Year: 1985
Runtime: 103 mins
Language: Italian
Director: Antonio Margheriti
Hard as stone, soldiers of fortune fight to survive under a brutal Latin American dictator. Daily corruption, cruelty and exploitation fuel unrest, prompting a handful of citizens to organize resistance. Led by the enigmatic “El Leopardo,” a small guerrilla band wages a desperate struggle against the violent regime.
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In an unnamed Latin American dictatorship, a small band of rebel freedom fighters fights to bring about a less oppressive society. The rebels, led by the enigmatic Enrique Carrasco, Lewis Collins, who has returned to his homeland to take up the fight, strike at a critical hydro-electric dam. Joining Carrasco are his fellow native fighters, the seasoned Smithy, John Steiner, a British mercenary, and Maria, Cristina Donadio, a native ex-medical student turned freedom fighter. After taking down the dam’s security guards, Carrasco’s men plant explosives at a crucial point in the dam wall; when the charges detonate, a powerful tidal surge is unleashed and a nearby bridge that carries a government convoy is utterly destroyed.
On learning of the assault, the President orders the head of the secret police, Colonel Silvera K Klaus Kinski. Carrasco’s group then reaches an impoverished village to seek medical supplies for their wounded companions; the village leader sadly informs them that there are none, but nearby priests tend to the sick and injured. Splitting his force in two, Maria leads a group of the wounded to seek out the priests, while Carrasco, Smithy, and the rest of the fighters return to the dam to press the strike. As they move, Silvera’s deputy Hans Leutenegger leads a brutal attack on the village with flame-thrower equipped helicopters, aiming to crush the rebellion at its source.
At the dam’s site, Carrasco discovers that the government has already constructed a pontoon bridge and is busy recovering the sunken supply convoy. Using scuba diving equipment, Carrasco and Smithy plant time bombs on several of the trucks still submerged, intending to wipe out more of the regime’s munitions. But before the two rebels can slip away from the river, the bombs explode, the sudden pressure wave knocks Smithy unconscious, and he surfaces only to be captured. Carrasco, by contrast, manages to escape with the timely aid of an elderly friend Luciano Pigozzi and his men, who arrive in a truck at the final moment to turn the tide in his favor.
Back in the capital, Smithy finds himself imprisoned among other political detainees, where he learns of a looming plot to free the prisoners and restore a glimmer of hope to their resistance. The story unfolds against a backdrop of political peril, fierce loyalty, and the desperate hope that a dedicated few can challenge an entrenched power, even when the outlook seems grim and the costs are extraordinarily high.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:40
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories of small bands fighting overwhelming power in brutal political landscapes.If you liked the desperate guerrilla struggle in Commando Leopard, explore more movies about small bands fighting oppressive regimes. These films share a tense, brutal vibe with fast-paced action and heavy emotional weight, focusing on themes of survival, political corruption, and armed resistance against dictatorships.
Stories in this thread typically follow a straightforward plot where a small, determined group of rebels organizes against a powerful and violent regime. The narrative is propelled by a series of dangerous missions, ambushes, and acts of sabotage, creating a relentless pace. The emotional journey is one of high tension and desperation, often exploring the grim costs of resistance.
Movies are grouped here based on their shared focus on the visceral experience of a rebellion. They connect through a consistently tense tone, high intensity action, heavy emotional weight stemming from political brutality, and a setting defined by harsh, corrupt worlds where survival is the primary goal.
Gritty stories of soldiers of fortune battling through harsh, violent conflicts.Fans of the hard-edged soldiers of fortune in Commando Leopard will find similar thrill in these high-intensity action movies. This collection focuses on gritty stories of survival, brutal combat, and mercenary life, featuring fast pacing, heavy violence, and a tense, desperate atmosphere in unforgiving settings.
The narrative pattern revolves around a group of hardened fighters, often mercenaries, thrown into a volatile situation where their skills are tested to the limit. The plot is straightforward and driven by a succession of violent encounters and survival challenges. Character arcs are often minimal, with the focus remaining on the immediate, life-or-death stakes of the conflict.
These movies are united by their core vibe: a combination of high-intensity, brutal action and a desperate survivalist tone. They share a fast pace, straightforward plots centered on combat, and a gritty, unforgiving mood that makes the action feel consequential and harsh.
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