Edward Mannix Week: The Inglorious Bastards

And we are back. Sorry about the no-show yesterday. Household chores had to come first. Delving back into some more Edward Mannix I noticed his name attached to an Enzo G. Castellari flick. Who you ask? Well you know of his work in explotiation as well as Italian Post-Apocalyptic films such as: (High Crime, Street Law, The Heorin Busters, The Shark Hunter, 1990: The Bronx Warriors, Escape from the Bronx,Warriors of the Wasteland and Hammerhead) and any cat that has cast Django Franco Nero himself that many times deserves a look over. Deep in the mountains of France, deserter American soldiers are being transported for a military prison during World War II in 1944. This is The Inglorious Bastards.

No I am not Chuck Connors!!

No not the Tarantino remake of the same name, I am talking about what "inspired" him for his homage. No, I speak of the film with the tagline "Whatever the Dirty Dozen did- They do DIRTIER!" A gathering of men after off to face the tribunal/imprisonment which amazingly enough during one of the heaviest wars they didn't just out and execute them under articles of being a traitor but hell wouldn't be much of a movie if they did that.

Man, don't be bothering Tommy Gibbs right now.

Our company consists of officer/fighter pilot Lt. Robert Yeager (Bo Svenson of Breaking Point, Snowbeast, Gold of the Amazon Women, Day of Resurrection, Walking Tall TV series, The Manhunt and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom), Bigot murderer Tony (Peter Hooten of Prisoners, Orca, Dr. Strange TV Movie, Fantasies, 2020 Texas Gladiators), big bad Pvt Fred Canfield (former Oakland Raiders/Kansas City Chiefs and blaxploitation legend Fred Willamson of M*A*S*H, Black Caesar, Hell Up in Harlem, Three the Hard Way, Bucktown, No Way Back, Warriors of the Wasteland, From Dusk 'Till Dawn and Revamped), the thief/scrounger Nick (Michael Pergolani of The Inglorious Bastards, Lost and Found and Il pap'occhio) and yellow bellied coward Berle (Jackie Basehart of Stream Line, The Black Corsair, the Iron Hand of the Mafia, Ciao nemico, Festival and Tea with Mussolini)

During the ride out, their convoy is stopped by German air raid, an assault happens ripping up the convoy. Our boys hustle out of gun range and into the foothills of France in their new APC. With the idea of heading to Switzerland because of its neutral border plus it being about 160 miles (257 km for everyone else)from their location, it seems like a smart move versus escaped convicts getting shot.

The Hammer gonna burn you down.

Down the road, German mortars threaten to obliterate our freshly sprung jailbirds but they hightail into the woods with Nick stopping by a previous convoy to (Get this) loot the bodies. Yup our thief managed some treasure perception rolls and made off with a few more handy items.

Making their way through yet another fire fight and bombardment, the boys find themselves "volunteered" for a suicide mission to steal rocket engines, blow a bridge and suppress as many of the Nazis as possible.

Will they go along with this? Can their chances of survival be higher than 30%?

It is wild this flick. Saw Donald O'Brien from Zombie Holocaust as a German soldier and even the director himself Enzo as a German officer. But worry not fans of Edward Mannix, he has be tasked with voice work for quote "Redneck Bastard"end quote. Yup, not even a titled character this time around in spite of Donald O' Brien being there so no Doctor Butcher vibes this time. I won't lie, Wooten's racist character started to grate on my nerves but I guess they felt it necessary for the plot.

The writing surprised me. The dialogue doesn't feel like the ramblings of Platoon, Casualties of War or the like. It is solid. Only used when needed, the actors portray a lot of their character through intimidation, humorous behavior or just right now eerie ass stares worthy of John Carradine's creeper eyes. These men are not heroes. They are human, flawed and even scared at times. They haven't been soldiers in a long damn time and even if they were, they don't give a damn about the chain of command. Yet they seem to have bonded with Yeager. One of us and that sort.  

Orgy river party!!!

 I cannot decide definitively who my favorite is cause I am a huge Fred Willamson and Bo Svenson fan but the thief/scrounger hippie was warming to me. The cinematography is astounding, the action scenes are hard hitting but the dark comedy will raise more than a chuckle. And yes fellas, this being a seventies made war flick there is boobage. I know you would have been adrift without it.