Hell’s Bloody Devils
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C+ Film: C+
Nothing like an exploitation film to get a few laughs out
of. Al Adamson was the director of some
of the most interesting and Hell’s Bloody Devils (1970) is one of those
crazy flicks. John Gabriel is a special
agent assigned to expose a Neo-Nazi bike gang, supported by Nazis and Italian
Gangsters may also be involved in the web of murder in this well cast,
low-budget romp. To the film’s credit,
it managed to lure Broderick Crawford, Scott Brady, Kent Taylor, Robert Dix and
John Carradine.
With a mix like that, you just have to see this film
once. Fortunately, the film still
exists, though it ultimately does not add up to what it could have. Still, it is the kind of curio that is
dated, but still rather watchable.
Another amusing sideline besides the political incorrectness of the Nazi
plot, which is not as realized as it should be, are all the ad placements. Most amusing is an appearance by Colonel
Sanders himself in a scene where the leads are at his famous food chain before
it dropped its herbs and spices and was taken over by a large corporation.
The 1.33 x 1 image is considered restored and as compared
to previous copies of the film, that is true, but this film still needs much
more work after the painstaking work that went into it to begin with. This includes vertical scratches and other
artifacts throughout. The color is
somewhat consistent, though. László
Kovács is credited as “Leslie Kovacs” as one of two cinematographers in the
credits, though he may be one of three.
The sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono on everything, form the film, to the
extras. The film sound shows its age,
but it is initially not as bad considering what a low-budget film this
was. Extras include a good audio
commentary track by Samuel M. Sherman, the theatrical trailer accessible
separately and tacked on to the beginning of the actual film. You might want to hit the chapter stop
before you watch the film as not to ruin anything. There is also a stills gallery, a 20-minutes- long new on camera
interview with Gabriel and Sherman, and longer Adamson appearance on The Joe
Franklin Show with some muffled audio that makes it hard to hear what is
being said. Thanks to the extras, this
DVD of Hell’s Bloody Devils is a fun disc worth checking out.
- Nicholas Sheffo
