Enzo G. Castellari Movies

A group of hardened Nazi killers stalk their prey in Nazi-occupied France as a Jewish cinema owner plots to take down top-ranking SS officers during the official premiere of a high-profile German propaganda film. As far as Lt. Aldo Raine (aka Aldo the Apache," Brad Pitt) -- is concerned, the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. Raine's mission is to strike fear into the heart of Adolf Hitler by brutally murdering as many goose-steppers as possible, or die trying. In order to accomplish that goal, Lt. Raine recruits a ruthless team of cold-blooded killers known as "The Basterds" which includes baseball-bat-wielding Bostonian Sgt. Donnie Donowitz (aka "The Bear Jew," Eli Roth) and steely psychopath Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger), among others. When the Basterds' secret rendezvous with turncoat German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) goes awry, they learn that the Nazis will be staging the French premiere of "The Nation's Pride," a rousing propaganda film based on the exploits of German hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl), at a modest theater owned by Jewish cinephile Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), posing as a Gentile after the brutal murder of her family by the ruthless Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). As the Basterds hatch an explosive plan to take out as many Nazis as possible at the premiere, they remain completely oblivious to the fact that Shoshanna, too, longs to bring the Third Reich to its knees, and that she's willing to sacrifice her beloved theater in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this epic Italian fantasy a muscle-bound Sinbad and his sailors cross the seas to help a young prince regain his throne by battling it out with a powerful, wicked wizard. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A San Francisco scientist attempts to hold the city hostage with a powerful laser, prompting fearless cop Ronn Warren (Eric Estrada) and his wily partner Swann (Michael Pritchard) to try and save the Bay Area from becoming a bubbling cauldron of death in director Enzo G. Castellari's outrageous sci fi action thriller. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Mark Harmon stars in this highly explosive actioner from Italian maestro Enzo G. Castellari as Gacel Sayah, the leader of the most feared tribe in the Sahara, the Tuareg. Able to survive for days without food and water and traveling only by foot across the scorching landscape, the Tuareg are self-sufficient and as adaptable an enemy as any. When two political captives run across their camp, the Tuareg give them refuge, though it isn't long until a group of crooked soldiers hunt them down. Many dead Tuareg bodies are left in their wake, with one prisoner left, barely. The hunt then turns on the soldiers, as Gacel leads an avenging attack on the people that dared spill Tuareg blood on his sand. Castellari was a king of Italian action for many years, though Tuareg -- Il Guerriero Del Deserto is regarded as the final, expensive blow to his career. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

One of many post-apocalyptic science-fiction films which poured out of Europe in the wake of George Miller's Mad Max, this film stars Stefania Girolami as Anna, who runs away from her wealthy but obnoxious family into the surrealistic biker gangland of the Bronx. There, she meets Trash (Marco de Gregorio), part of a gang called The Riders, and soon falls in love with him. Problems arise when Anna's father (Enio Girolami), president of the evil Manhattan Corporation, sends in a psychopath named Hammer (Vic Morrow) to stir up trouble among the rival gangs, including a black club led by Ogre (Fred Williamson) and a rollerskating group led by Golem (Luigi Montefiori). Castellari's direction is surprisingly stylish and exciting, but all of the hyper-macho posturing eventually grows tiresome for anyone over fifteen. Still, undemanding viewers will have a good time, as the action keeps coming fast and furious, laced with suitably hardbitten dialogue by director Enzo G. Castellari, Elisa Livia Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti. A minor classic of testosterone cinema, followed by several sequels starting with Fuga dal Bronx (1983). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

A brave shark fisherman is forced to contend with baddies on land. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

A quaint little beach town is terrorized by a bloodthirsty great white shark in the infamous Italian Jaws rip-off The Last Shark. As usual, the powers that be turn a blind eye to it for tourist reasons, although eventually even they cannot escape the ocean of blood at their doorstep. Cue novelist Peter Benton (James Franciscus) and shark hunter Ron Hamer (Vic Morrow), who valiantly seek to kill the beast. Best known for the Universal Pictures lawsuit that found the film's North American theatrical release cut short and subsequent releases barred due to the blatant similarities to Steven Spielberg's blockbuster and its sequel, The Last Shark lives on in movie legend and Japanese laserdisc bootlegs for those who can find it. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

This unusual Italian-Spanish co-production begins with a woman being pulled down into a lake by an unseen assailant. Her daughter Lillian (Eleonora Cristofani under the name "Leonora Fani") returns to her home village years later, and is attacked by an axe-wielding maniac. Lillian has the odd habit of passing out every time she has sex (a very convenient plot twist from screenwriters Leila Buongiomo and Jose Maria Nunez), and one time awakens to find her partners dead. Lillian also has a psychic link with her evil voyeuristic sister Lilith (Patricia Adriani), who is possessed by the spirit of Kira, a long-dead witch, and the two must ultimately duel it out in a climactic catfight in which they rip off each others' clothes. The result is alternately atmospheric and laughably stupid, perhaps explained by director Enzo G. Castellari's last-minute hiring. Castellari is totally out of his element here, and the studio added extra footage after the fact. Nevertheless, there are some interesting moments, and familiar faces like Massimo Vanni, Antonio Mayans, Luis Induni, and American TV veteran Vincent Gardenia for genre devotees. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

An undercover cop deeply entrenched in a lucrative international drug syndicate (Fabio Testi) and a trigger-happy Interpol agent (David Hemmings) attempt to survive on the streets long enough to bring the criminal element to their knees in director Enzo Castellari's explosive poliziotteschi. The city of Rome is about to erupt into violence, and as Inspector Fabio and agent Mike Hamilton become tied up in the twisted world of hard drugs and sexual depravity, the only thing standing between order and complete chaos are two tough law enforcers who may already be too far gone to get the job done. Now, with little time to spare and the specter of death looming on every city block, it's time to pick sides for the final battle and take on a hail of gunfire to take back the streets once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A by-the-books cop struggling to bust a brutal protection racket in Rome is forced to throw the rules out the window when the vicious gang attempts to cement their status by moving into the drug trade in director Enzo G. Castellari's tough-talking poliziotteschi. As the citizens of Rome continue to suffocate in the cold grip of fear, it's up to determined inspector Nico Palmieri (Fabio Testi) to take back the streets from the murderers and rapists who terrorize the population and give the cruel thugs a hard lesson in street justice. When the only language that the criminal element understands is violence, Inspector Palmieri is more than willing to communicate in terms that will get the message across. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this comedy, Scaramouche (Michael Sarrazin) and his friend Whistle (Giancarlo Prete) are members of Napoleon's army, and through a series of adventures, become embroiled in the intrigues surrounding Napoleon (Aldo Maccione) and his Empress, Josephine (Ursula Andress). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi