybe a little too much.

I liked the film bit at the same time I wish it had maintained one tone through out the whole thing. Its worth a look preferably with a bucket of popcorn, a soda and some people to laugh with.

With the rise in action films to accommodate that video market numerous low budget companies began churning out merchandise for the marketplace. As Chuck Norris began heating up the big screen with films like MISSING IN ACTION and Stallone took us back to Vietnam as well with FIRST BLOOD, those companies decided that making films in the Philippines could save them money and present the perfect location.

Italian director Bruno Mattei, who seemingly could handle any type of film, was brought in to direct STRIKE COMMANDO. The movie made enough to warrant a sequel and make decent return on investment but in the US had a token theatrical release before being sent straight to video.

And elite team of commandos known as Strike Commandos led by Sgt. Michael Ransom (Reb Brown) is sent in on a special mission. Their latest mission is to blow up a Vietnamese encampment. While setting the explosives in place one of his men is wounded and the alarm is triggered in the camp. As Ransom and his men attempt an escape, Colonel Radek (Christopher Connelly) triggers the explosives early to insure the mission is accomplished, killing the Strike Commandos in the process.

Unknown to Radek is that Ransom survived the explosion, blown into the water of a nearby river and pulled downstream. When he wakes he is met by a young boy who nurses him back to health in his village. Living there is a retired French soldier named Le Due (Luciano Pigozzi) who gives him some background on the village they are in as well as letting him know there are Russians helping the Viet Cong.

In return for their help Ransom tells the villagers that he will help them escape from the village. Trekking through the jungle they come across the decomposing body of a solider carrying a radio. Ransom reports back to his command and they set up a helicopter extraction for him the next day at a particular site. Along their way Ransom and the villagers are attacked by the Viet Cong. As the helicopter lands they only take Ransom and the villagers scamper back into the jungle.

Once returned Ransom tells Radek that he's going back to save the villagers and get evidence of the Russian involvement. When he returns what he finds sets him on a path of revenges, not only for the villagers but for the Strike Commando team as well. Double crosses and betrayals set the stage and now it's not just a war for country but a new war for Ransom as well.

The basic story here isn't all that bad and Mattei always had a great eye for action. The problem here is the problem is they attempt to flush out the story into a far too complicated one. In addition to that Reb Brown has never been an actor that one should put in a lead role. He's a great supporting actor but any film that has had him in the lead has always been way down on the list of good movies. I have no doubt that he's a nice guy from all I've seen and read but here, he feels completely out of place. It's as if they looked at him and decided he had a physique close enough to Stallone and they could afford him. Acting ability didn't matter.

While not the worst movie ever made I found it difficult to get through all of this and yet I did. I know there is a fan base out there for the film and it's developed a cult following over time. Those fans will be ecstatic to find that Severin has brought the film out in the cleanest version ever seen mastered in 2k from the original film negative for the first time. In addition to that the extras include both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film, "War Machine" an interview with co-director Claudio Fragasso, "All Quiet on the Philippine Front" an interview with screenwriter Rossella Drudi, a STRIKE COMMANDO in-production promo and the trailer for the film.

Reb Brown (of "Uncommon Valor" fame and "Space Mutiny" infamy) stars as Sgt. Mike Ransom, a member of a commando unit which is betrayed by their superiors while on a mission during the Vietnam War. Ransom is the sole survivor, linking up with a group of Vietnamese refugees and attempts to link up with his superiors, in order to get back home.

At this point, the story starts to get a tad bit familiar...so he's betrayed by his rescuers, is captured by the Russians, is tortured, is told to speak into a microphone and doesn't say what he wants his captors to say, escapes, takes down the enemy one by one, has a female acquaintance who gets blown away, and runs around screaming while stuff blows up...hmmm...now where have we heard this before? Oh yeah! Rambo II! Yes, this movie pretty much becomes a Rambo II ripoff after the end of the first act. The only thing it was missing was a showdown with a Russian helicopter at the end (I doubt they could afford it with the budget).

