Escape from the Bronx (1983)

- Fuga dal Bronx
"No sugar you idiot!", 1 April 2007

I should have known better – a sequel to a movie (1990: The Bronx Warriors) that itself is barely average. Generally, sequels have a hard time matching the standard set by the original. And even though the standard isn't very high in this case, Escape from the Bronx is a failure in comparison with its predecessor. First, the sequel lacks any imagination. We see the same gunfights and explosions we saw in the first film. Half of the death scenes could have been spliced in from 1990: The Bronx Warrior and I doubt anyone would notice. Second, if possible the acting is even worse this time around. Mark Gregory (and his painted on pants) wasn't much of an actor in the first film. Here, he seems to have regressed. Also, I've read review after review that gush about Henry Silva's performance in Escape from the Bronx. My response – what performance? He spends 90% of his already limited screen-time on the phone. What's so impressive about that? Third, I never thought I would miss Fred Williamson, but he's part of what made 1990: The Bronx Warriors as good as it was. An overacting Antonio Sabato is a poor replacement. And finally, the plot in Escape from the Bronx is completely absurd. The scenes of Manhattan indicate that very little has changed in the future. I would assume that would include people's perceptions on the value of human life. The notion that a company would have a business model that includes wiping-out the citizens of an entire city is ridiculous. That company wouldn't be around very long.

3/10