In the dying days of World War II, Nazi scientists hatch a desperate plan to turn the population of New York into flesh-eating zombies. The only man who can stop them is Dick Dynamite, a cigar-chomping, Panzer-crushing, muscle-bound one-man army!
Together with his colourful team of foul-mouthed mercenaries, Dick will have to kill his way through ninjas, cyborgs, bikers, mummified snipers, and everything else the German war-machine, led by the heinous Colonel Maximillian Schtacker, throws in his path. Killing is his business, and in 1944, business is good.
Written and directed by punk rock guitarist Robbie ‘Steed’ Davidson (pictured above, best known from The Exploited and Certain Death), this is a gory homage to gloriously over-the-top 1980s action, low-budget exploitation and war flicks.
With the film out now, what inspired Dick Dynamite: 1944 and this wild genre hybrid? Davidson tells us more…
Arnold Schwarzenegger
“I grew up as a huge fan of Arnie, in fact Dick Dynamite: 1944 came about through an idea of what would happen if Saving Private Ryan starred Arnold Schwarzenegger? He’d kill everyone! (laughs) As a kid I loved WWII movies and Arnie films, so it sounded like the best thing in the world to me!
“Predator is one of the greatest films of all time, probably one of Arnie’s best and his strongest performance, I would say. It’s interesting that John McTiernan wasn’t necessarily well known as an action director at the time, but he brought a real storytelling quality to it, rather than just showing balls-to-the-wall action. I’m also a huge fan of Commando which is a ton of fun, and we even have a scene with Dick Dynamite loading and tooling up, as a little tribute.”
Robert Rodriguez
“I’m a big fan of Robert Rodriguez. I love El Mariachi and it’s so inspiring to see what he achieved on that first film. In fact, when people found out I made DD for £10k, I got a real split response, with some people saying it’s another El Mariachi story, and others saying I shouldn’t tell anyone that number!
“I really enjoyed Desperado too of course, and it was amazing to see how he levelled up on his next film. It’s inspiring for me, as a filmmaker, when I think about what I’d like to do next.”
John Woo
“I love the work of director John Woo, so we absolutely had to inject some moments with dual-wielded guns, and slow-mo effects, as a homage. We also have a one-shot, long take shoot-out in an underground bunker, which was a lot of fun.
“Generally, everyone rates Hard Boiled as their favourite Woo film, and I love that one too, but I might be controversial and say that The Killer is a better film. The action might not be as over-the-top, but I think it’s a stronger film overall. His later Hollywood work is brilliant too, Face/Off being a highlight for me. I guess when you see and really enjoy something, it’s naturally going to leave an impression on you.
“There’s a handful of films I tend to watch every few years, but when I do, I might watch them five times in one year (!) so you know they’ve had a lasting impact.”
What do you hope people take away from Dick Dynamite: 1944?
“I really hope that fans of 1970s grindhouse and 1980s action movies see that Dick Dynamite: 1944 is a love letter to these genres. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. I know that some history buffs will scoff when things aren’t historically accurate, however I think we can get away with such liberties with the addition of zombies, cyborgs and ninjas!
“It seems to be well regarded as a fun movie to watch with friends, just save some beer and pizza for me!”
Dick Dynamite: 1944 is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download from Dazzler Media. Order your copy here.