As one might expect with a low budget rip off of Rambo II, the acting is poor, the action scenes your usual staple of a guy waving a gun around while baddies flail their arms and fall down, etc. Most notable is the scene where Ransom holds a dying Vietnamese child and tells him about Disney World, and all the while Reb Brown is trying to feign sadness. Also, remember how Reb Brown ran around screaming a lot in Space Mutiny? Yeah, he pretty much does that here. I think half his lines are "YARR!!" Is the film enjoyable? Sure. It's not great, but if you want a cheesy 80's action flick, this might suit you. It's not overly entertaining, but it's good background noise or source for mindless violence.

Sgt. Michael Ransom (Brown) is THE BEST. He's the finest example of an American soldier...maybe ever. He goes behind enemy lines to rescue some Vietnamese civilians, and even becomes friends with a young boy, Lao (Edison Navarro). His guide in this rough terrain is Frenchman Le Due (Pigozzi) - but maniacally evil Russian Jakoda (Vitale) will stop at nothing until he tortures and kills his nemesis, the "Americanski". And even though Col. Radek (Connelly) may have suspicious motives, nothing, and we mean NOTHING - will stop this true American hero from getting revenge on the baddies. One way or another, you WILL pay Ransom.

Now THIS is what Comeuppance Reviews, as a website and as an overall entity in the universe, is all about. Ignore anything negative you may have read about this great movie. For pure, uncut, unadulterated entertainment, this level of awesomeness is possibly only rivaled by Deadly Prey (1987). This movie gives jungle action movies a GOOD name. It has countless, high-quality explosions, guard tower blow-ups/falls, non-stop action, stunts, and shooting, waterfalls, and of course the prerequisite torture scene. But it has a ton of weird/funny/off-kilter moments that truly make it rise above the pack. We won't spoil them for you here, but trust us, you will love this movie and you have to find it if you don't already own it.

While we also strongly support the later collaboration between the great Reb Brown and director Bruno Mattei, Robowar (1989), we believe this is the superior team-up of the two men. If you can't get enough of that trademark Reb scream, you won't be disappointed, as he really yells it up here. That includes a specific line reading of his enemy's name, "Jakoda", that you won't soon forget. Probably because your ears will be ringing for days afterwards. But yet, Reb displays his sensitive side here too. For all his ultra-macho shirtless carnage, his relationship with Lao is tender and even tear-jerking. Lao wants to go to Disneyland where the popcorn grows on trees. For some reason, this really appeals to him. But, you see, Ransom is not an inhuman monster like Jakoda. He may have killed a few thousand people, but he's a real human being who you grow to love. You definitely want Ransom on your side. God help you if you get on his bad side.

Like Jungle Assault (1989), the soundtrack is inappropriately 80's (it being the Vietnam war and all) - but here the music cues are just so great it doesn't even matter. The soundtrack by Lou Ceccarelli is pure genius. It features a killer opening song and it doesn't stop there. Nintendo was huge at the time, and the music plus the action is almost like a live-action Contra movie. It truly is violent 80's heaven that you can really sink your teeth into. Is there a CD of this? The worst thing you could say about this masterpiece is that the editing can be a bit choppy at times, but even that adds to the overall charm. Strike Commando delivers the goods in spades. Rock on!

For more action insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

Sgt. Michael Ransom (Reb Brown, who was both Yor Hunter from the Future and Captain America) and his team of Strike Commandos are decimating a Vietnamese base, ready to blow it up real good. But one of the team is killed and alarms go off, scuttling the mission. Instead of allowing the team to come back and fight another day, the mission's commander Colonel Radek (Christopher Connelly) orders that the explosives be set off while the Strike Commandos are on the retreat. One of Ransom's men is killed and he's knocked into a river.

So begins Strike Commando, a post-Rambo: First Blood Part II film directed by Bruno Mattei and written by Claudio Fragasso that lives up to everything I dreamed that it could be.

Ransom is rescued by a young boy named Lap and brought to a village to recover. There, he makes friends with a retired soldier named Le Due (Luciano Pigozzi, making this an unoffical Pag and Yor reunion!) and tells the children of the village just how amazing America - mostly Disneyland - can be.

Of course, everyone in that village is soon killed by Russians, so our hero goes back to Vietnam again, this time motivated by the need for horrible revenge. He sees his little Vietnamese friend Lao one more time, talking him into the next life with more stories of Disneyland before unleashing absolute hell on the Russians until they threaten to kill civilians unless he surrenders.

Let me just share this dialogue with you, as Lao dies...

Lao: American... tell me... tell me about Disneyland.

Ransom: (choking back tears of rage) They got tons of popcorn there. All you gotta do is go climb a tree to go eat it. And there's cotton candy. Mountains of it. And chocolate milk, and malts. And there's a genie. A magic genie. And he can't wait to grant your wishes.

Much like all post-John Rambo military films, that means it's time to torture our hero, which includes making him stay inside a cell for months with a rotting corpse and forcing him to record a message renouncing America. Of course, it's just words, not deeds, because in seconds Ransom is killing Russkies all over again before getting is revenge on Radek, which involves a gigantic machine gun and a grenade, all before a final battle with his nemesis Jakoda. They've already battled on a waterfall, Holmes and Moriarty be damned, but this time, the big bad and brutal bolshevik has metal teeth after losing all of his molars in their last battle.

This is the very same Jakoda who made sure to tell our hero, "Hey, hero. Remember that Vietnamese village? With that boy called Lao? Nice boy, wasn't he. That's why I decided to save him for last. He had such fragile bones."

Oh Vincent Dawn and Clyde Anderson! Oh Bruno and Claudio! You never cease to thrill me with the madness that you throw at the screen, filling this movie with explosions, machine gun fire and Reb Brown screaming every single line of dialogue with the blazing intensity of a thousand Republican wet dreams.

If you're wondering, "Did Bruno steal any footage to make this?" the answer is, "This is a Bruno Mattei movie." Look for the helicopter scenes from The Last Hunter. Why pay for something when someone else has already shot it? Bruno would pay himself back by reusing footage of this movie in Cop Game.

My greatest dream is that someday, somewhere, somehow, Strike Commando and Thunder form an Italian exploitation version of The Expendables with Jake "Tiger" Sharp from Blastfighter, Paco Quernak from Hands of Steel and Nadir from Warriors of the Wasteland.

Bruno Mattei directs the ultimate commando masterpiece of all times! Reb Brown plays Michael Ransom, a Green Beret sent on a risky mission which goes wrong. He manages to get back to his own lines, only to wind up on another botched mission. While interred in an enemy POW camp, he discovers that his CO is actually working for the KGB, and escapes to seek revenge. See a man yelling after his body has been blown to bits by a grenade and much more in this highly entertaining RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II rip-off! Outrageous violence and huge explosions! Do not miss STRIKE COMMANDO! PS: a message to the Vietnamese guy who commented earlier: Your dad should be proud for being an extra in this masterpiece. I would be feeling superior if I were him. He worked for Bruno Mattei.

Italian director Bruno Mattei is often accused of being one of the most inept directors working in the film industry today. However, having watched many of his films I am left convinced that the sly old fox must be actually in on the joke.

Take for instance the film in question.....I simply refuse to accept that any movie that showcases such a lofty combination of hilariously bad acting, side splittingly awful dialogue, woefully inappropriate incidental music and a plethora of jaw-droppingly silly scenes can have ever been intended to have been taken at all seriously in the first place. The second half of this movie especially seems to play like an all out comedy, further proof surely that Mattei was parodying the film that this was copied - er- I mean modelled upon (Rambo: First Blood Part 2)

Either way, intentional or not, the end result is the same; this movie is utterly hilarious!

