This user-comment stands as my last personal homage to director Bruno Mattei, who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago. Even though certainly wasn't the world's best horror director (he's often even referred to as the Italian Ed Wood), but his movies never failed to entertain me, and you could always tell he had great intentions. "Hell of the Living Dead" and "Rats: Nights of Terror", for example, are both terrible, yet they form essential viewing for fans of Italian horror cinema. Mattei supposedly died from a brain tumor, but after seeing "Cannibal Ferox 3", I'm beginning to suspect Arnold Swcharzenegger and John McTiernan killed him for exaggeratedly imitating their masterwork "Predator". I've seen a lot of (Italian) rip-offs of cinematic milestones, but there never was any film that shamelessly borrowed so many key-elements from one movie and repeated them blatantly. Every single memorable sequence from "Predator" is copied here (from the skinned corpses hanging upside down from trees to the mistaken killing of a wild boar instead of the enemy) and even most of the dialogs are literally re-used. (" ain't got time to bleed"). Actually, all Bruno Mattei did was replace the intergalactic hunter with a tribe of native Cannibals, and that's it! A team of heavily trained soldiers is sent into the jungle to locate and rescue a Western girl who's supposedly captured by a cannibalistic tribe. The tribe considers her to be some sort of Goddess, so even if the squad can get her out of there, the cannibals aren't likely to give up without a fight. The script also steals elements from a handful of other movies ("Aliens", "Cannibal Holocaust"
) but if you've seen "Predator", you're always several steps ahead of the screenplay. The action sequences are poorly done and there's only a disappointingly small amount of gory make-up effects to enjoy. Acting performances are weak and the total lack of sleaze is unforgivable. Cindy Jelic Matic stripped off all her clothes in "Mondo Cannibale" (which was shot back-to-back with this one), so the least she could do was show some ravishing flesh here as well. Oh well, at least these recent cannibal-exploitation movies don't feature any gratuitous animal killings, I suppose. Unfortunately, I can't give any praise to Bruno Mattei regarding this film, as it really sucks, but at least he kept the Italian horror industry running till the day he died. He directed no less than fifteen movies since the new millennium and I think all his fans should see them! Call it some kind of paying your last respects
10 Reviews
Cannibal Ferox 3: The Predator Rip-Off!
The_Void6 October 2008
Ripping off big budget American films was a common practice for Italian filmmakers in the seventies and eighties with the likes of The Exorcist, Dirty Harry and Jaws being 'reinvented' several times by a host of names, which often included Bruno Mattei. By 2003, cheap exploitation cinema had become less popular in Italy; but Bruno Mattei was still making movies and apparently he didn't see any reason to stop this often practiced tradition of ripping off American movies, and saw fit to reinvent John McTiernan's Predator and splice it together with another popular American export, the cannibal movie, and what we have as the result is this film. Land of Death takes place, as you would expect, in the Amazon jungle and as was the case with Predator; we focus on a group of soldiers that have to go into the jungle on a rescue mission. They have to rescue a general's daughter who has been kidnapped by a cannibal tribe who, fascinated by her blonde hair, believe her to be some sort of goddess.
Most of the Italian rip-offs released during the seventies and eighties were a bit more subtle than this film. The order of the day was usually to rip a film off thematically and basically spin a new story around the idea used in the successful American film. But Mattei apparently couldn't be bothered to go through the time consuming process of thinking up an idea and writing a script; so what we get instead is just a re-run of Predator. And I mean that literally; whole lines of dialogue are taken, scenes are stolen almost frame for frame, the characters are the same etc. In fact if it wasn't for the fact that there is no alien, this could be a frame for frame remake of Predator (although it's more along the same lines as the fan made version of Indiana Jones quality-wise than Gus Van Sant's Psycho!). Basically, if you've seen Predator, you will know exactly what to expect here and to be honest there's not much point watching unless you're only there to see just how badly McTiernan's film has been stolen from. Mattei does at least give us some gore...but to be honest, this is shameful stuff.
Most of the Italian rip-offs released during the seventies and eighties were a bit more subtle than this film. The order of the day was usually to rip a film off thematically and basically spin a new story around the idea used in the successful American film. But Mattei apparently couldn't be bothered to go through the time consuming process of thinking up an idea and writing a script; so what we get instead is just a re-run of Predator. And I mean that literally; whole lines of dialogue are taken, scenes are stolen almost frame for frame, the characters are the same etc. In fact if it wasn't for the fact that there is no alien, this could be a frame for frame remake of Predator (although it's more along the same lines as the fan made version of Indiana Jones quality-wise than Gus Van Sant's Psycho!). Basically, if you've seen Predator, you will know exactly what to expect here and to be honest there's not much point watching unless you're only there to see just how badly McTiernan's film has been stolen from. Mattei does at least give us some gore...but to be honest, this is shameful stuff.
Generic Cannibal Film that Misses the Mark
Reviews_of_the_Dead9 March 2019
This was a film I'm not entirely sure how I got turned on to. My only guess was that after I watched Cannibal Holocaust and added its sequels to my Netflix list, I sought out a couple more cannibal films as well. I did find it interesting now that my knowledge of the genre is deeper to see that Bruno Mattei made this film under one of his many pseudonyms. The official synopsis is commandos head deep into the Amazon jungle to rescue a general's daughter who has been kidnapped by a cannibal tribe.
To kick this one off, we see some natives eating something around a fire and from the title of the film; we know that they are eating people. We then shift to a group of soldiers as they land in Brazil. The leader of this unit is Lt. Wilson (Lou Randall). He meets with a military man from the country. They are informed they will be going into the jungle with the best guide to try to find the missing people, the most important one being Sara Armstrong.
As they journey in with Romero (Claudio Morales) and his assistant, he tells the commandos, which include Vasquez (Ydalia Suarez), Sgt. Cameron (Silvio Jimenez) and Kruger (Sanit Larrauri), they are told about the local customs and meet tribes of the Amazon. It isn't safe and there are dangerous animals along the way. They could upon an old campsite where Romero believes they stayed at. The tribe that they are seeking out though, no one has ever seen. If they have, they've never been able to tell the tale.
I am keeping my recap rather short for this film, because to be honest, there isn't much depth to the story. I really don't mind that fact actually. I didn't realize the man was a general, but I knew he was in the government. I did find it funny that the film is from Italy and pretty sure most of all the actors are as well, pretending to be from the United States. It makes sense to have them be from there, because we are really the only country that would send in soldiers like this film to rescue someone.
There was a much bigger issue I had with this film though. It really does feel like a combination of Cannibal Holocaust and Predator. I will admit that I probably wouldn't have thought of the latter if I had not seen the title of a review as I was turning this film on that stated this. This film does have aspects of both films though. Examples are we see a pig being slaughtered on screen and some of the plot points to keep these characters going along their path from Cannibal Holocaust. Predator has these commandos just destroying this village to save the person they are going for.
Stemming from this is that the film is boring. I have come to understand from the cannibal films I've seen they normally need to be pretty graphic in nature to what we see or they have to have a deeper allegorical meaning for what we seeing in order for them to be good. This film really doesn't do either, which is an issue. I think part of this hurts the film that it comes out in the early to mid 2000s when the genre was really created 30 years prior. What we see is tame and it doesn't bring the emotional value. I think the pacing is off because I never connect with the characters and the stakes aren't really there. The ending I thought was fine, but because of how I'm feeling, it doesn't carry the weight.
There is an issue of realism of where they are. Now for me, I saw as the film was starting this was filmed in Philippines. I really started to look at the natives used and they look Asian, not South American. I'm sure that it was cheaper or safer or something to film there, but that is something that is a bit of an issue. The natives in these countries do not look the same.
