Mad Foxes 4K Review (Cauldron Films)

Mad Foxes (aKa Los violadores, The Violators, The Bikers and The Disco Kid, Stingray 2, and Desperados on Wheels) is a 1981 exploitation film directed by Paul Grau (Sechs Schwedinnen auf der Alm) under the name “Paul Gray”. It was uncredited but produced by Swiss sleaze king Erwin C. Dietrich (Rolls-Royce Baby, The Young Seducers, Barbed Wire Dolls, Caged, Women, Killer Condom, Jack the Ripper, and Love Camp). It takes the biker sub genre to a new level. It never had theatrical distribution in the United States. It was censored all over the world for it’s graphic violence. As a matter of fact it has never had an official home video release here until Full Moon Features did the DVD home video release in 2018. It has the reputation of being one of the craziest films ever made in the history of cinema to those who have actually seen this obscure trashy flick. Let’s all find out if that bold statement is actually TRUE!!!! Hal Martin (played by: José Gras from Hell of the Living Dead, Conquest, and Killing Machine) goes out on a drive in his prized vehicle the Neufeld Chevrolet Corvette Stingray C3 with his 18 year old virgin girlfriend Babsy (played by: Andrea Albani from Perversión en el paraíso & El pico). They are just trying to have a little fun for the night but they get harassed by a gang of Nazi bikers. Hal tries to strike back to teach them a lesson but it causes a terrible accident that ends up killing one of the bikers. They go to a nightclub to celebrate Babsy’s birthday not knowing what happened. This previous event causes a path of destruction and revenge that seems to never stop. The Nazi bikers brutally beat Hal to near death. They unwillingly pop Babsy’s cherry in a viscous rape from Stileto (played by: Eric Falk from Caged Women, Rolls-Royce Baby, and Barbed Wire Dolls). Hal calls his martial artist friend Linus (played by director Paul Grau) who teaches and runs a karate school. He agrees to gather up some students for retaliation. They interrupt the wake of the deceased biker and all hell breaks loose between the two groups! It’s dangerous to be affiliated with Hal or the Nazis in this deadly war. It only leads to massacre after massacre and non stop payback trying to top each other with each sadistic death with something worse every time!!!! Just imagine Death Wish as a sleazy Euro rip off Z movie then you might a get little insight into something that resembles this low budget feature. It’s a crazy twist on the typical revenge concept heavily used in the 80s. This movie isn’t shy about anything. It features full frontal nudity from both women and men. It has a higher body count than most slashers out there. Honestly, I lost count pretty quick which is always a great thing when comes to something like this. It’s also just as gory if not more than most horror films produced at the time. Which includes all kinds of gruesome stuff like someone getting castrated and then he gets gagged with his own severed dick. It does feature some of the all time worst English dubbing that I’ve heard in my entire life and lots of laughable amateur fight choreography that seems too bad to be true. The editing and acting are beyond terrible in Mad Foxes. That all adds to it’s unique charm, it’s something different when it comes to these insane vengeance films. After saying all of this, you would think I hated this movie but it’s the complete opposite. The sleazy and brutal entertainment of this over the top trashy masterpiece makes it stand out from others. I mean, how many movies feature Karate masters battling a gang of Nazi bikers which I may add are dressed very questionable in the middle of a funeral? A women who has been saving herself for 18 years and right after she gets raped she finally wants to have sex? The lead character and hero is not a very likeable person so at the end you are not cheering anyone to be real. It really adds to the excitement of this bloody mess. The interesting cast includes José Gras, Andrea Albani, Paul Grau, Eric Falk, Laura Premica, Brian Billings, Peter Saunders (Habsucht oder Hamburg-Madrid), Helmi Sigg (Filou), Ana Roca (Jugando con la muerte), Guillermo Balcázar (Deadly Deception), Esther Studer (Love Camp), and Antonio Molino Rojo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). There’s never a dull moment in Mad Foxes. I haven’t had this much fun watching a movie in a long time. Personally, I want to show all my friends this because it needs to be seen by everyone because it’s so obscure. It has so much replay value. This would have been a huge cult hit in America if it actually got any distribution and a real home video release here back in the day. Where have you been my whole life? I feel like I missed out on something special in my younger days so I am glad Cauldron Films resurrected this from obscurity in 4K. Now I am doing my job on spreading the word about this forgotten exploitation gem, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Cauldron Films! This 2160p unrated (1.85:1) transfer is a brand new 4K restoration from the original uncut camera negative. I covered the original DVD from Full Moon in 2018 and this UHD blows it away. It’s like watching it for the very first time, night and day when compared. It’s one of the most impressive upgrades that I’ve seen from an independent 80’s production. It’s definitely the best it’s ever looked on home video. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, and Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks on the UHD. The audio is a massive improvement over all the past home video releases also. It’s like a brand new experience with everything here. It has it’s explosive and wild moments that really pop. All of the dialogue is very clean, the retaliation is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English and English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with critics Nanni Cobretti and Merlyn Roberts. That’s the only extra located on the UHD, the rest of them are on the blu ray. It has the little over 46 minute “The Untold Story of Robert O’Neal”. It’s an interview with actor José Gras. Gras never does interviews so this is a great one. He chats about getting away from home at an early age. He talks about his beginnings for acting. He goes over him getting all kinds of roles during his career. He brings up quiting acting after a few years and doing other stuff. He mentions a variety of projects that he worked on and people that he collabed with during them. He goes into great detail about all of these subjects. It’s in Spanish with English subtitles. It has the 22 minute “Erwin and the Foxes”. It’s an interview with legendary producer Erwin C. Dietrich, actors Eric Falk and Helmi Sigg. They chat about their experiences on the production. They bring up some of the weird stuff from it. They have plenty of stories about Mad Foxes in this. They talk about some other projects that they worked on together. They even show off old props from the exploitation feature here. It’s in German with English subtitles. It has the almost 9 minute “Mad Eric”. It’s an interview with villain actor Eric Falk. He says he considers Mad Foxes a comedy. He chats about being a bouncer and he had to fight Hell’s Angels during that gig. He talks about the director and the cast from this as he revisits the film. He doesn’t hold back when going over his experiences. He has a blast sharing information about it here. It’s in German with English subtitles. It has the almost 20 minute “Nazi Fox Bikers Must Die” with critic Troy Howarth. The film critic shows his appreciation for Mad Foxes. He shares the history and he provides all kinds of details about the sleazy production. It has an almost 2 minute “Image Gallery” and a “Trailer” for Mad Foxes. This limited edition comes with a high quality slipbox, reversible artwork, a poster, and a blu ray. It’s available exclusively from Cauldron Films and DiabolikDVD, CHECK IT OUT!!!!