Nonureva Really Surprised!

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Comeuppance Reviews On the island of Manioca, an evil, "El Presidente"-style leader named Gomez has kidnapped the son of the rebel leader, Cordura (Fantasia), who is described as a "symbol of freedom" for the Maniocan people, although they seem pretty free as it is if we're to judge by their carnivale-style antics. A group of men in suits in Miami who work for a mining operation, and are tied up in the whole revolutionary battle financially, decide they could either spend millions of dollars mounting a rescue operation to save the son, or they could do it on a budget by employing The Wild Team! So naturally they hire a man named Martin Cuomo (Sabato) - not to be confused with action powerhouse Mario Cuomo - and his group, consisting of Theo (Pochath), Paco (Borghese), Marius (Rassimov), and female explosives and short-shorts expert Sybil Slater (Kent). The Wild Team, or perhaps the Thunder Squad (they should really make up their minds), go to Manioca and shoot/blow up some people/huts in order to save the boy and win the day. But will they be successful? This is a disappointingly mediocre jungle slog, especially considering the fact that Lenzi directed it and it has some top-name Italian action B-movie stars. It's not a bad movie, but it's just kind of blah. Even at less than 90 minutes, it drags. It's all very by-the-numbers, a typical - even stereotypical - exploding hutter that you'd have to be a die-hard fan of Lenzi or any of the personalities involved in order to really want to see. But at least they're open and honest about what this is: at one point, Cuomo, played by Antonio Sabato Sr., says, in reference to Sybil and her explosive abilities, and we quote, "she's gonna blow up that hut." That might be the first ever on-camera bit of spoken dialogue directly referencing an exploding hut. So the movie may go down in history for that, but there's nothing else standout about the film overall.There's really no character development per se, so you don't truly care about the characters or their mission like you should. The sole reason you might care is because of who the actors are and because fans know them and have seen them before - and that's not good. It's unfair to put all the weight on the personalities of Sabato, Pochath, Rassimov and the rest, simply because we know them and have seen them previously. They should all have been individually built up a bit more. That being said, there is a very silly fight scene where you can't tell if what you're hearing is the sound of punches connecting or someone slappin' some bass on the soundtrack. Truth be told, the best part of the movie is probably the Stelvio Cipriani score, which is really no surprise. And there's something cool involving a bow and arrow. But that's pretty much it.Because it lacks edge, surprises, or anything really impactful, The Wild Team is a miss for Lenzi and the gang. In brief, this team really isn't that wild; it should have been wilder. Like Jack Wild.

HaemovoreRex A good assemble cast of B-movie stars including Antonio Sabato (who bears an uncanny resemblance to a young Ricardo Montalban!), the ever creepy Werner Pochath and Ivan Rassimov star in this sadly flat 'action' flick in which a group of highly trained mercenaries undertake a dangerous mission (yawn) to rescue a kidnapped boy from some guerrillas somewhere in South America.Boring throughout with poorly executed action scenes, bland characterisations and a particularly sloppy and childish feel to it, this film has very little to recommend it.Certainly one of director Umberto Lenzi's lesser efforts, this one is best left on the shelf. Oh, and did I mention the horrific 'humming' soundtrack over the end credits?.....*shudder*

udar55 I watched this Umberto Lenzi 1985 action/jungle adventure last night. Its plot resembles the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle COMMANDO from the same year (Italians ripping off popular cinema...nah!) with a young child being kidnapped by mercenaries. Of course, the Italians one up the Terminator by including 5 commandos led by the always reliable Antonio Sabato. After an initially slow half hour set up, THUNDER SQUAD really picks up with the group trekking through the jungle and shoot up lots of stuff. Lenzi throws in a bit of social commentary regarding genocide and political machination but never dwells on it if he feels a good explosion can take the viewer back into the land of the Thunder Squad. Familiar faces Werner Pochath and Ivan Rassimov pop up as two members of the elite squad. This was release in the US on video as WILD TEAM.

VideoImports On the tropical island of Manioca, during a MardiGras-like festival, the child of the former president is kidnapped by the thugs of a communistic dictator. A large corporation in Miami finances an expedition to recover the child, and thus hopes to put the democratic nominee back in power. To this end, they send four mercenaries into the jungle, all of whom are masters of warfare. However, while the four mercenaries are fighting their way through the green inferno, new developments are occurring back in Miami. It seems that the corporation has changed its stance, and is now trying to work out a deal with the communistic dictator. This is sadly one of Umberto Lenzi's most neglected films--and for no good reason at all. Perhaps the lack of distribution has contributed to the obscurity of this gem; but, for all serious fans, it remains to be rediscovered. This film is not remarkable insofar as it is extraordinary, but that it so keenly represents the ending of an era. Never again will we see the likes of Antonio Sabato, Ivan Rassimov, Werner Pochath, and Franco Fantasia, all teaming up together in one great film such as this. Besides being well-directed, this movie is augmented by a very nice soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani, as well as a surpise appearance by Andrea Aureli. Of course, it has its drawbacks as well. For instance, Ivan Rassimov's character is killed off much too soon (the same fate he suffered in Ruggero Deodato's "Atlantis Interceptors"). However, this movie contains some genuinely wonderful scenes that recall all the glory of Lenzi's earlier films. Highly recommended!