Classic Sopkiw.Michael Sopkiw plays Parsifal, a guy who loves racing cars around the Arizona desert and basking in the love of his fans for beating his opponents on the post-apocalyptic racing circuit. But his world is interrupted when he's summoned to a secret base by The President of the Pan-American Confederacy (Purdom). He's informed that he must break into New York City - which is controlled by deadly gangs called the Euraks - to rescue a woman from their clutches who can perhaps help to replenish the depleted population of earth. He also gets assigned two helpers: Ratchet (Puppo), who's supposed to be one of the strongest men left on the planet, and Bronx (Scalondro), a man who has memorized the map of New York. During their mission, the three men meet tons of trials and tribulations, not the least of which is New York's serious rat problem. They meet many wacky characters along the way, such as Big Ape (Eastman). Will they get out of NYC alive and save the world? Find out today! Despite being the pride of our home state, Connecticut, Sopkiw starred almost exclusively in Italian productions. Between 1983-1985 he appeared in 2019, then did two movies for Lamberto Bava: Blastfighter (1984) and Devil Fish (also 1984), then one more for Michele Massimo Tarantini, Massacre In Dinosaur Valley (1985) then all but disappeared. Just more evidence that the 80's was awesome - Italian productions were flourishing, and stars like Sopkiw had venues to flower and we got to know them all through our local video stores. Sadly, that time is over, but gems like 2019 provide much-appreciated artifacts from that golden time period.2019 appears to be the result of Sergio Martino throwing his hat into the then-hot post-apocalyptic genre. The movie has all the insane outfits, wonderfully decorated sets, innovative weapons and vehicles with crazy crap glued to them that any Italian post-nuke movie would have, and that fans have grown to love and have become accustomed to. Of course that includes flamethrowers and "Pew Pew" lasers. These movies were primarily meant to entertain, and 2019 completely succeeds. It has the ultimate coolguy for a hero, plenty of wild situations intermixed with brutal violence, and the time-honored innovations we often talk about, ensuring an 80's Video Store Classic.Speaking of video stores (though when aren't we?), when 2019 was released on VHS by Vestron, they dropped the 2019 and just went with After the Fall of New York. Could this be because they wanted to bring the similarities to Escape From New York (1981) front and center? Nah. Can't be. But then Joe D'Amato's 2020 Texas Gladiators (1984) presumably picked up where this movie left off? Regardless, the Guido and Maurizio DeAngelis music (using their pseudonym Oliver Onions) is typically solid and appropriately synthy and futuristic. Their soundtrack to Street Law (1974) is hard to beat, but this one is a winner as well.The Media Blasters DVD is a must-own if you're into the Italian post-apocalyptic genre. It looks great in widescreen and even has an intro from Michael Sopkiw. We recommend it.For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com

After the Fall of New York is one of the best of the seemingly endless Italian rip-offs of John Carpenter's Escape From New York that deluged the early 80s. Mind you, I really like these films, so that is not a slam by any means. This flick is certainly one of the most entertaining of the lot. Michael Sopkiw does his best Snake Plisken imitation and is quite good. The story is original: Parcifal (Sopkiw) must journey into the hell hole to retrieve the last fertile woman alive; the key to the survival of the human race! You have all the great exploitation elements: violence, gunfire, brutality, gore… could have used more t&a, but hey, you can't have everything. Creative characters abound like the midget (Shorty, what else!) and George Eastman as Big Ape. Anna Kanakis (wow) is great as the treacherous Eurac officer trying to stop Parcifal at all costs.If you are not a B-movie lover, stay away. Genre fans, however, will not be disappointed here. Enjoy!

Ripping off popular American films and making cheaper, sleazier, gorier, more exploitative and violent cash-ins was very popular among some Italian filmmakers in the late 70s and 80s, and the results were often vastly entertaining. And while Sergio Martino "2019 - Dopo La Caduta Di New York" aka. "2019 - After the Fall of New York" of 1983 is not the only Italian Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi film that was not only obviously inspired by, but shamelessly rips off John Carpenter's "Escape from New York", it is one of the most entertaining and violent and simply bad-ass ones. Some people seem to be bothered by films of this kind copying American classics. And I won't deny that this film does so very obviously. What these people seem to forget is that many American cult-cinema genres were clearly inspired by typically Italian genres. This film, "2019 - After The Fall of New York", is criticized for ripping off Carpenter's "Escape From New York". Carpenter is most famous for factually creating the Slasher-genre with "Halloween" (1978), which was strongly influenced by the (superior) Italian Giallo, a genre of which director Sergio Martino is one of the supreme masters. Particularly Martino's film "I Corpi Presentano Tracce De La Violenzia Carnale" aka. "Torso" (1973) was a very obvious influence for the Slasher genre; yet I have never heard anyone bitching about how Slasher films 'rip off' Martino's films. Thus much for those who can't stop whining about "2019" ripping off a Classic.As a Giallo-fan, I will always admire Sergio Martino most for masterpieces like "Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key" (1972), "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh" (1971) or "Torso" (1973), but, even when he operates outside the Giallo/Horror genre, Martino delivers, as proved by films like his violent latter-day Spaghetti Western "Mannaja" (1978), or this highly entertaining film. While "2019" is by no means a stroke of genius, and not nearly one of Martino's most memorable films, it definitely ranks among the better Post-Apocalyptic Italian Sci-Fi/Action flicks from the early 80s.2019: A nuclear war has extinguished a large part of the world's population and left the surviving women infertile. In fifteen years, no baby has been born. The winning party, a European/Asian/African federation called Eurax have proclaimed themselves the winners, whereas its enemies from the Pan-American Confederacy keep operating secretly from Alaska. Both parties are keen on finding fertile women in order to rescue mankind from its doom. When a fertile woman is spotted in New York, Parsifal, a tough and solitary race-driver and drifter, is sent by the Confederacy in order to recover her. The former American Metropolis, however, has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland reigned by the occupying Eurax and violent gangs, and once one is in there, it is impossible to get out... As admitted above, the similarities to "Escape From New York" are numerous (even the hero looks like Kurt Russell as Snake)and it also rips off other films such as the first two "Mad Max" films, but, as long as one isn't bothered by that, "2019" is a very cool little flick of its own right. As usual for Italian Exploitation rip-offs, this is quite a bit gorier and nastier than "Escape from NY" and includes some very gory scenes. Contrary to my expectations, there was hardly any sex or nudity, however. The post-apocalyptic scenario is done with style, and the action sequences are very well-done. My fellow Italian exploitation fans will be glad to see cult-actor George Eastman in a supporting role. Overall, "2019 - After the Fall of New York" is certainly no must-see, but it is definitely fun, and especially recommended to fans of Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Action.

Despite being a huge fan of cult and B-Movies and even though I really wanted and tried hard to enjoy this, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to go against the general tide of opinion as regards this film.The ever likable Michael Sopkiw, who's career in B-movies was admittedly brief but so very fondly remembered, appears here as a sort of Mad Max/Snake Plissken type of guy who is coerced into rescuing the last fertile woman on earth from within the hell hole that has become Manhattan Island.Cue lots of fights, sludging through rat infested sewers, getting captured about every five minutes (!) a healthy splashing of gore and the appearance of perennial B-Movie fave big George Eastman as a simian character called 'Big Ape' and hey presto - you have what on paper at least sounds like a great movie.....On paper perhaps......To be fair, the movie isn't at all bad by any means and even boasts some pretty decent production values in fact, but sadly it just failed to enthral me.The biggest problem I had with this is that the action scenes are for the most part handled with very little flair. Added to this, the best scene in the entire movie (for me at least) was actually at the very beginning when our hero is shown banger racing in a heavily armoured car. Needless to say, after such an intro the remaining 80 or so minutes of the movie seemed pale in comparison.Still, as previously mentioned, the overall look of the film is very commendable indeed (bar one or two instances of very dodgy model work) and there's some great gross out moments (including one excellent head bashing scene!)I'm tempted to deduct another point from this film however, due to the all too common and sad trend of some Italian genre movies of the time that regretfully rears it's ugly head here - genuine animal cruelty/killing. In this case we are 'treated' to a display of some rats getting speared. Such a disgusting trend ostensibly stemmed from the cannibal themed movies of the same period as were pioneered by directors Umberto Lenzi and Ruggero Deodato - both of whom were more than capable of producing highly enjoyable films without having to resort to such repulsive, cheap shock tactics.Would you believe that I have actually spoken to people who have tried to justify such barbaric acts 'for the sake of art''?! I've also spoken to various other cretinous wretches who seem to be under the misguided impression that watching such acts of cruelty in films somehow makes them more 'macho' as it logically denotes that 'they can take anything' (!!!!)Still back to the film in question.....overall, whilst not unwatchable by any stretch of the imagination, After The Fall Of New York, for me, distinctly lacked enough intriguing scenes to raise it above the average mark.My advice is, if you're into the genre then watch it by all means, it does have a hefty fan base, however for much more enjoyment value, check out the far superior film it is copied - erm...I mean inspired from, Escape From New York.