The Last Hunter — The Last Hunter( Blu- ray)
The Last Hunter is one of the more gritty, gory, at points grim additions to the Italian Namploitation cycle of the 1980s. It finds chain-smoking ‘n’ troubled US army captain played by David Warbeck (The Beyond, Twins of Evil, Duck You Sucker), going on a secret jungle mission with photojournalist Tris Farrow( Zombie, Anthropophagus: The Grim Reaper). Here from the new UK-based boutique label Treasured Films is the Blu-Ray debut of the film- taking in a bold ‘n’ bright 2k scan of the film, commentary track, a good selection of new & archive extras, a sixty-page booklet, and art cards.
The Last Hunter (aka L'ultimo cacciatore, Apocalypse 2, Hunter of the Apocalypse) appeared in the year 1980. It was largely filmed in the jungles of the Philippines, and was helmed by Rome-born Antonio Margheriti. Between the late ’50s and late 90’s he had fifty-five credits to his name- these went space opera Assignment: Outer Space (1960), atmospheric horror film Horror Castle (1963), tame Mondo doc Mondo Inferno(1964), action revenge fare Death Rage (1976), gut-munching natives caper Cannibal Apocalypse(1980), and sci-fi/prehistoric adventure Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983). So, he covered most exploitation bases in his career.
The films kicks off in the 70s in a red neon-edged Saigon whore house. Here we find a group of US soldiers laying around smoking drugs, & trying to get pleasured by the place's temptresses. One of their number seems a little agitated/preoccupied- so Captain Henry Morris(David Warbeck) tries to calm him down- this result in him shooting another soldier, and then turning the gun on himself. This causes panic & we get the first of the films fairly impressive explosions, as the whore house goes up- with the capt being the only survivor.
We fast forward sometime- where we find the captain in a chopper getting ready to be dropped in the jungles, and he just about makes it as they are being shot at from below. He makes his way to a camp where he meets his companions for the mission- taking in two fearless ‘n’ wise-cracking African American soldiers George Washington (Tony King), Carlos (Bobby Rhodes), and spunky photo-journalist Jane Foster (Tisa Farrow).
As things unfold the group come across a troop of stoned, drunk & sex staved stoned US soldiers hiding out in caves. Who are led up by unbalanced & gunshot sound obsessed Major William Cash, who is played by recognisable euro cult face John Steiner(Tenebrae, Caligula, Body Count). They get involved with all manner of gunplay- be it jungle bound, or boat bound- as well as more than a few exploding huts & camps.
Along its length the film features a fair bit of nasty gory/ violence- we get a pulpy red shot-out eye, a face ripped & entailing hanging corpse, more than a few splattering shootings/ limb ripping, and a few brutal trap attacks. The film features a rather good lightly funk & disco-bound soundtrack, though this doesn’t really fit the film's nihilistic ‘n’ nasty tone.
Acting wise Warbeck is good enough in his role as the troubled, tough, and chain-smoking captain- though his normal guy physique doesn’t fully sell what he’s meant to be. Farrow is ok as the pushy photojournalist- though nothing amazing. I’d say the standout here is Steiner as the unhinged major.
There is no doubt the film is clearly influenced by/ at points steals wholesale from the likes of The Deer Hunter & Apocalypse Now- with some it captured in the same location as the latter film. But the whole it moves along at a fairly breakneck pace, with a few neat additions added to the formal- like the constant radio announcements peppered throughout the film telling the US troops to go home, and some of the more inventive grisly gore- like one of the characters gets his foot completely shot off. So as a result, The Last Hunter is an entertaining, if at times nasty & nihilistic take on euro Namploitation- which more often than not is more camp, and (unintentionally) silly in its intents.
This new region B Blu-Ray features a new 2k scan- this looks very clean, well-defined, and bold- really making the film the best it’s ever looked. On the extras side, we get a great selection of new things. First off we get a commentary track from writers/ Italian genre experts Nathaniel Thompson, Troy Howarth & Eugenio Ercolani- this is as you’d expect is very well-researched, full of facts and great observations. They start talking about how this stands as directors Antonio Margheriti most known/ popular films, with both great box offices & VHS success stateside. They chat about how the director compared with fellow Italian genre directors, and as the credits role mention a few notable crew members. They talk about David Warbeck, and how this was near the beginning of his time in Italian cinema. We get bios of supporting actors as they appear, as well as other notable roles worth checking out. They talk about the film's score, and the composer's Franco Micalizzi's other work. We get memories of renting the VHS of the film back in the day, and touching on the previous DVD/Blu-Ray releases before this one. They chat about the filming locations- most of the outdoor stuff was in the Philippines, whereas the interiors were captured on Rome-based soundstages. Later on, they comment on the stunt work of Massimo Vanni, and talk about the rest of his career- some of which saw him stepping into larger acting roles. They do a deeper dive into the career of Antonio Margheriti and much more.
Otherwise, on the new front, we get Apocalypse Hunter (17.50) video essay from Eugenio Ercolani. From Dawson To Dawson (28.18) interview with assistant director Edoardo Margheriti. Margie In The Jungle (13.00) interview with actress Margie Newton. Jungle Boogie (16.36) interview with soundtrack composer Franco Micalizzi. Mud And Blood (18.43) interview with stuntman/ actor Massimo Vanni. There’s the 2013 documentary The Outsider: Il Cinema Di Antonio Margheriti( 101 mins)- which is offered up here for the first time in a digital form, and the Italian language doc is a great look at the director & his body of work.
The finished release comes presented in a rigid slipcase with exclusive artwork by Graham Humphries. Featuring a sixty-page perfect-bound booklet with essays & interviews by Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani and John Martin. And six collectors' art cards. The release is ltd to just 2’000 copies- so I’d say act sooner, than later- if you want to score a copy
It is marvellous to see The Last Hunter getting this classy new reissue- with the great 2k print, good selection of extras, and nice presentation. This a great first release from Treasured Films, and I very much look forward to seeing what they release down the line.