This brings me to the acting. The acting was subpar as well. Morales I thought was fitting for his role, but I think it is a weird move to have them almost treating this like a documentary film where he is just narrating the facts of the jungle and the tribes they encounter. Randall was meh. It is funny that he's supposed to be from Indiana and a West Point graduate from what I think the film said. He wouldn't be going into the jungle for this mission if that was true. Cindy Jelic Matic as Sara Armstrong was introduced so late in the film and never really gets development. We do see her pretty much naked which seems to be the only reason she is here. The rest of the commandos are also quite generic. The only ones I'll give credit to are the tribes of natives we have. They seemed pretty primate in how they acted.
Next I'll go to the effects of the film. This is really where the biggest disappointment was for me. The effects that we get are really good. We see some really great dead bodies and I'll even give leeway to seeing the natives eating some corpses. The problem I have though, there are deaths where they are off-screen. I think for a film like this we have to see it. I'm betting they couldn't make the ones they didn't show look real, so they decided to show it. I am normally for this, but the problem being is that this film needed to be more graphic to carry it as it is lacking in so many categories.
I normally don't notice the score of films too much, but this one was bad. I noticed from the beginning that it is generic and they decided to go with faux patriotic music. I get that they these commandos are from the United States, but I think a different score should have been used. I sat there laughing at it for how bad it was coming off to me.
Now with that said, this film wasn't good. I will admit that I'm not the expert on cannibal films, but this one was lacking a lot. As stated earlier, I believe that these films to be really good need to have a deeper meaning behind them or need to go graphic. This film was lacking in story and even though it had good effects, it hid most of them. The pacing was off and the film comes off boring. The acting was subpar and the score was as well. I'd have to say I wouldn't recommend this one unless you want a film that can give you a good laugh.
To kick this one off, we see some natives eating something around a fire and from the title of the film; we know that they are eating people. We then shift to a group of soldiers as they land in Brazil. The leader of this unit is Lt. Wilson (Lou Randall). He meets with a military man from the country. They are informed they will be going into the jungle with the best guide to try to find the missing people, the most important one being Sara Armstrong.
As they journey in with Romero (Claudio Morales) and his assistant, he tells the commandos, which include Vasquez (Ydalia Suarez), Sgt. Cameron (Silvio Jimenez) and Kruger (Sanit Larrauri), they are told about the local customs and meet tribes of the Amazon. It isn't safe and there are dangerous animals along the way. They could upon an old campsite where Romero believes they stayed at. The tribe that they are seeking out though, no one has ever seen. If they have, they've never been able to tell the tale.
I am keeping my recap rather short for this film, because to be honest, there isn't much depth to the story. I really don't mind that fact actually. I didn't realize the man was a general, but I knew he was in the government. I did find it funny that the film is from Italy and pretty sure most of all the actors are as well, pretending to be from the United States. It makes sense to have them be from there, because we are really the only country that would send in soldiers like this film to rescue someone.
There was a much bigger issue I had with this film though. It really does feel like a combination of Cannibal Holocaust and Predator. I will admit that I probably wouldn't have thought of the latter if I had not seen the title of a review as I was turning this film on that stated this. This film does have aspects of both films though. Examples are we see a pig being slaughtered on screen and some of the plot points to keep these characters going along their path from Cannibal Holocaust. Predator has these commandos just destroying this village to save the person they are going for.
Stemming from this is that the film is boring. I have come to understand from the cannibal films I've seen they normally need to be pretty graphic in nature to what we see or they have to have a deeper allegorical meaning for what we seeing in order for them to be good. This film really doesn't do either, which is an issue. I think part of this hurts the film that it comes out in the early to mid 2000s when the genre was really created 30 years prior. What we see is tame and it doesn't bring the emotional value. I think the pacing is off because I never connect with the characters and the stakes aren't really there. The ending I thought was fine, but because of how I'm feeling, it doesn't carry the weight.
