Are you ready for a exciting trip back to the glory days of off-beat action cinema? Then our very own Jeremy Morrison has the cure for what ails you! This week he takes a look at David A. Prior’s “Mankillers,” now on Blu-Ray from the fine folks over at Olive Films.
Before the review, here is a quick rundown on the synopsis and origin of the Blu-ray materials.
Disclaimer: Mankillers is presented using the best available elements provided by Slasher // Video. Not sourced from an HD Master; remastered from PAL Beta SP and upconverted to BluRay and DVD specifications.
Synopsis: A female homage to The Dirty Dozen, Mankillers features a rag tag group of bottom feeders —murderers, thieves and other assorted miscreants — who, unless they coalesce into a lean, mean fighting machine to stop a rogue agent and the drug cartel that employs him, have the option of a prison cell or the electric chair. It’s wall-to-wall action and adventure in Mankillers.
Directed and written by David A. Prior (Deadly Prey, Killer Workout), Mankillers stars Edd Byrnes (TV’s 77 Sunset Strip), Gail Fisher (TV’s Mannix), Edy Williams (The Naked Kiss), Lynda Aldon (Doctor Detroit), William Zipp (Deadly Prey), Christine Lunde (The Masque of the Red Death) and Suzanne Tegmann (Death Chase).
THE REVIEW: “Mankillers” is pure 80s action! Like most of the Slasher // Video titles released through Olive Films, I hadn’t ever heard of “Mankillers.” Another title lost amongst the plethora of action flicks released in the 1980s, “Mankillers” doesn’t feature any standout stars to my knowledge (I was two when it was released, so maybe I’m wrong?!?), it doesn’t feature the tightest of screenplays, and certainly doesn’t waste time with a take 2 (presumably). However, this charming take on “The Dirty Dozen” delivers where it counts: entertainment value. The film also features one of the greatest ADR inserts of all-time. I don’t know who the grunting man is that we hear inserted into every punch, but his presence is much appreciated by this film fan.
The quality of the disc is what it is. An up-convert to Blu-Ray from an PAL Beta SP, the audio and video shows it’s age, but it adds to the nostalgic trip your heart is surely in need of. And let’s face it, if you picked up “Mankillers” on Blu-Ray, chances are you’re still waving a “VHS IS BEST” flag around, so we won’t knock points off this release.
THE VERDICT: Overall enjoyable film with more than enough hot-for-the-era-almost-starlettes running around blowing shit up and shooting cool guns!
Jeremy Morrison – Staff Writer
Co-creator/host of the Acid Pop Cult Podcast, film reviewer, screenwriter, Jeremy has more than eight years experience in television and film production. His childhood fascination with the naked breasts featured in the “Friday the 13th” franchise prepared him for absolutely nothing in life. J-Mo lives by one motto: #wecantallbezacksnyder
Twitter: @acidpopcult
IG: @almostgothim
