AMERICAN RICKSHAW (1989) (Cauldron Films Blu-ray Review)

AMERICAN RICKSHAW (1989) 

Label: Cauldron Films
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 97 Minutes
Audio: English PCM Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)
Director: Sergio Martino
Cast: Mitchell Gaylord, Daniel Greene, Victoria Prouty, Donald Pleasence, Michi Kobi, Roger Pretto, Regina Rodriguez, Darin De Paul, Judy Clayton, Glenn Maska, Carmen López, Gregg Todd Davis, Sherrie Rose

Strap yourself in with a cold brew and prepare yourself for the 80's WTF-ery that is Sergio Martino's (The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh) supernatural action-horror hybrid America Rickshaw (1989) (aka American Tiger / American risciò). Set in late-80's Miami this is a movie that sort of answers the question 'what would happen of Andy Sidaris (Hard Ticket To Hawaii) directed a knock-off of John Carpenter's Big Trouble In Little China minus the budget and the kung-fu action?'. The film stars former U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Mitch Gaylord as Scott, a guy working his way through college as a Miami rickshaw runner who inadvertently gets mixed-up with the murder of an evangelist’s son after a sexy ginger-haired stripper named Joanna (Victoria Prouty) invites him onto a yacht for some sexy good times after an apparently very satisfactory rickshaw ride. 

When Scott discovers that he and the stripper are being secretly filmed he slugs the stripper and then goes after the pervy amateur videographer Daniel (Glenn Maska, Where The Boys Are), grabs the videotape and then flees the scene in disgust. After realizing he has grabbed the wrong tape he returns to the boat a short time later to retrieve the right one  and finds that the guy has been murdered and the stripper is gone, just as the cops arrive on the scene. He flees the boat and gets the blame for the murder after the stripper tells the cops that he was the culprit. As the movie plays out he tries to clear his name, with the help of a elderly Chinese mystic named Madame Moon (Michi Kobi, 12 to The Moon) who keeps a close eye on his, all the while trying to evade a brutal hit-man named Francis (Daniel Greene, Hands of Steel), who was hired by the videographer's father, a prominent TV evangelist, the crooked Reverend Mortom (Donald Pleasence,  

Phenomena), who at this point in his career would pretty much appear in just about anything for a few bucks. He does sort of phone it in, but he's still an entertaining watch, particularly towards the end when he's making bug-eyed faces before magically turning into Chinese boar. 

It's really a bat-shit crazy sort of film, completely nutty in the way that it a mashes-up several genres that don't easily come together, but it's never dull, not even for a moment, and that's the magic of Martino, he was a consummate 

professional. It's got plenty of nudity, strange mystical elements, some decent low-budget action, plus it has all these weird little things it drops on your head but then doesn't care to follows up on, like how it drops that the hit-man is a survivor of the Jonestown Massacre and then never brings it up again, and why does that one guy not have a thumb!?! Then we have the Chinese mystic who acts as a sort of like a fairy godmother to Scott, an elderly woman in a wheelchair who is always seen accompanied her cat and a cobra. 

American Rickshaw is a weird and wild ride, but it's weird in that special sort of way that makes for an entertaining watch time, not just the first time, but time and time again. A film that is so dang bizarre that even if you've had certain aspects spoiled there's way to spoil it, because it's an experience. This flick is a bit obscure and has been hard to come by for a long time, and right now there's no better way than to discover it than with it's worldwide Blu-ray debut courtesy Cauldron Films. 

Audio/Video: American Rickshaw (1989) debuts on region-free Blu-ray from newcomer Cauldron Films framed in 1.66:1 widescreen in 1080p HD, and sourced from a new 2K scan of the original camera negative. The source is in great shape with only a bit of white speckling to contend with, the neon late-80's color looks fantastic and the black levels are solid throughout. The picture density in cetain scenes looks a bit anemic but this was shot with a soft 80's look that is inherent to the cinematography, but depth and clarity typically looks great. Audio on the disc comes by way of English PCM 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles, there were no issues with hiss or distortion, the 80's score sounds great too.

Sergio Martino and production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng show up for an 18-minute interview, in it Martino discusses the decline of Italian cinema industry beginning in the late 70s. He gets into shooting the film in Miami with a largely unknown lead actor, Mitch Gaylord, in what he describes as dreadful heat, and touching on working with Donald Pleasance in both this film and on Casablanca Express. He also gets into how American film crews lacked any sense of improvisation, and that American and British actors are more respectful of directors than their Italian counterparts, but that the American crew and unions with their regulations tooks some getting used to. Production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng discusses his career working with Martino, who gave him both his first job and his last job, working on at least fifteen movies with him. He also gets into the many films he made with other Italian directors, pointing out the creative struggles of each, before getting back to Martino's filmography, including Scorpion with Two Tails, and laying on the love for Martino, stating that he is so versatile and skilled in so many different genres of film. Towards the end he also shows us some props he made for the film during pre-production, the talisman and a medallion, which he keeps on a shelf in his apartment.

We also get a 3-min then and now location comparison, a 1-minute gallery of posters, home video releases and promotional stills, plus an hour-long episode of The Projection Booth Podcast focused on the film - which is how I first heard of it, with host Mike White joined by Cullen Gallagher and Kat Ellinger who get deep into this quirky supernatural action film. 

We also get a brand new audio commentary by Samm Deighan & Kat Ellinger of the Daughters of Darkness Podcast, with the ladies doing a bang-up job of not only describing this quirky genre mash-up, but also making the case that Martino has not been properly appreciated for his work outside of the giallo sub-genre. 

For the purpose of this review we were only sent a disc without the benefit of the retail packaging and goodies - poor us, right? - but the retail versions also include an 8-page collector's booklet with writing by author, David Zuzelo, a reversible sleeve featuring Italian artwork, and a limited edition slipcase with new artwork by artist Mattias Frisk. The limited edition version of the film with slipbox is exclusively

available direct from www.DiabolikDVD.com and Cauldron Films, but in late December both Cauldron's American Rickshaw (1989) and Abarakadabra (2018) will be available via wide release with a standard version without slipboxes through distributor MVD Entertainment.

Special Features:
- On Camera Interviews with director Sergio Martino and production designer Massimo Antonello Geleng (18 min) HD
- Then and Now Location Footag (3 min) HD
- The Projection Booth Podcast discuss American Rickshaw  (66 min) HD
- Commentary with authors Samm Deighan & Kat Ellinger from the Daughters of Darkness Podcast.
- Image Gallery (1 min) HD
- 8-Page COllector's Booklet with writing by grindhouse comics writer and Tough to Kill co-author, David Zuzelo
- Reversible sleeve featuring Italian artwork
- Limited Edition Slipbox with new artwork by Mattias Frisk

As stated before, to me this sort of comes off as an Andy Sidaris sexed-up action-film like Malibu Express by way of Big Trouble In Little China, minus the budget and kung-fu extravaganza, and even crazier than either of those films and entirely fun from start to finish, there really is nothing else quite like it, with a graphic turn towards horror right at the end that is the cherry on top of this genre mash-up treat. Another solid release from newcomer Cauldron Films, definitely an independent distributor to keep an eye on, looking forward to what comes next.  

More screenshots from the Blu-ray: