I guerrieri dell'anno 2072 (1984)

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writers:

Elisa Briganti (screenplay)
Elisa Briganti (story)

Release Date:

28 January 1984 (Italy)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Action

Plot:

In 2072 Rome, Italy, the ruthless CEO of a TV network plots to stage a modern series of gladiator games for ratings while one 'contenstant' learns of a conspiracy behind the true nature of the results.

Plot Keywords:

Game | Gladiator | Prisoner | Death | Futuristic

Cast

Jared Martin	...	Drake
Fred Williamson	...	Abdul
Howard Ross	...	Raven
Eleonora Brigliadori	...	Sarah (as Eleonor Gold)
Cosimo Cinieri	...	Professor Towman
Claudio Cassinelli	...	Cortez
Valeria Cavalli	...	Susan (as Valerie Jones)
Donald O'Brien	...	Monk (as Donal O'Brien)
Penny Brown	...	Sybil
Al Cliver	...	Kirk
Mario Novelli	...	Tango (as Tony Sanders)
Hal Yamanouchi	...	Akira (as Haruiko Yamanouchi)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lucio Fulci

Also Known As:

Fighting Centurions
Rome, 2072 A.D.
The New Gladiators
Warriors of the Year 2072

Runtime:

89 min | USA:90 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Elios Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Regency Productions

Trivia:

The original title of the movie is "I Guerrieri Dell' Anno 2072", but the date changes a lot according to some countries. In the UK, the title is "Rome 2033 - The Fighter Centurions", and even the first Italian VHS pushed the date a little later - it was re-named "I Guerrieri Dell' Anno 2079".

Quotes:

Commentator: Take a good look at these contestants, because for these men violent death is just seconds away.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

A futuristic melding of Ben Hur and Easy rider?!

Well with Lucio Fulci in the directors chair you can count on two things straight away; Excellent visuals including an inordinate amount of Fulci's trademark extreme facial close ups (especially the eyes) and a confused story that will leave you scratching your head. You can also count on a third staple present in most of Fulci's work and the factor for which he is probably best remembered; His predilection for incorporating extreme gore scenes into his films (even his non horror efforts such as the film in question) In relation to all of the above, sure enough and true to form, Fulci yet again delivers the goods.

The story set in the future, depicts a world where deadly gladiatorial contests take place for the TV viewing audiences' pleasure. The said contests take place on motorcycles whereby the combatants are required to batter their opponents off of their bikes with the last man standing being declared the winner.

Jared Martin (Yes Dusty Farlow from Dallas!) plays Drake, the Kill Bike champion who along with the likes of B-movie regulars Fred Williamson, Al Yamanouchi and Al Cliver must fight for their lives in this cruel sport.

Sadly it has to be said however, that there are far too few scenes of the sport in question with the vast majority of the films running time being squandered on a boring conspiracy storyline (and lots and lots of shots of peoples eyes!). Luckily things do pick up commendably in the final 30 or so minutes though and we get to see some admittedly excellent battle scenes involving motorbikes and sidecars in a futuristic take on the famous chariot sequence from Ben Hur.

Overall, whilst not one of Fulci's best works, this is certainly far from his worst and provides a fairly entertaining watch. It's just such a pity that the sheer energy of the final third couldn't have been more abundant throughout.