Where to watch Tough to Kill
3 1/2 Stars
A ruthless hit man, joins a group of mercenaries deep in a South American jungle. His plan is to kidnap and collect the million dollar bounty on one of the other hired soldiers during one of their guerilla missions. Unfortunately for him, other members of his squad have the same idea in mind, leading to a series of bloody confrontations in the wilderness.
After suffering through the Ator series of movies, I didn’t have any respect for the filmmaker, Joe D’Amato. Those junky sword and sandal flicks lacked an intriguing story, skilled camerawork, or any distinctive creative vision. Tough to Kill has all of these in abundance, and it did something I thought impossible; it made me want to seek out other films from Italian director Joe D’Amato. The story is simple, and the concept is fantastic. Tough to Kill would have been ripe for an American remake during the 1980s, preferably starring Sylvester Stallone.
The most surprising aspect of Tough to Kill is the screenplay. The third-act plot twist, making great use of a supporting character, is original and earned. Tough to Kill reignited my fondness for these types of productions. I was dreading the experience of subjecting myself to another low-budget b-movie, but this was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.
Directed by: Joe D’Amato
Written by: Giuseppe Zaccariello, Sergio Donati, Joe D’Amato
Starring: Luc Merenda, Donald O’Brien, Percy Hogan