There is an issue of realism of where they are. Now for me, I saw as the film was starting this was filmed in Philippines. I really started to look at the natives used and they look Asian, not South American. I'm sure that it was cheaper or safer or something to film there, but that is something that is a bit of an issue. The natives in these countries do not look the same.
This brings me to the acting. The acting was subpar as well. Morales I thought was fitting for his role, but I think it is a weird move to have them almost treating this like a documentary film where he is just narrating the facts of the jungle and the tribes they encounter. Randall was meh. It is funny that he's supposed to be from Indiana and a West Point graduate from what I think the film said. He wouldn't be going into the jungle for this mission if that was true. Cindy Jelic Matic as Sara Armstrong was introduced so late in the film and never really gets development. We do see her pretty much naked which seems to be the only reason she is here. The rest of the commandos are also quite generic. The only ones I'll give credit to are the tribes of natives we have. They seemed pretty primate in how they acted.
Next I'll go to the effects of the film. This is really where the biggest disappointment was for me. The effects that we get are really good. We see some really great dead bodies and I'll even give leeway to seeing the natives eating some corpses. The problem I have though, there are deaths where they are off-screen. I think for a film like this we have to see it. I'm betting they couldn't make the ones they didn't show look real, so they decided to show it. I am normally for this, but the problem being is that this film needed to be more graphic to carry it as it is lacking in so many categories.
I normally don't notice the score of films too much, but this one was bad. I noticed from the beginning that it is generic and they decided to go with faux patriotic music. I get that they these commandos are from the United States, but I think a different score should have been used. I sat there laughing at it for how bad it was coming off to me.
Now with that said, this film wasn't good. I will admit that I'm not the expert on cannibal films, but this one was lacking a lot. As stated earlier, I believe that these films to be really good need to have a deeper meaning behind them or need to go graphic. This film was lacking in story and even though it had good effects, it hid most of them. The pacing was off and the film comes off boring. The acting was subpar and the score was as well. I'd have to say I wouldn't recommend this one unless you want a film that can give you a good laugh.
Predator meets Cannibal Holocaust
face_of_terror17 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This 2003 cannibal flick is directed by Bruno Mattei (Hell of the Living Dead) under other name - Martin Miller. Mattei also did the writing credits and the music score.
Plot : A group of soldiers led by Leutenant Wilson (Lou Randall) are sent to the Jungle of Amazonia to find a general's daughter who was somehow caught by the jungle natives. They take an experienced guide Romero (Claudio Morales) and one of the captured cannibals to take them through the jungle...
On one hand this movie is really good. The acting is okay. Claudio Morales (who looks like Chaco from Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust) and the newcomer Lou Randall look very solid for these types of European cannibal movies. The movie is not as gory and violent as Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox , but fans of low budget cannibal flicks will be satisfied.
On the other hand , like the summary says its "Predator meets Cannibal Holocaust". If you have seen those two , you'll laugh while watching this movie. There is animal violence , a captured cannibal , even a punishing ritual when a cannibal kills his wife on the riverside - everything Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust had with more gore and violence. There is a group of soldiers (thank god the leading actor doesn't look like Schwarzenegger) , there is a scene with "scorpion" and a few others (for those who seen Predator will get it) - everything McTiernan's Predator has + it has Arnold.
With all the above Mattei also throws in a story about a girl captured by the cannibals (we've seen this a thousand of times before) - and there we go , we have Land of Death. If you can overcome the plot of this movie , it is really good , especially for cannibal movie lovers. If you don't - at least you can laugh at some of the scenes that were used in Predator and Cannibal Holocaust almost 20 years ago.
Plot : A group of soldiers led by Leutenant Wilson (Lou Randall) are sent to the Jungle of Amazonia to find a general's daughter who was somehow caught by the jungle natives. They take an experienced guide Romero (Claudio Morales) and one of the captured cannibals to take them through the jungle...
On one hand this movie is really good. The acting is okay. Claudio Morales (who looks like Chaco from Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust) and the newcomer Lou Randall look very solid for these types of European cannibal movies. The movie is not as gory and violent as Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox , but fans of low budget cannibal flicks will be satisfied.
On the other hand , like the summary says its "Predator meets Cannibal Holocaust". If you have seen those two , you'll laugh while watching this movie. There is animal violence , a captured cannibal , even a punishing ritual when a cannibal kills his wife on the riverside - everything Ruggero Deodato's Cannibal Holocaust had with more gore and violence. There is a group of soldiers (thank god the leading actor doesn't look like Schwarzenegger) , there is a scene with "scorpion" and a few others (for those who seen Predator will get it) - everything McTiernan's Predator has + it has Arnold.
With all the above Mattei also throws in a story about a girl captured by the cannibals (we've seen this a thousand of times before) - and there we go , we have Land of Death. If you can overcome the plot of this movie , it is really good , especially for cannibal movie lovers. If you don't - at least you can laugh at some of the scenes that were used in Predator and Cannibal Holocaust almost 20 years ago.
You disappoint me, Bruno
spetersen-79-96204420 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Bruno Mattei is one of my favorite directors. Not because he's great, but because he is always entertainingly terrible. Who can forget such amazing films as "Women's Prison Massacre" or "Zombie 3". He was unique.
"Land of Death" is often touted as Predator meets Cannibal Holocaust, but really it's not. Yeah, he steals scenes from Predator (in fact, he steals the same scene THREE TIMES in typical Bruno ham-handed manner), but really it's only because he has soldiers in the jungle, so why not? The plot does not otherwise mirror Predator. There is not even a giant boss-fight in the end, though with supernal brilliance, he actually foreshadows such a boss-fight in the dialogue and scenes. Then doesn't deliver. Et tu, Bruno? Two acts of on-camera animal violence, and it is probable that the murdered piglet is a prop - seems kind of prop-like during the death scene. I'm pretty sure they killed that snake though - jerks.
The aspect that bugged me the most was how quickly Bruno's "crack soldiers" lusted for insane vengeance on the not-really-cannibals, after one (1) of their guys was killed. Particularly because we see the soldiers kill dozens to hundreds of the indians in retaliation, including burning down their village. Yet I think we are supposed to root for the soldiers.
My favorite guy was Kruger, the "Irishman". In fairness he did have a mock-Irish accent.
Really my problem with Land of Death is that it wasn't batshit stupid enough to stand with Bruno Mattei's greatest moments. On the other hand, because it was a disappointing Bruno Mattei film, that kind of makes it the perfect Bruno Mattei film.
If you are a Mattei fan, check it out. If you are not yet a Mattei fan, go watch The Other Hell, The Tomb, Island of the Living Dead, Women's Prison Massacre, SS Girls, or Hell of the Living Dead first. Those will amaze you with Bruno's chutzpah.
"Land of Death" is often touted as Predator meets Cannibal Holocaust, but really it's not. Yeah, he steals scenes from Predator (in fact, he steals the same scene THREE TIMES in typical Bruno ham-handed manner), but really it's only because he has soldiers in the jungle, so why not? The plot does not otherwise mirror Predator. There is not even a giant boss-fight in the end, though with supernal brilliance, he actually foreshadows such a boss-fight in the dialogue and scenes. Then doesn't deliver. Et tu, Bruno? Two acts of on-camera animal violence, and it is probable that the murdered piglet is a prop - seems kind of prop-like during the death scene. I'm pretty sure they killed that snake though - jerks.
The aspect that bugged me the most was how quickly Bruno's "crack soldiers" lusted for insane vengeance on the not-really-cannibals, after one (1) of their guys was killed. Particularly because we see the soldiers kill dozens to hundreds of the indians in retaliation, including burning down their village. Yet I think we are supposed to root for the soldiers.
