Klaus Goes to War Double Bill Coming to DVD

Just found out that Wild East is bringing not one but two Klaus Goes to War flicks to DVD. Best of all, this double feature disc features both flicks for one low price.

You get CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS (1970) with Klaus as a sadistic SS officer alongside Richard Harrison. Also on the bill is SALT IN THE WOUND (1969) aka THE LIBERATORS.

I saw THE LIBERATORS version years ago when I was working on the Kinski issue of ER. It was one of those cheapy budget VHS tapes you could pick up at Woolworth's so it didn't have any credits whatsoever.

Set in the waning days of World War II, THE LIBERATORS instantly earned my respect by opening with a major gunfight with the dreaded Nazi scum. And when that battle ends with a crazed GI wasting the captured Krauts and his commanding officer, I thought my head was going to explode... and we had yet to catch a glimpse of our man of the hour, Klaus Kinski.

Much to my surprise though, when K2 does pop up, it is not as a German soldier like any right thinking human being would expect. No, instead we have a young Klaus with a slick pompadour and Joe American accent pumping out all sorts of attitude as a US soldier on his way to be executed for the murder of an innocent German civilian. (Hey come on...we were at war you know.)

When a group of Germans ambush the soldiers sent to execute Klaus and the crazed soldier mentioned earlier, the two take the opportunity to grab a couple guns, shoot some Krauts, and dash into the hills. An act of God? Just dumb luck? You decide.

The fly in the ointment here is that the Lieutenant of the execution squad (who looks a hell of a lot like a young Bradford Dillman) also avoids death and is forced to flee behind enemy lines with the two escapees. After a few silly attempts at taking the two in, the Lt. realizes that if they are going to survive the three have to team up. That they do, killing more Nazis along the way and adopting new identities in order to avoid the certain death which will soon be coming their way.

THE LIBERATORS is action-packed without being too much of a war film and just enough of a redemption tale without being too sappy. I'm totally looking forward to seeing this flick again and checking out CHURCHILL'S LEOPARDS!