AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK Review On "Violent Maniac's Cage"

AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK

(1985, Italy)

DIRECTED BY: Martin Dolman

STARRING: Michael Sopkiw, Valentine Monnier, Anna Kanakis, Roman Geer, Edmund Purdom, George Eastman.

Another Italian Apocalyptic flick about t he state New York is left in after a thermo nuclear war and how humanity is near its end. After The Fall Of New York borrows or steals heavily from The Road Warrior, Escape From New York and even Planet Of The Apes in one instance. What the movie has go i ng for it is that it's made quite well on its budget level even though some of the set designs look like the toy models they actually are. It has some good camera work and its action packed with some gory stuff here and there. The dialogue is bad but no t hing close to 1990: The Bronx Warriors and the obvious dubbed voices do not help. One major problem is the bland characters including the main character named Parsifal played by Michael Sopkiw, a Kurt Russell Snake Plisskin wanna be. Sopkiw doesn't real l y have the charm or charisma which makes you want to cheer the good guy on or at least level with him. It doesn't have the same Fabrizo De Angelis cheesy charm either as The Bronx Warriors did and it doesn't have Fred Williamson but really it is a better made film. It does have George Eastman in a great little role as a hairy assed monkey man named "Big Ape".

The story line of the movie has a lone warrior named "Parsifal" enlisted by a group known as "The Pan American Confederation" to find the last fer tile woman. The Confederation believe this woman can cure the cease of reproduction in society. The woman is known to be somewhere in New York (not too specific eh!). Parsifal along with a couple of accomplices assigned by the Confederation go into Ne w York to find the woman and fight the "Eurax" who are a sadistic bunch inside New York who eliminate and destroy radiation contaminated humans and use healthy ones for experiments.

Parsifal and his team must fight through the dangers of New York in order to get the girl and get out. A mentionable and quite annoying flaw which occurs frequently in the film is the pitiful laser gun sound effects which are incredibly annoying (BZZZZZZEEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!) but points must be given because the music score is good once again, good music always heightens a films enjoyment level for me.

If you like all the other Italian Apocalypse movies you'll dig this one cause it's probably one of the better of its type it's all goofy but fun nonetheless. Check it out or pick up a used pre-record of it for a cheap price.

Rating: 3 ½ Skulls

Review by: Richard J. Taylor

Email: rtaylor@roadrunner.nf.net

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