rats

DIRECTED BY VINCENT DAWN (BRUNO MATTEI). STARRING OTTAVIANO DELL'ACQUA , GERETTA GIANCARLO, MASSIMO VANNI, RICHARD CROSS, and ANN-GISEL GLASS.

Bruno Mattei is probably best remembered for his hilarious attempt at the zombie genre, Night of the Zombies, but you'll be pleased to know that this movie is possibly even more ridiculous. It begins with a tacked on prologue informing us that the holocaust is over, and that this new era of history is known as A.B. ( After Bomb! ).

Most of the survivors are holed up underground , but a few decide to take their chances on the surface. They are a ragtag gang led by a guy who looks like Barry Gibb of Bee Gee's fame. He wears a fruity looking scarf, and a very unconvincing wig. Other gang members include an electronics wiz called Video (who has an even more unconvincing wig), a black girl called Chocolate, and Massimo Vanni.

The gang enters a rat infested town , and Massimo jumps out of the back of a truck on his dirtbike spectacularly for no apparent reason other than to display his skills as a stuntman. A deserted government facility becomes a party pad for the survivors. They even find some food, which is amazing considering the story takes place hundreds of years after the holocaust. The rats eat through the groups tires, trapping them in the town and attacking them one by one.

Rats really only works on a comedic level because the said creatures are never a threatening prospect at all. Most of them either seem bored, or scared of the actors. The movie has some hilarious dialogue; in one scene, a flour coloured Chocolate exclaims "I'm white just like all of you!". In another scene, the Barry Gibb lookalike finds a dead companion and says "something is wrong here".

Although most of the actors are nobodys, there are some funny characters. Video is always on the lookout for a videogame he can play, and the scene where he finds a computer will either have you groaning, or laughing hysterically. Massimo clearly doesn't want to be there, but still holds his own in the stunt department.

I was expecting more from this given the high entertainment value of other Italian post-nukes such as Endgame, but it really needed something a little more interesting than rats as a threat. Maybe a rival gang would have done the trick. Still , it does have its charms, and if you're a fan of Night of the Zombies, you'll probably find this one just as entertaining. The rats on the conveyor belt scenes are priceless. If you're after a fun party tape, you could do a lot worse.