''Captain America'' (released in the Philippines as ''Bloodmatch'') is a 1990 American

superhero film A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature Action film, ac ...

directed by

Albert Pyun Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...

and written by Stephen Tolkin and Lawrence J. Block (aka Larry Block). The film is based on the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

of the same name. While the film takes several liberties with the comic's storyline, it features Steve Rogers becoming Captain America during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to battle the

Red Skull The Red Skull is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. The first version, George Maxon, appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 and #4. The main ...

, being frozen in ice, and subsequently being revived to save the President of the United States from a crime family that dislikes his environmentalist policies.

Plot

In 1936 in Porto Venere, Italy, the

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

government kidnaps a child prodigy, Tadzio De Santis, and kills his family, to use him for an experimental project to create a Fascist

supersoldier The supersoldier (or super soldier) is a fictional concept soldier, often capable of operating beyond normal human limits or abilities either through genetic modification or cybernetic augmentation. Overview Supersoldiers are common in military ...

. The procedure's inventor, Dr. Maria Vaselli, objects to this cruelty and defects to the United States to offer her services to the Americans. Seven years later, the American government finds a volunteer in Steve Rogers, a frail man who is exempted from the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

due to being partly crippled by

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. The formula successfully cures Rogers' ailments and gives him superior strength and endurance; but before any more supersoldiers can be created, Vaselli is murdered by a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

spy secretly working with Lieutenant Fleming before Rogers manages to kill him. Meanwhile, the now adult de Santis—whose skin was burnt to a scarred red texture by the earlier version of Vaselli's procedure, but has physical prowess equal to Rogers—has become the

, and is planning to launch a prototype

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. Rogers, now code-named

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

, is sent in to neutralize the Red Skull and the missile. He penetrates the Nazi launch compound, but the Red Skull defeats Captain America and ties him to the missile. As it is about to launch, Captain America grabs the Red Skull's arm and forces him to cut off his own hand to avoid being taken along. While the missile is over Washington, D.C., a young boy named Tom Kimball takes a photograph as Captain America kicks one of the missile's fins, changing its course mere yards from the White House and ultimately crashing somewhere in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, burying itself and Rogers under the ice. In 1992, Tom Kimball is elected

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. A year into his first term, he pushes for aggressive new pro-environmentalist legislation that angers the military-industrial complex headed by Fleming, who has now been promoted to General. At a secret conference in Italy, Fleming meets with the Red Skull and other leaders of a global shadow organization. Following the war, the Red Skull had extensive plastic surgery to partially alter his disfigured features, raised a hitwoman daughter, Valentina, and became the leader of a powerful

crime family A crime family is a unit of an organized crime syndicate, particularly in Italian organized crime and especially in the Sicilian Mafia and Italian American Mafia, often operating within a specific geographic territory or a specific set of activ ...

. In the 1960s, the shadow organization hired the Red Skull and his thugs to murder various Americans who were against militarism and fascism, such as

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

, President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, and

Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

. This time, the Red Skull disapproves murder and instead organizes Kimball's kidnapping and subsequent brainwashing. In Alaska, a team of researchers accidentally find Rogers' body frozen in a block of ice, and he awakens still thinking that it is the 1940s. His mysterious reappearance makes international headlines, alerting both Kimball and the Red Skull. After escaping from some of the Red Skull's thugs, Rogers brushes off Sam Kolawetz, a reporter and childhood friend of Kimball who has long hounded the Skull, and hitchhikes his way back to his wartime girlfriend, Bernice, in

Redondo Beach, California Redondo Beach (Spanish for ''round'') is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Sa ...

. While Bernice still lives at her old residence, she has long since married and raised her own daughter, Sharon, who gives Rogers a series of history videos to help him catch up. Red Skull's thugs, led by Valentina, break into Bernice's house and kill her during their efforts to find Rogers. While visiting Sharon's father in the hospital, Rogers and Sharon learn from the news that Kimball has been kidnapped, and vow to rescue him from the Red Skull. Rogers and Sharon visit the secret underground base where he gained his superpowers to recover Vaselli's diary and learn the original name of Red Skull. They are ambushed by Red Skull's thugs, who are defeated by Rogers. They travel to Italy and, in the Red Skull's childhood home, locate an old tape recording of the murder of his parents. Sharon gets kidnapped as a distraction to allow Rogers, who dons his costume, to enter the Red Skull's castle. Kimball escapes from his cell, is rescued by Captain America and teams up with him in laying siege to the castle. In the midst of their battle, the Red Skull pulls out a remote trigger for a nuclear bomb, but Rogers uses the recording of the De Santis family's murder to distract him. Just as Red Skull recovers, Captain America uses his shield to send him off a cliff, killing him, and as Valentina prepares to kill Rogers, she is hit from behind by his returning shield. The

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

arrive to save the President and arrest the conspirators involved in the kidnapping. Rogers and Sharon embrace, and a news voiceover announces the passing of Kimball's new environmental pact as agreed upon by dozens of other countries around the world.

