Angel of Death Blu Ray Review (Full Moon Features)
Angel of Death (aKa Commando Mengele) is a 1987 action film directed by Jesús Franco (Barbed Wire Dolls, Sinfonía Erótica, The Sadist of Notre Dame, Diamonds of Kilimandjaro, Golden Temple Amazons, Bloody Moon, and Faceless) and Andrea Bianchi (Burial Ground, Cry of a Prostitute, Strip Nude for Your Killer, Mania Killer, and Massacre) as “Frank Drew White”. It was written by Jesús Franco (Cecilia, Emmanuelle Exposed, Jack the Ripper, House of Cruel Dolls, Vampyros Lesbos, and Count Dracula), Georges Friedland (The Panther Squad, Mania Killer, and Night of the Eagles), Marius Lesoeur (Golden Jail, Women Behind Bars, Captive Women 4, and Mania Killer). It was produced by Daniel Lesoeur (Mania Killer, The Panther Squad, Night of the Eagles, Diamonds of Kilimandjaro, Oasis of the Zombies, Zombie Lake, and Devil Hunter) and Marius Lesoeur (White Cannibal Queen, The Sadist of Notre Dame, House of Cruel Dolls, A Virgin Among the Living Dead, Female Vampire, and The Awful Dr. Orlof).
When an ambitious pair of young Nazi hunters Aaron Horner (played by: Jack Taylor from Pieces, The Mummy’s Revenge, Rest in Pieces, Conan the Barbarian, and Red Rings of Fear) and Marc Logan (played by: Antonio Mayans from Night of the Eagles, The Panther Squad, Cries of Pleasure, Cecilia, Night of Open Sex, Mansion of the Living Dead, Zombie Lake, and Oasis of the Zombies) exploring Uruguay accidentally stumble upon the lair of the maniacal war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele (played by: Howard Vernon from Delicatessen, Howl of the Devil, Faceless, Revenge in the House of Usher, Women in Cellblock 9, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, and She Killed in Ecstasy). They immediately live to regret it. There, deep in the sweltering jungles, Mengele has continued his hideous human experiments, torturing, murdering and mutilating nubile virgins in the name of creating some sort of master race. Soon, mercenaries, monstrosities, femme fatales and vengeful concentration camp survivors face off with bullets and bodies flying everywhere and Mengele holding cretinous court!!!!
Angel of Death was directed by the unholy alliance that consisted of exploitation legends Jesús Franco and Andrea Bianchi. Franco started this late 80’s nazisploitaion entry and Andrea Bianchi was brought in to finish it up. Despite being written by Uncle Jess and featuring so many of his regular actors, this one feels more like a Andrea Bianchi feature when it’s all said and done. This isn’t as sleazy as you would expect from both grindhouse masters of cinema, it’s rather tame in that department. It does have a solid amount of action and torture so it still delivers some what you would expect from this type of film. Angel of Death is a very low budget production but the locations and sets really fit the sub-genre for this cheap action flick. Jack Taylor and Antonio Mayans did the best that they could with the material they had here. Both of them made the movie better with their presence. This one actually has a solid supporting cast that includes Howard Vernon, Lina Romay (Diamonds of Kilimandjaro), Fernando Rey (The French Connection), Christopher Mitchum (Savage Harbor), Suzanne Andrews (Mania Killer), Dora Doll (Mania Killer), Shirley Knight (The Panther Squad), and Manuel Zarzo (Panic Beats). Angel of Death is really entertaining but it’s definitely not even close to being either director’s best work. If you are looking for another 80’s nazisploitaion feature, this is worth the watch!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation and special features from Full Moon Features! This 1080p (1.67:1) transfer is a major upgrade compared to all those low quality VHS, DVD, and bootleg home video releases over the years. This forgotten 80’s action flick has been through hell and this is the best it’s ever looked in it’s cinematic history. It has a few different audio options which includes English Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 tracks. These are also an upgrade compared to past releases. All of the dialogue is clean, all the action is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. The only extras it has is a few “Euro-Cult Trailers” which includes Naked Girl Murdered in the Park, Barbed Wire Dolls, Love Letters To A Portuguese Nun, Satanic Sisters, Voodoo Passion, and Women In Cell Block 9. This release is fully uncut and all region. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!! 
