Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 14, 2023

Bruno Mattei's "Born to Fight" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with screenwriter/second unit director Claudio Fragasso; and program with screenwriter Rossella Drudi; and remastered theatrical trailer for the film. In English or Italian, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Take a close look at the cover of Severin’s release of Bruno Mattei’s film Born to Fight a.k.a. Nato per combattere. It is gorgeous, isn’t it? This is not a newly commissioned cover, but a reproduction of original poster art that was used to promote Born to Fight in 1989 and later when the film was released on VHS. Now, focus on the heavily armed character, which is Brent Huff, an American actor that appeared in numerous B-films over the years. Does this character remind you of another very popular character from the 1980s? No? Examine his hat and notice that he has a very, very big knife. What popular character from the 1980s loved to wear a similar hat and carry a similarly big knife? Paul Hogan’s Crocodile Dundee. So, does this mean that Huff and Hogan’s characters are related? The answer is yes. However, even though Huff’s character was modeled after Hogan’s famous character, the former turned out quite differently. Or at least he did according to screenwriter Rossella Drudi, a huge admirer of Huff, who explains how his character very quickly acquired an identity of its own while discussing the conception and production of Born to Fight in a very interesting new program that is included on this release.

I noticed the similarity on the day Severin announced its release of Born to Fight and wanted to highlight it because it will likely make or break the film for you, almost certainly for several different reasons, too. Here’s why:

As Drudi clarifies, Hogan’s character provided the blueprint for Huff’s character, but the intent was never to produce a shameless copycat. According to Drudi, Huff instantly became comfortable with his character and imposed his personality on it, so by the time Mattei began shooting, the blueprint with Hogan’s character had become largely irrelevant. It is hard to doubt that it is exactly what happened. Huff is fully in control of a unique character that looks and sounds different, even when he clearly forces it to imitate Crocodile Dundee. (The one sequence where Huff successfully imitates Crocodile Dundee is at the very beginning of Born to Fight. In a lousy bar, he outsmarts a deadly cobra, squeezes its poison in a cup, and drinks it to impress a motley crew of strangers). In other words, the live version of the character from the original poster of Born to Fight, which looks like an Italian replica of Crocodile Dundee, is not in the film.

Claudio Fragasso and Drudi’s screenplay places Huff’s character in an environment that effectively pushes him further away from Crocodile Dundee as well. He is a Vietnam vet named Sam Woods who has chosen to stay in some hellhole in the jungle full of very shady characters because he feels freer there. But there is another reason Woods is there, too. This is as close as he can be to the place where he lost his brothers in arms and the man that refused to help them escape with him. When sexy TV reporter Maryline Kane (Mary Stavin) arrives in the area and offers him a substantial sum of money to go back to the prison camp where he was once held captive while she follows him with her crew, the vet agrees, and soon after all hell breaks loose. The screenplay introduces only one meaningful twist after the vet goes to work to earn his money, so I am intentionally not revealing it here. However, as you can tell already, Born to Fight heads down the same path various other Italian war films from the 1980s loved to visit, and this is not a place Crocodile Dundee would have enjoyed.

So, now that you know what Born to Fight does to impress, let’s go back to the original poster art that was created for it. If this poster art sells you a film whose star is a relative of Crocodile Dundee and you mentally prepare yourself to see a lighthearted action comedy, I must warn you that Born to Fight is not for you. If this poster only prepares you for an exotic action film, and you like Huff’s personality and attitude, sit back and give Born to Fight a chance. There is a lot of B/C-grade action in Born to Fight, some light humor and silly drama too, but Huff is the story, the heart, and soul of the film. I am unsure if I could describe him as good, but he is quite colorful and his antics produce some memorable so-bad-they-are-actually-good moments.

Severin's release presents two versions of Born to Fight: Extended Version, which is approximately 94 minutes long, and Theatrical Version, which is approximately 91 minutes long. Both versions can be seen in original English and Italian. (English is the original audio track). Both have been restored in 2K from the original camera negative as well.

*If you enjoy Born to Fight also consider seeing Michele Massimo Tarantini's Massacre in Dinosaur Valley, which is available via Severin as well. It is also from the 1980s and features another very colorful American character, played by Michael Sopkiw.

Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Born to Fight arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release is sourced from a new and quite beautiful 2K master that was struck from the original camera negative. There are two restored versions of Born to Fight on it: Extended Version, which is approximately 94 minutes long, and Theatrical Version, which is approximately 91 minutes long. I viewed the Extended Version.

Even though Born to Fight was shot with a very modest budget, the bulk of it looks quite good. Close-ups are usually most impressive, but there is some outdoor panoramic footage that looks good, too. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to borderline excellent. Also, there aren't any notable density fluctuations to report, even in the areas where the action becomes intense. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Grain exposure is very solid and even. The surface of the visuals looks very healthy, too. Colors are stable and balance is rather good. I sense that the film needs a bit more blue because some areas have a slightly neutral appearance, but I did not encounter any anomalies. Image stability is excellent. All in all, I think that the new 2K master that was prepared for this release offers a very solid organic presentation of the film. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the Extended Version of Born to Fight with the English track, which should be considered the original audio track because all actors utter their lines in English. I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. The dialog was very clear, sharp, and stable. Dynamic intensity, even during the action footage is a bit of a mixed bag, but consider the size of the budget that was used to produce Born to Fight, this is hardly surprising.

Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Cigarettes in Heaven - in this new program, screenwriter Rossella Drudi reveals that Born to Fight was supposed to be a reinterpretation of Crocodile Dundee but evolved into something completely different, primarily because Brent Huff reshaped his character and made it quite unique. Also, Mrs. Drudi reveals that the giallo plot with the TV reporter was always parts of the original screenplay, but once production was initiated quite a few sequences were rushed and did not turn out as well as they could have. There are some interesting observations about Bruno Mattei's style and work. In Italian, with English subtitles. (12 min).

• Mr. Cobra Dundee - in this new program, screenwriter/second unit director Claudio Fragasso reveals that his main inspiration for Born to Fight was Crocodile Dundee and recalls the production process, which apparently was quite colorful. Also, there are some interesting observations about the Filipino team that was used during the action footage and the lack of erotic scenes that could have complicated the film's marketing campaign. In the second half of the program, Mr. Fragasso also discusses his professional relationship with Bruno Mattei and some of the great genre films the two made over the years. In Italian, with English subtitles. (21 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original theatrical trailer for Born to Fight. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Born to Fight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi reveal that Born to Fight was supposed to be an Italian reinterpretation of Crocodile Dundee that evolved into something different. It appears that it was primarily because Brent Huff delivered a new character, which was quite good. I think that it still looks good, but Bruno Mattei should have been given a screenplay with more unfiltered humor of the kind that transforms Massacre in Dinosaur Valley into a pretty special genre film. I rather enjoyed Born to Fight, but a few areas of it definitely look rushed a bit. Severin's release has two versions of Born to Fight and both are sourced from a wonderful new 2K master. RECOMMENDED to fans of Italian genre films.