Today’s episode of The Video Archives Podcast has it all: revenge, revenge and REVENGE!
Quentin & Roger kick it off with the harrowing journey of The One Armed Executioner, before stopping for a spell in the mysterious town of Welcome To Blood City. Then they wrap things up with an improbable bank heist in Blind Rage. On Counter Talk I’ve got movie facts and VHS covers galore, so let’s get right into it…
This week’s lineup is a triple feature of the low-budget exploitation films we usually save for the third slot of the episode. That was the plan for our first film, until Quentin & Roger watched it and were so bowled over, they decided it was worthy of headliner status. The One Armed Executioner delivers exactly what its title promises, as an Interpol agent whose wife was murdered by mobsters (and who gets his arm cut off to boot) goes on a crusade for vengeance.
Supposedly, the scene where star Franco Guerrero loses his wife and arm was so intense, his appendix burst during shooting and he had to be rushed to the hospital! That commitment to hitting the emotional beats of the story (plus some immensely entertaining action from director Bobby A. Suarez) elevates a predictable plot into something special. Suarez is one of the Philippines’ finest action directors, and his filmography includes one of the best movie titles I’ve ever seen – I’m determined to track down “Scotch on the Rocks to Forget, Black Coffee to Remember” and find out if it’s worthy of that title.
The electric cover of the One Armed Executioner Paragon release has not one but two explosions, a tease of the helicopter-driven climax, and a furious but focused Guerrero holding a smoking gun.