Endgame is an event where three guys hunt another guy in an urban environment. Ron Shannon (Al Cliver) is being hunted and wins. In this post atomic world, mutants are being killed. One such mutant has telepathic abilities and needs to leave the city. She hires Ron and his cohorts to get her party out as they enter a Mad Max type of world.

This is a me-too film and was not done well. Really could not get into it.

Guide: Rape and nudity (Laura Gemser + 3 uncredited)

Right after World War III in the year 2025 A.D. nuclear devastation has made the world a really tough place to live in. Murderous marauding hordes of rot-faced scavengers roam the streets, telepathic mutant misfits are harshly persecuted by the ruthless kill 'em all on sight totalitarian government (is this a possible allegory on the Holocaust?),and the masses are kept pacified by a televised gladiatorial bloodsport called Endgame, in which one lone man has to fight to the death with three expert hunters for a shot at the grand prize (I'm sure any similarities between this film and "The Running Man" are purely coincidental. Or are they?). Ron Shannon (the ubiquitous Al Cliver of Lucio Fulci's "Zombie" fame),reigning Endgame champ and butt-whupping warrior supreme, decides to help a group of ostracized mutants get out of the city. Shannon rounds up a crack team of almighty kick-a** tough guys -- lithe Al Yamannouchi as a stoic, silent, swift-kicking kung-fu ace (Al's also the token Asian dude in "The New Gladiators," "2020: The Texas Gladiators," and "2019: After the Fall of New York," which basically makes him the bargain basement Bruce Lee of Italian post-nuke cinema),grizzled Leonard Nimoy lookalike Gus Stone as an aging, crossbow-hefting nomad, burly Mario Pedone as a humongous Viking-like mountain of bullish brutality, and so on -- to assist him and the mutants on a risky, perilous trek across the vast, arid, dangerous desert terrain, fending off such exotic threats as deadly, cowled sword-swinging blind monks (!),predatory apeman freaks on motorcycles, machine gun-sporting government goons in shiny black leather coats, and Shannon's former good buddy turned bitter, venomous rival Karnak (the towering George Eastman in turbo-charged mean, massive and intimidating mode),a cold-blooded SOB with an old score to settle with Shannon concerning who's the one and only Endgame champ (did "Highlander" rip this movie off as well? Could be, man).

Although a bit flaccid and meandering (the film would have benefited from tighter plotting and a quicker pace, especially in the rather laborious opening third),"Endgame" still rates as a pretty satisfying, exciting, action-packed, ultra-violent and exceedingly gory Italian post-nuke sci-fi outing. Joe D'Amato's competent direction, the trim script by Terry Hall and Steve Benson, Frederico's lively, smoky, atmospheric cinematography, and Carlo Mario Cordio's spare, shivery, spooky John Carpenteresque synthesizer score make the most out of the movie's low budget. Moreover, the action scenes are plentiful and briskly mounted (lots of screaming, hyperactive extras scurry about firing guns and wielding various sharp implements with lethal, blood-spilling abandon),the tone remains appropriately stark, grim and melancholy throughout, the set and costume designs are fairly lavish, and the sporadic pauses for wistful reflectivity effectively establish audience sympathy for the mutants' sorry plight. The bearded, bushy-haired, solidly built Cliver makes for a credible and commanding action hero: relaxed, taciturn, confidant, and dead serious, a rugged fellow who's fast on his feet and one hell of a fit, physical, kick-your-teeth-down-your-throat ferocious hand-to-hand combat fighter. The stand-out supporting cast includes the ever-lovely Moira Chen (a.k.a. prolific longtime favorite soft-core sexploitation queen Laura Gemser) as a compassionate mutant telepath who gets raped by a fat, warty, disgusting blue-skinned humanoid fish creep, the great Bobby Rhodes (the cool, suave pimp in the flashy "Superfly" threads in "Demons") as a crafty, agile Endgame stalker (Bobby sports both a gleaming Telly Savalas-type bald chrome-dome and a simply snazzy flowing red cape),and stone-faced block-of-granite Gordon Mitchell as the evil, fascistic Colonel Morgan. Michele Soavi was the assistant director and has a cameo as a jerky TV station monitor. Sure, it's not without its flaws, but overall "Endgame" still passes muster as an admirably ambitious, arguably influential and hence above average end-of-the-world sci-fi/action item.

ENDGAME is a highly entertaining slice of Italian cheese, served at least ten weeks past its sell by date. Just one of a rash of post-apocalyptic films which emerged from Italy (usually amid nuclear blasts) in the early '80s, it's a fun-filled action adventure film all the way. The Italians certainly had a sense of style - and fun - that their American counterparts lacked. Take the film's American version, for instance, Schwarzenegger's much better-known THE RUNNING MAN. Does it have innocent blind men being gunned down? The heck it does. America is too restricted to make really good films any more, but you can't say that about the Italians. They sure know how to make a film, and who cares who they offend?

It comes as no surprise that the film was directed by Joe D'Amato. Joe, God rest his soul, was never really renowned for making brilliant films. But whether his films were enjoyable… well, it depends on the viewer. I for one am impressed. What makes ENDGAME such a masterpiece - however odd that may seem - is the absurdity of it. It could have just been a typical gladiator film, but no. There are 'regressive mutants' who are supposed to have become half-fish (hmm, sounds like something Lovecraft might have thought of). To show this, they have those little shiny discs stuck all over their faces. And when they die they bleed water. Or blue paint in this case. The other 'regressive mutants' look very much like rejects from PLANET OF THE APES.

To add to the fun, mix in a cast of European 'stars' such as Laura Gemser (famed for her role in the BLACK EMANUELLE films of the 1970s) as the love interest who inevitably loses her top halfway through, George Eastman (ANTHROPOPHAGUS THE BEAST) as a psycho, shotgun-armed warrior (very good role here folks) and even Bobby Rhodes, the star of DEMONS and its sequel, wearing a robe and carrying a big spiked club thing! Rhodes is really the icing on the cake. Italian peplum fans will be delighted to spot former muscleman Gordon Mitchell in a small role as a baddie.

What else is there? An almost constant stream of action, from the single punch-ups in the first half to the full-scale wars in the second. People kick either other when they're down, punch, and there's even a warrior called Ninja (who breaks the neck of a poor guy asked to attack him in class) who jumps around and kicks people in the face (I thought that was just something Jean Claude Van Damme did). The action is very second rate but this makes it all the more entertaining. There's lots of gore around as well as plenty of nudity for enthusiasts of that variety. Cliver is excellent in his Mad Max type role. ENDGAME is not a well made film by any means but it's a heck of a lot of fun and highly entertaining. So much so that I'm giving it a high rating for effort. A highly underrated cheesy classic.