Cast

Matt Salinger Matthew Douglas Salinger (; born February 13, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for his appearances in the films '' Revenge of the Nerds'' and ''Captain America''. Early life Salinger was born February 13, 1960, in Windsor, Vermont, the so ...

as Steve Rogers / Captain America *

Ronny Cox Daniel Ronald Cox (born July 23, 1938) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in ''Deliverance'' (1972), George Apple in ''Apple's Way'' (1974–75), Ozark Bule in '' Bound for Glory'' (1976), Co ...

as President Tom Kimball ** Garrette Ratliffe as Young Tom Kimball *

Scott Paulin Robert Scott Paulin (born February 13, 1950) is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for playing Deke Slayton in the film '' The Right Stuff'' (1983). He has also acted in films including '' Cat People'' (1982), ''Teen Wolf'' ...

as Tadzio De Santis / Red Skull ** Massimilio Massimi as Young Tadzio De Santis *

Ned Beatty Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor and comedian. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 films. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest actor in ...

as Sam Kolawetz ** Thomas Beatty as Young Sam Kolawetz * Darren McGavin as General Fleming **

Bill Mumy Charles William Mumy Jr. (; born February 1, 1954) is an American actor, writer, and musician and a figure in the science-fiction community/comic book fandom. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor, which included television appeara ...

as Young Lieutenant Fleming *

Francesca Neri Francesca Neri (born 10 February 1964) is an Italian actress. Biography Neri was born in Trento, Italy. She has twice received the Silver Ribbon Award for Best Actress from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, for ''Pensavo foss ...

as Valentina De Santis *

Michael Nouri Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his television roles, including Dr. Neil Roberts on ''The O.C.'', Phil Grey on ''Damages'', Caleb Cortlandt on '' All My Children'', Eli David in ...

as Lieutenant Colonel Louis * Kim Gillingham as Bernice Stewart /

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

Sven Medvešek Sven Medvešek (born 1965) is a Croatian actor and director. Establishing himself as both a leading man and character actor, Medvešek's best-known film roles include Lukas in ''Slow Surrender'' (2001), Rafael in ''Winter in Rio'' (2002), Marin D ...

as Pietro *

Melinda Dillon Melinda Dillon (born October 13, 1939) is a retired American actress. She received a 1963 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway debut in the original production of ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'', and she was nominated for the Academy Award ...

as Mrs. Rogers *

Carla Cassola Carla Cassola (15 December 1947 – 24 July 2022)Wayde Preston Wayde Preston (born William Erksine Strange; September 10, 1929 – February 6, 1992) was an American actor cast from 1957 to 1960 in the lead role in 67 episodes of the American Broadcasting Company, ABC/Warner Bros. Western (genre), Western ...

as Jack Cooperman

Production

The first feature-length production of Captain America for theatrical release had a long and tumultuous production history. The film rights were originally purchased by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, who planned a theatrical feature-length film starring

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent a ...

as Captain America, and Peter Fonda as the Red Skull. The writer, Jeffery Sprouse, later revealed a script and pieces of concept art that also included

Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

Baron Zemo Baron Zemo () is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Heinrich Zemo and his son Helmut Zemo have both been depicted as a major adversary of Captain America and the Avengers, as well as t ...

(unknown, though possibly

Helmut Helmut is a German name. Variants include Hellmut, Helmuth, and Hellmuth. From old German, the first element deriving from either ''heil'' ("healthy") or ''hiltja'' ("battle"), and the second from ''muot'' ("spirit, mind, mood"). Helmut may ref ...

), and

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...

as characters, when he was interviewed about the project. The film ultimately never got made. The rights were then sold to

The Cannon Group The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested ...

founders Menahem Golan and

Yoram Globus Yoram Globus ( he, יורם גלובוס; born 7 September 1943) is an Israeli–American film producer, cinema owner, and distributor. He has been involved in over 300 full-length motion pictures and he is most known for his association with T ...

in 1984. Initially Cannon regular

Michael Winner Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous Action film, action, Thriller films, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and ...