My favorite guy was Kruger, the "Irishman". In fairness he did have a mock-Irish accent.
Really my problem with Land of Death is that it wasn't batshit stupid enough to stand with Bruno Mattei's greatest moments. On the other hand, because it was a disappointing Bruno Mattei film, that kind of makes it the perfect Bruno Mattei film.
If you are a Mattei fan, check it out. If you are not yet a Mattei fan, go watch The Other Hell, The Tomb, Island of the Living Dead, Women's Prison Massacre, SS Girls, or Hell of the Living Dead first. Those will amaze you with Bruno's chutzpah.
Eat!
BandSAboutMovies20 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Bruno Mattei uses the name Martin Miller here, but come on. The moment we see that this movie is pretty much Cannibal Holocaust with soldiers, we know who is behind this movie. To make sure that we're completely certain that Bruno is in directing, the fact that footage from Predator is completely stolen and placed within this film is a neon sign saying, "Sam watch this."
You have to give Bruno credit for naming one soldier Romero and another Vasquez. It's as if he's saying, "Guys, I can't help it. I just like to see how much stealing I can get away with."
So yeah. These commandos go into the jungle to rescue a senator's daughter, but she's gone native and is now part of the tribe. This would be why this movie is also known as Cannibal Holocaust 3: Cannibals vs Commandos.
Shot at the same time as Mondo Cannibal, this may not be as good as that film, but it has refreshingly little real animal violence. Yes, I can watch all manner of people be masticated upon, but cut one turtle's head off and I get squeamish.
You have to give Bruno credit for naming one soldier Romero and another Vasquez. It's as if he's saying, "Guys, I can't help it. I just like to see how much stealing I can get away with."
So yeah. These commandos go into the jungle to rescue a senator's daughter, but she's gone native and is now part of the tribe. This would be why this movie is also known as Cannibal Holocaust 3: Cannibals vs Commandos.
Shot at the same time as Mondo Cannibal, this may not be as good as that film, but it has refreshingly little real animal violence. Yes, I can watch all manner of people be masticated upon, but cut one turtle's head off and I get squeamish.
Great special effects.
andreygrachev9 August 2008
I saw about 50 different Cannibal films. Italians cannibal films are definitely the best. And it seems like the returning of cannibals genre, really. Bruno Mattei made some really cool thrash films. And their colaboration in Dominican Republic with Aristide Massachessi was also great. With lack of money they did interesting films and found a lot of smart decisions in film-making . I really loved the special effects in this film, they show the real Italian gore old school. The story is classic, I can say! The group of call guys with arms in Amazon jungles fighting against different cannibal armies. The actors remind of Strike Commando days. So this is the last I could find from late 21st century Mattei. Great director he still managed to all the filmings in Philippines. I decided to find all the works by Mattei recently. www.myspace.com/neizvest
Mattai's Holocaust
Michael_Elliott27 February 2008
Land of Death (2003)
** (out of 4)
One of several films Italian director Bruno Mattai made during his comeback a few years before dying. Mattai's films are always bad so the real question is if they are bad enough to be entertaining and this one here is. It's also worth watching Mattai to see what and who he rips off and this time out he does a scene for scene remake of Cannibal Holocaust even though, of course, that film is never credited. In the film some American soldiers go missing in the jungle so another group goes in to look for them and they too run into cannibals. I was really curious to see what Mattai would do with this politically incorrect genre and he delivers exactly what those earlier controversial films did. You have rape, torture, flesh eating and yes, real animals dying. These scenes are always disgusting but Mattai has them here after all the years of protest towards Cannibal Holocaust and others like it. This film here contains the bad dubbing and bad acting but everything is bad enough to where the film remains interesting if you've seen the other movie. There really isn't a single original idea here as everything comes from Cannibal Holocaust but it's interesting to see such a rip off.
