aka Apocalypse Domani, Invasion of the Flesh Hunters
The Reverend here, with yet another Italian cannibal movie review! This one starring cult film icon, John "Motherfuckin" Saxon! CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE is a trashy little slice of exploitation pie that will leave fans of the genre hungry for more--HA! Cannibal humor! What? Shut up.
I first saw this flick about 15 years ago by the title INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS (one of its MANY titles) and thought it was pure garbage. I was right—because INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS is the edited version of CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE. Yup, the same movie but w/almost all the violence removed. Sorry folks, but when I sit down to watch a movie called CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE (or INVASION OF THE FLESH HUNTERS for that matter), I'm not looking for a great story, with character development--I'm looking for some fucking carnage! Take the violence & gore out of this kind of film, and it's like somebody shit in the punchbowl—the party's over. Unless you're into that kind of thing, then it's foreplay.
Now that I get to see the film as it was meant to be seen, I have a whole new outlook on the film. I mentioned John Saxon, I'm sorry—John "Motherfuckin" Saxon was the lead but the co-star of the film is the one and only, Giovanni Lombardo Radice! A man who's entire filmography is worth checking out. The man is one of my favorite genre movie actors of all time. He plays creepy assholes like it's nobody's business. In CANNIBAL APOCOLYPSE he even comes close to playing his first likable character…almost.
The plot is a simple one. Saxon's character, Hopper, is an ex-Vietnam vet who had a bad experience in Nam with some soldier buddies that were infected with a virus that makes you crave human flesh. During a rescue, Hopper is bit by one of his buddies, and gets infected with the disease himself. Some time later, one of his ol' buddies, Charlie (Radice), gets released from the funny farm, and looks up Hopper to discuss just what went on back in 'Nam.
Lately, Hopper's been having strange dreams, and craving blood and raw meat. He even takes the term 'eating pussy' to its literal meaning with his neighbor's teenage daughter. So he wants to talk with his friend, and find out if he knows what's going on. They agree to meet at a bar later that day but Charlie runs into some trouble.
Charlie goes to a movie to kill some time and watches a couple going at it in front of him. He gets the uncontrollable urge to take a bite out of the woman--and he does just that. He gets chased by some thugs (whom he pissed off on his way into the theater), and gets cornered inside an indoor flea market. Charlie ends up killing one of the thugs, a security guard, which starts a police standoff. Hopper, hearing about a Vietnam vet on a killing spree heads to the scene. He's able to talk Charlie into turning himself in, and he's sent back to the funny farm. Also in that same insane asylum is yet another vet' buddy, Tom (Tony King), the one that bit Hopper, during the rescue back in 'Nam.
Once back in the asylum, Charlie bites a nurse, which causes Charlie and Tom to be strapped down. Hopper ends up coming to visit Charlie, and ends up breaking his two buddies out. A nurse (who is now infected as well) joins them and the four soon become almost anti-heroes on the run from the law, munching on flesh and spreading the virus. Essentially they're all good people, they just crave human flesh because they're infected—we can't blame them for that. Right? Right.
Wallace Wilkinson plays the police captain who wants to take them down, and boy does he ham up his role. Wilkinson delivers some great lines, and he helps make the movie fun. Saxon does the thing he does so well and that is…play John Saxon. Let's face it, the guy doesn't have a lot of range but he has great intensity. Lombardo Radice is great as well--possible one of his best performances. I don't think it is a real spoiler to say that his character dies in this film (he dies in everything!), and his death scene is classic. The fact that it was cut out on some prints of the film is a fucking crime.
What CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE does is take a cannibal movie, a zombie movie, a cheesy action flick, and combines them. The infected are basically zombies minus the whole undead thing; zombies with brains and character if you will. There are some great gore scenes but no where on the level of CANNIBAL FEROX or CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. The score is a by-the-numbers synth score that all Italian films of this era used, and is nothing too special. Antonio Margheriti does a fine job in the director's chair, nothing to gush about though. Glancing through his filmography, I see CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE may be his best known film, and I'll go out on a limb here and say probably one of his best films.
It's purely for fans of Italian cannibal and zombie flicks, for sure. I don't think it will win over anybody who's not already into Italian exploitation/horror. Though, some with open minds may be surprised.
CANNIBAL APOCALYPSE trailer