('' Death Wish'' 1–3) was attached to direct a script by James Silke. However, in 1986, Winner scrapped the Silke script and recruited British television writer Stan Hey (''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

'', ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is ...

''). According to Hey, the film involved a stolen Statue of Liberty plot by an elderly Red Skull aided by a female death cult and Steve Rogers working as an artist. Later, after some negative feedback for the Winner & Hey version, Winner started over, working alongside

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and Lawrence J. Block (aka Larry Block), with an advertisement released with their names listed. By 1987 Winner was off the project and actor-director John Stockwell came aboard with a script by Stephen Tolkin. Golan left Cannon in 1989, and as part of a severance package he was given control of 21st Century Film Corporation and allowed to carry over the film rights to the Captain America character. Director

, who had previously worked at Cannon, was brought on board and worked with the Tolkin script that originally started at Cannon. In an interview with

Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/editor ...

, Tolkin explained some of the changes that he made from the original comic, including changing the appearance and character of the Red Skull: "I didn't think people wanted to keep looking at this horrible skull face forever".

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began in 1989 and was completed in 1990. ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'' also visited the set during making of the film, airing a segment in August 1989.

Release

The film was intended for release in August 1990, to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Captain America. Several release dates were announced between Fall 1990 and Winter 1991, but the film went unreleased for two years before debuting

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

and on cable television in the United States in the summer of 1992. Lovece, Frank
''Captain America'' (1992)
(review), ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', July 31, 1992
WebCitation archive
In UK, 20/20 vision released the VHS in 1991 prior to its release in the United States. The film was given a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

internationally. In the Philippines, the film was released as ''Bloodmatch'' on December 11, 1991 in a double feature with a

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

film; posters miscredit

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...

as the "martial art instructor". The film was invited to screen as part of the 2013

Comic-Con A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events ...

in San Diego in July 2013. The film also had its debut on Cinemax Asia.

Reception

Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gave the studio cut of the film an approval rating of 12% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 3.70/10. The consensus states: "Lacking a script, budget, direction, or star capable of doing justice to its source material, this Captain America should have been left under the ice." Some reviews and publications stated that the film is not quite as bad as some reviewers had said and that the director's cut was better than the studio version. In one of the few contemporary reviews, ''

'' critic

Frank Lovece Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ar ...

wrote, "The movie isn't merely wrong for kids – it opens in pre-war Italy with a sequence in Italian with subtitles, and a machine-gun slaughter – it's just all wrong", and decried the "shapeless blob of a plot" in grading the film "F".

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

called it "a strictly routine superhero outing" and "this fantasy adventure is missing the large-scale setpieces" that audiences have come to expect.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave the two different reviews for each different versions, the unfavorable rating for

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

version and the average rating for the Collector's Edition version. Cinelinx's Victor Medina rated the film B−, but rated the overall DVD grade C− because of the DVD video transfer and the lack of extras. In 2016, Flickering Myth's Neil Calloway said, "It's not a great film, and is really only of interest as a pre- MCU curio for hardcore Marvel fans." The film gained some cult followings. Film Trap's Justin Decloux mentioned the film as the one of Albert Pyun films he has liked. 411MANIA's Bryan Kristopowitz rated the film 10.0/10.0 as the B cult films review.

Home media

The film was first released on VHS and

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

by 20/20 Vision (UK VHS) in 1991 and by

Columbia TriStar Home Video Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

(US VHS and LD) in 1992. The film was released on DVD as part of the MGM limited edition made-on-demand series."''Captain America'' DVD Delayed, Cover Updated"
/ref> A

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...

of the film was released by

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

on May 21, 2013 as a Collector's Edition which features a widescreen HD presentation and brand new interviews with director Pyun and star Salinger.

References

External links

* *
''Captain America''
at Superheroes Lives * Bell, Josh
"Chatting with Original ''Captain America'' Director Albert Pyun"
''

Las Vegas Weekly ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James P ...

'', June 29, 2011
WebCitation archive
{{Albert Pyun Captain America films 1990 films 1990s science fiction action films 1990s superhero films American science fiction action films Cryonics in fiction 1990s English-language films Films directed by Albert Pyun Films set in 1936 Films set in 1943 Films set in 1993 Films set in Alaska Films set in Canada Films set in Germany Films set in Italy Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Ohio Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in Croatia Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Slovenia Films shot in Yugoslavia Films with screenplays by Stephen Tolkin Jadran Film films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer direct-to-video films Films produced by Menahem Golan Films scored by Barry Goldberg 1990s American films Live-action films based on Marvel Comics