Connianatu How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Stephen A. Martin The quality of this film is terrible. It's blurred and faded. I might as well have been watching an old used VCR video. Amazon should have revealed this to me before taking my hard earned money.The sad thing is...it's not the first time they've done this.Shame on you, Amazon.

loujackandrandy I actually found this movie to be quite boring. It didn't really keep my attention. I mean, the acting wasn't bad. I guess the main thing was I didn't really care about any or the characters. None of them! And the story itself didn't engage me. My attention kept wandering. And I like mystery/action movies generally. It had its moments I guess. But overall it's one of those movies I'd have on in the background while I'm cleaning or something just to have some noise.

Leofwine_draca DEATH RAGE is one of the probably hundreds of Italian polizia flicks made in the 1970s. These tough crime thrillers could typically be characterised by gangsters, violence, shoot-outs, car chases, and no-nonsense cops investigating the cases and I have to admit that they're among my favourite kind of films. This one is slightly different in that it's more American-focused than usual, in an attempt to pass itself off as a US-made movie. It doesn't work, but the film provides passable entertainment for those who like these kinds of movies. Imagine a '70s version of LEON and you'll be halfway there.The best thing about the movie is undoubtedly the main star. Yul Brynner has always been a favourite of mine and he trades on his Hollywood hard man image here as the icy assassin. Although he's clearly middle-aged by now, he more than looks the part in his dashing black suit and he acts everyone else off the screen effortlessly. Another big bonus is who he's cast against; Martin Balsam was an old hand in these types of films and once again he's typecast here as the commissioner. So what? Balsam's always excellent and he provides good value for money yet again.The revenge-style plot is nothing new and there isn't much in the way of twists to make it stand out. In fact, it's not particularly memorable, detailing Brynner's vendetta against a gangster gang, revealing how he works his way up from the small-fry thugs to the head honcho. Some interest is added from the inclusion of a young 'apprentice' killer, played by Massimo Ranieri. At first I didn't like this guy; there was no real reason why he was always hanging around Brynner's character (apart from hero worship). Yet by the closing scenes, in which Brynner sets him up to take over his line of business, I was more engaged and there's a nice twist ending involving his character.Director Antonio Margheriti is one of my favourite Italian auteurs, simply because he's so enthusiastic about whatever he does. He was there from the early '60s pepla through the spaghetti westerns, crime flicks, science fiction and fantasy. He can always be relied upon to make a decently-shot movie and this one's no exception. The pacing is spot on and there's the requisite number of car chases and shoot-outs just waiting to be enjoyed. The director was fond of fantastic elements in his movies and there's a little gimmick here of an animated blood pool popping up as Brynner relives a traumatic event from his past. It doesn't really make sense or fit in but it explains the title, I guess. The only other thing worth mentioning is an extraneous turn from Barbara Bouchet, who provides window dressing and nothing else. Bouchet is happy to strip for the role (literally) but she couldn't be more wooden. She's not the reason to tune in: Brynner's well-groomed, good-and-evil hit-man is. He keeps you watching.

Red-Barracuda Death Rage is a poliziotteschi about a retired hit-man (Yul Brynner) who decides to take one last job to avenge the murder of his brother by a mafia gang; he is assisted by an eager young would-be mobster. This is a fairly routine plot-line with no surprises. Yul Brynner plays the role well enough but his character isn't especially interesting. He does suffer from debilitating flash-backs of the killing of his brother; this is shown on screen by an odd red graphic. It's maybe the most interesting idea in the film but it doesn't really ultimately go anywhere, similarly the bad eye-condition that Brynner suffers isn't developed in any way, and feels just like padding. The movie does have an extended car chase and quite a bit of gun-play, so it does at least attempt to keep the action flowing. The problem is more in that the story isn't very dynamic and the villain doesn't seem to do very much or pose too much of a threat, so it's hard to get very involved. The film does also star Martin Balsam in a pretty clichéd role as a police commissario. Much more interesting is the inclusion of Barbara Bouchet as a stripper. This cult Euro actress is a great asset to any film that I have seen her in, and this film is no exception. But, despite being naked quite a lot, she isn't really utilized very well. Overall, this is not a film that comes especially recommended but as a basic crime-thriller it's passably entertaining.