I'm a serious Antonio Margheriti fan and really enjoy his films from this era in particular. Let me be clear, if you're not a fan of Italian exploitation/genre films, then the low budget and SFX might turn you off. That said, Margheriti was a superior director and consistently produced entertaining films on minuscule budgets. His work with miniatures was often remarkable although I fear younger people now might ridicule it. Personally, I remain greatly impressed by the craftsmanship that went into those low-budget effects.
But I digress...as to this particular film, it is unfortunately not quite as entertaining as most of his others from this era. The film stars Margheriti regulars David Warbeck, Luciano Pigozzi , and Rene Abadeza. All three are great (as usual). And like many other Margheriti films of this era it was filmed in the Philippines, which provides a suitable exotic, jungle location. Unfortunately this film lacks some essential elements--the most glaring of which is the lack of an antagonist/villain. Instead, Warbeck & Co. are reduced to traipsing through the jungle merely dodging nameless soldiers. There's no Lee Van Cleef or Klaus Kinski running some scheme with drug lords. There's no Ernest Borgnine pulling the strings from the Capitol. It is literally just Warbeck and his buddies trying to avoid soldiers. This is unique in Margheriti's films and is impossible to excuse as the plot is literally the thinnest of any of his movies. Also dragging the production down is the fact that nearly 100% of the movie is filmed in the jungle. Without an antagonist, there are no scenes back in the city with the bad guys plotting, no scenes at drug manufacturing silos, and nothing visually interesting (for the most part). They literally traipse through the jungle and stop mostly in empty buildings. Although there are a couple of decent explosions, they are kept at a bare minimum and Margheriti fans will be disappointed in the conspicuous lack of flame-thrower action.
All that said, I cannot rate a Margheriti film lower than 5 out of 10 because despite this film having virtually no budget, he and the actors make the most it. It does have some (outlandish) casual racism that still perplexes me. If you are a fan of Margheriti in particular or Italian exploitation in general then check out this movie...if not, stay away.