** (out of 4)
One of several films Italian director Bruno Mattai made during his comeback a few years before dying. Mattai's films are always bad so the real question is if they are bad enough to be entertaining and this one here is. It's also worth watching Mattai to see what and who he rips off and this time out he does a scene for scene remake of Cannibal Holocaust even though, of course, that film is never credited. In the film some American soldiers go missing in the jungle so another group goes in to look for them and they too run into cannibals. I was really curious to see what Mattai would do with this politically incorrect genre and he delivers exactly what those earlier controversial films did. You have rape, torture, flesh eating and yes, real animals dying. These scenes are always disgusting but Mattai has them here after all the years of protest towards Cannibal Holocaust and others like it. This film here contains the bad dubbing and bad acting but everything is bad enough to where the film remains interesting if you've seen the other movie. There really isn't a single original idea here as everything comes from Cannibal Holocaust but it's interesting to see such a rip off.
Originality? Who needs it?
Hey_Sweden26 June 2017
A small commando squad ventures into the heart of the Amazon to retrieve Sara Armstrong (Cindy Jelic Matic). The hottie daughter of a senator, she was kidnapped by a cannibal tribe. The soldiers are led by a guide named Romero (Claudio Morales), a man who knows the score when it comes to the local tribes and their customs.
Ad copy refers to this as a cross between "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Predator", which pretty much sums up the whole silly affair. In fact, director Bruno Mattei ("Hell of the Living Dead", "Rats: Night of Terror") and his co-writer, Giovanni Paolucci, spend so much time shamelessly aping "Predator", and "Aliens" as well, that you just have to shake your head and laugh at their nerve.
On location shooting in the Philippines is effectively atmospheric (and supplemented by some stock footage), and there's a pleasingly high body count. The gore devised by Giuseppe Ferranti is actually quite good. The characters are all patently ridiculous, and receive appropriately cheese ball performances. Ydalia Suarez is the most amusing as Vasquez, an oh so obvious nod to the gung ho marine played by Jenette Goldstein in "Aliens".
"In the Land of the Cannibals" is plenty stupid, but it's not pretending to be anything other than a routine ripoff film and continuation of that cannibal genre popularized by the Italians in the 1970s and 1980s. While this viewer would readily admit that it's hardly "good" stuff, it's actually pretty entertaining, provided one isn't annoyed by the lack of imagination in the script.
Six out of 10.
Ad copy refers to this as a cross between "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Predator", which pretty much sums up the whole silly affair. In fact, director Bruno Mattei ("Hell of the Living Dead", "Rats: Night of Terror") and his co-writer, Giovanni Paolucci, spend so much time shamelessly aping "Predator", and "Aliens" as well, that you just have to shake your head and laugh at their nerve.
On location shooting in the Philippines is effectively atmospheric (and supplemented by some stock footage), and there's a pleasingly high body count. The gore devised by Giuseppe Ferranti is actually quite good. The characters are all patently ridiculous, and receive appropriately cheese ball performances. Ydalia Suarez is the most amusing as Vasquez, an oh so obvious nod to the gung ho marine played by Jenette Goldstein in "Aliens".
"In the Land of the Cannibals" is plenty stupid, but it's not pretending to be anything other than a routine ripoff film and continuation of that cannibal genre popularized by the Italians in the 1970s and 1980s. While this viewer would readily admit that it's hardly "good" stuff, it's actually pretty entertaining, provided one isn't annoyed by the lack of imagination in the script.
Six out of 10.
A fun if wholly familiar cannibal/action effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder13 November 2021
Sent into the local jungle, a commando group looking to rescue the daughter of a general kidnapped by a tribe of cannibals which forces them to head into the jungle to find her which brings about a continuous series of encounters with the tribe that captured her as a sex slave and try to get out of the jungle alive.
This was a rather fun and enjoyably cheesy genre effort. Among the film's likable factors is that the general setup provided here allows this one to have a lot of fun action. Since the setup here requires them to be in the jungle from the very beginning encountering the various members of the other tribe in the area, the encounters have a fun guerilla-warfare style to their ambush out of the jungle and attacking with their weaponry before disappearing and leading the commandoes further into the jungle. That this mixture of military combat and gross-out jungle cannibal movie features the antics of the other tribe with their barbaric dismembering and devouring of their victims alongside the gunplay and primitive weapons on display keeps this one moving along nicely providing a stellar combination of action and gory bloodshed. As well, the fact that there's a lot of outright cheese on display comes off quite nicely for those that can appreciate this kind of film. The film combines several different films into its plotline, even managing to follow the exploits of one of them to the point where it's almost like the scenes are taken directly from the other films entirely. That the two films being employed as the basis for the setup here, the jungle-cannibal version and the commandoes-in-the-jungle effort, tend to be highlighted to the degree that they are could be a cause for some to write the film off yet manage to display a fun sense about them since these scenarios generate a lot of action and gore despite the overt familiarity that comes from seeing these highly exaggerated and goofy elements being employed with the various scenes of the commandoes getting attacked in eerily familiar setups that aren't quite redone properly. These manage to manage for a fun time overall here. There are some issues to be had here. The main factor, which runs pretty plainly throughout the film, is the general cheap look and atmosphere present. The fact that the entire film looks like it was shot on a digital camcorder doesn't help matters, taking a flat, soulless approach to the material here. Appearing with a stylized, soap-opera tone to the proceedings, especially with the interactions presented throughout here as well, the whole film comes off with a camp, cheesy quality that can be really off-putting. The other big issue is a strangely abrupt and immediate ending that doesn't have any real satisfaction or round-up to anything as it just finishes before figuring out someone's fate which is a huge cheat. As well, the patently fake look of the graphic gore and bloodshed have the stereotypical bright-red fakeness common for the genre which is what all hold the film down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity.
This was a rather fun and enjoyably cheesy genre effort. Among the film's likable factors is that the general setup provided here allows this one to have a lot of fun action. Since the setup here requires them to be in the jungle from the very beginning encountering the various members of the other tribe in the area, the encounters have a fun guerilla-warfare style to their ambush out of the jungle and attacking with their weaponry before disappearing and leading the commandoes further into the jungle. That this mixture of military combat and gross-out jungle cannibal movie features the antics of the other tribe with their barbaric dismembering and devouring of their victims alongside the gunplay and primitive weapons on display keeps this one moving along nicely providing a stellar combination of action and gory bloodshed. As well, the fact that there's a lot of outright cheese on display comes off quite nicely for those that can appreciate this kind of film. The film combines several different films into its plotline, even managing to follow the exploits of one of them to the point where it's almost like the scenes are taken directly from the other films entirely. That the two films being employed as the basis for the setup here, the jungle-cannibal version and the commandoes-in-the-jungle effort, tend to be highlighted to the degree that they are could be a cause for some to write the film off yet manage to display a fun sense about them since these scenarios generate a lot of action and gore despite the overt familiarity that comes from seeing these highly exaggerated and goofy elements being employed with the various scenes of the commandoes getting attacked in eerily familiar setups that aren't quite redone properly. These manage to manage for a fun time overall here. There are some issues to be had here. The main factor, which runs pretty plainly throughout the film, is the general cheap look and atmosphere present. The fact that the entire film looks like it was shot on a digital camcorder doesn't help matters, taking a flat, soulless approach to the material here. Appearing with a stylized, soap-opera tone to the proceedings, especially with the interactions presented throughout here as well, the whole film comes off with a camp, cheesy quality that can be really off-putting. The other big issue is a strangely abrupt and immediate ending that doesn't have any real satisfaction or round-up to anything as it just finishes before figuring out someone's fate which is a huge cheat. As well, the patently fake look of the graphic gore and bloodshed have the stereotypical bright-red fakeness common for the genre which is what all hold the film down.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, and Nudity.
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