Where to watch Indio 2 – La rivolta
2 1/2 Stars
A corporation building a highway through the rainforest hires a gang of mercenaries to get rid of the local Indians, who don’t want the highway built through their lands. The mercenaries resort to murder, massacres and enslavement to rid the company of its Indian problem. Sgt. Irons, a former Marine NCO, helps to unite the jungle tribes and leads them in their fight to protect their homes and their families.
I have been watching a lot of Italian cinema lately. I’m not talking about Leone, Fellini, or Bertolucci. No, I’m referring to the exploration cinema of Corbucci, Joe D’Amato, and, of course, Antonio Margheriti, who helmed Indio and this sequel, Indio 2. And it’s not often, particularly in Italian B-movies, that the sequel is actually better than the original.
Marvin Hagler returns from the first film, and this time he steps into the lead role. Which makes you realize that, with his chiseled physique and appealing persona, he would have made a really good second-tier action hero. I’m surprised that other producers didn’t cast the former athlete-turned-actor in more projects. I remember the old spice commercials that Hagler fronted in the 1980s, and he spoke well for a boxer from Massachusetts.
Indio 2 is an upgrade from Indio (1989), even with the notable absence of Brian Dennehy and Francesco Quinn. Quinn’s character, who was built up into mythical status in the first film, is unceremoniously killed off during the opening moments of Indio 2. However, this live-wire sequel features more sustained action and less reliance on the mystical aspects of the original.
Directed by: Antonio Margheriti
Written by: Filiberto Bandini, Franco Bucceri
Starring: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Frank Cuervo, Dirk Galuba