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Strike Commando 2 | |
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Italian theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Bruno Mattei |
Produced by | Franco Gaudenzi |
Written by | Claudio Fragasso Rossella Drudi |
Starring | Brent Huff Richard Harris |
Music by | Stefano Mainetti |
Cinematography | Richard Grassetti |
Edited by | Bruno Mattei |
Distributed by | Flora Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 min. |
Country | Italy |
Language | English |
Strike Commando 2 (also known as Trappola diabolica) is a 1988 Italian English-language action film, starring Brent Huff, Richard Harris and Mary Stavin. It follows Bruno Mattei's (who also directed the film) Strike Commando (1987), where Reb Brown plays the lead character (Huff replaced him in this one).
Sergeant Michael Ransom (Huff) is a tormented war veteran. When his commander, Vic Jenkins (Harris) is kidnapped by Vietnamese drug smugglers, the CIA dispatches him to their camp and all hell breaks loose. Ransom tries to save Jenkins who saved his life during the Vietnam war, unfortunately, Jenkins is caught cooperating with the villains. Ransom is captured and is subjected to various forms of painful torture.
Interrogation sequences including branding sessions with hot rocks and water torture. Ransom is also brutally electrocuted for long hours by the sadistic Kramet (Davidson). His agony finally ends when he manages to escape from the torture chamber. Ransom's earlier ally, local girl Rosanna Boom, who has a strong attraction to the masculine hero, helps him to escape and get revenge.
The film was written by Claudio Fragasso and his wife Rossella Drudi and directed by Bruno Mattei, the film was shot in the Philippines for budgetary reasons. Many of the filmmakers and cast members who worked on Strike Commando in 1986 appeared on the set but not Reb Brown, the original performer of the role of Sergeant Michael Ransom was replaced by another American actor, Brent Huff.
The film was shot deep in the Filipino jungle in a little village called Los Baños. Brent Huff stated that during the filming he was in the best shape of his life because of all the physical action on the set (Huff did his own stunts) and the food − during filming, he ate nothing but fruit and fish. [1]
Fragasso and Drudi were highly inspired by Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) when they created their screenplay. There are several references to George Pan Cosmatos' film, including the betrayal subject and the notorious interrogation torture scenes.
The film was released on August 17, 1988 in Italy as Trappola diabolica (The Diabolical Trap), [2] then under the commonly known title Strike Commando 2 in the rest of the world, including the United States. On October 1988 Video Statt distributed the film on VHS tapes in Germany. The German version of Strike Commando 2, entitled Heroin Force, met with heavy censorship. The torture scenes of the main protagonist as well as some of the scenes of his battle with his opponents were censored.
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Claudio Fragasso is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Fragasso first attempted to make art films in the early 1970s, then became a screenwriter in the Italian film industry in the mid-1970s. Fragasso met director Bruno Mattei which led to a ten-year partnership from 1980 to 1990 during which the two worked together closely on films, with Fragasso's contributions often going uncredited. Fragasso's wife Rossella Drudi was also a screenwriter and collaborated with him on a number of projects. Fragasso would later go on to write and direct his own films in the 1980s, including Monster Dog with rock musician Alice Cooper and After Death. Fragasso made Troll 2 in 1989 which was later the topic of the documentary film Best Worst Movie which discussed the film's fandom.
Bruno Mattei was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor who directed exploitation films in many genres, including women in prison, nunsploitation, zombie, mondo, cannibal, and Nazisploitation films. Mattei's films often followed popular genre trends of the era. Mattei continued work as a director until his death in 2007.
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Brent Huff is an, actor, writer and film director.
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Born to Fight is a 1989 action film, starring Brent Huff, John van Dreelen, Werner Pochath and Mary Stavin. The film was shot on Philippines due to low budget in 1988 and is the third time − after Strike Commando 2 (1988) and Cop Game (1988) − when Brent Huff worked with director Bruno Mattei.
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Stefano Mainetti is an Italian composer and conductor.
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Massimo Vanni is an Italian film and television actor.