B-movie god Reb Brown, star of many a cinematic craptacular, appears here as Michael Ransom, a super tough commando who has a predilection for yelling at the top of his lungs whenever he fires off an automatic weapon (which as it happens turns out to be a frequent occurrence) In fact if one were to base a drinking game of one shot for every time our Reb starts screaming, then you can fully expect to be in a coma by the end of the movie!

Actually there's a bit more to the plot than the above, not much mind you, but I'll reveal it anyway.... At the start of the movie our hero and his buddies are shown infiltrating a compound deep behind enemy lines in Vietnam. However, back in the relative safety of the jungle nearby, a slimy general pulls rank and orders the charges that our boys are laying to be detonated early. Say bye, bye to our heroes, all except our main man of course, who manages to narrowly escape. He is eventually discovered floating downstream by a group of friendly fighters.

In gratitude, our hero vows to lead them to safety. However, things don't go according to plan and they find themselves attacked by hostile forces led by a sadistic Russian officer.

In amongst such brutal scenes of carnage and destruction it must be sure hard to retain one's humanity, but our hero also has a tender heart it seems as evidenced in a number of touching scenes between himself and a young boy who wishes to escape the turmoil of the war around him. Inevitably, (but not unpredictably) the poor little lad gets killed later on in the film by the aforementioned Russian miscreant thus eliciting what surely must rank as one of the most painful scenes of bad acting I have ever had the joy to behold from our Reb as he tearfully cradles the dying child in his arms and relates to him the joys of Disneyland (!!!)

Promptly after the ill fated youngster expires (whilst dreaming of Mickey Mouse and co) our Reb goes mental with his M-60 whilst repeatedly yelling the name of the murderer of his little buddy. ....Infact he goes on and on hollering the villains name and wasting bullets until he is finally captured!

Various arduous torture scenes ensue (including electrocution, a blow torch to the back, and leaving Reb in a cell with a decomposing body!) as Reb's captors attempt to break his will.

But our man, being the tough commando sort that he is just won't crack and eventually breaks free to wreck yet more havoc (whilst yelling loudly yet again!)

Finally our man must face his Russian nemesis in hand to hand combat (having by now laid waste to pretty much every one else in the cast!) And what a fight!!!!! Truly some of the worst (and most amusing) choreography I have ever witnessed! At one point both combatants run straight at each other from about 20 feet apart only to collide in a mutual head butt!!!!!

Eventually our hero manages to knock his enemy over a cliff after which he lets off the mightiest victory cry yet!

However, there are one or two loose ends remaining.....

The General at the start who ordered the explosives to be prematurely detonated is revealed to be in cahoots with the Russians! Understandably mightily peeved by this traitorous act our man resolves to track him down......with his beloved M-60!!! After blowing the living excrement out of everyone guarding the general, Reb finally blows the cowardly scum up with a grenade launcher! WOAH!

But there's one last surprise in store! - As he is leaving the compound, our man is attacked by the big Russian who it seems did not perish in the fall off the cliff after all and in addition, is now sporting some steel dentures which he is determined to sink into our mans throat!!!!

Fear not, Reb simply shoves a grenade into his eager chops and blows him sky high (and manages to fire off a great quip after the aforementioned modified dentures fly into his hands!)

WOW! Now this is what I call a movie! I really can't understand many of the derisory reviews I've read about it for whether the director intended it or not, this film is without doubt one of the most hilarious movies I have ever had the pleasure to sit through.

Funniest scene? Well there's so many to chose from but for me it's a bizarre bit where a Vietnamese soldier jumps out on our hero to kill him prompting our man Reb to utter the woefully misplaced line, 'Dammit, you scared the sh*t of of me!' before effortlessly knocking him out with a rifle butt!!!

Forget the humourless, sickeningly and blindly patriotic Rambo, simply put, one can not say to have lived until one has experienced the wondrous spectacle that is Strike Commando!