''Endgame (Bronx lotta finale)'' () is a 1983

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

post-apocalyptic film starring

Al Cliver Pierluigi Conti (born 16 July 1951) is a retired Italian actor, known by the stage name Al Cliver. He is best known for starring in horror and exploitation films, especially ones by directors Lucio Fulci, Jesús Franco, and Joe D'Amato. Earl ...

Laura Gemser Laurette Marcia Gemser (born 5 October 1950) is an Indonesian-Dutch retired actress, model and costume designer. She is primarily known for her work in Cinema of Italy, Italian Sex in film, erotic cinema, most notably the ''Emmanuelle#Other film ...

and

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Kodak, Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. After a decade of experiments in photography, he ...

. It was directed, co-written and produced by

Joe D'Amato Aristide Massaccesi (15 December 1936 – 23 January 1999), known professionally as Joe D'Amato, was an Italian film director, producer, cinematographer, and screenwriter who worked in many genres (western (genre), westerns, ''Commedia sexy all' ...

, under the pseudonym "Steven Benson".

Synopsis

In the year 2025, a

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear annihilation, nuclear armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a Futures studies, theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes widespread destruction and radi ...

has left

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

irradiated Irradiation is the process by which an object is exposed to radiation. An irradiator is a device used to expose an object to radiation, most often gamma radiation, for a variety of purposes. Irradiators may be used for sterilizing medical and p ...

, but not abandoned, wasteland. (It appears the Nuclear War that caused the devastation happened in the late 1980s or early 1990s based on the technology people have available.) The ruined city is inhabited now by

scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume Corpse decomposition, dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a he ...

packs and

telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...

s, who are persecuted by the elite survivors. Keeping the few remaining people pacified is the reality television program ''Endgame'', where hunters and gladiators fight to the death for large financial winnings. The elites in power in the city have their security forces seeking out and killing mutants who populate the ruins of the city. The non-mutant Professor Levin helps the mutants survive and hide from the security forces seeking to kill them. The star and veteran fighter from ''Endgame,'' Ron Shannon (

), convinces his nemesis to help him assemble a team to take a group of mind-reading mutants across the desert to safety. They need to avoid such dangers as blind fighting monks, nomadic predators, government agents, and Shannon's friend, now turned nemesis, Karnak (

). The leader of the mutants is Lilith (

) and she has promised that if the team assembled by Shannon can succeed in getting the mutants to safety, a fortune awaits them.

Cast

as Ron Shannon *

as Lilith *

as Karnak * Jack Davis as Professor Levin *

Hal Yamanouchi , also known as , is a Japanese-Italian actor, voice actor, dancer, choreographer, stunt performer, writer and former mime. Born in Tokyo, he has resided in Italy since 1975 and holds Italian citizenship. Beginning his career as a mime, he has p ...

as Ninja * Gabriele Tinti as Bull * Mario Pedone as Kovack *

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder, known for his starring roles in Italian sword-and-sandal and Spaghetti Western films. Early life Charles Allen Pendleto ...

as Colonel Morgan

Release

''Endgame'' was released in Italy on November 5, 1983.

Reception

While noting that this is a

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centres on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ...

"ripoff", and that the battle sequences seem endless, Creature Feature gave the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars. Million Monkey Theater found that the movie is a mixture of The Running Man and any number of post-apocalyptic movies and had issues with the acting, but stated the fans of the genre would like the film. George Eastman remarked "The idea was alright...but like all the others, it was made on too small a budget. These (post-atomic) films, which were made in the wake of the various ''

'' movies, were decidedly crummy. The set designs were poor....and the genre met a swift and well-deserved death." Kim Newman found the movie "initially promising".Newman, K. (2000) Apocalypse Movies: End of the World Cinema.

Home Release

The movie has been released on DVD and on Blu-ray by

Severin Films Severin Films is an American independent film production and distribution company known for restoring and releasing cult films on DVD and Blu-ray. It is considered a boutique Blu-ray and DVD label. History The label was created in 2006 in Los A ...

References

External links

*
A detailed synopsis of the movie
{{Joe D'Amato 1983 films 1980s science fiction action films Films directed by Joe D'Amato Films scored by Carlo Maria Cordio Films set in 2025 1980s Italian-language films Italian science fiction action films Italian post-apocalyptic films Films about telepathy 1980s Italian films 1983 science fiction films