Rome 2033: The Fighter Centurions (1984)
Directed by Lucio Fulci, Rome 2033: The Fighter Centurions (aka The New Gladiators, Warriors of the Year 2072 and I Guerrieri dell’anno 2072) takes place in either 2033 or 2072 depending on what version you are watching. Either way it definate;y takes place in a futuristic Rome, Italy where WBS TV’s chief of programming, Cortez (Claudio Cassinelli), is angry at the fact that a rival American TV show, ‘Kill-Bike’ (think gladiator fights on motorbikes) is smashing his show, ‘The Danger Game’ (people going made with hallucinations) in the ratings and created a megastar in their unbeaten Kill-Bike champion Drake (Jared Martin).
The station boss, Sam (Giovanni Di Benedetto) is more angrier than Cortez is and orders Cortez and his two female assistants, Sybil (Penny Brown) and Sarah (Eleonora Brigliadori) to recreate gladiator contests back in the Coliseum. The contestants will be chosen from prisoners on Death Rows from around the world.
In the meantime, Drake has been imprisoned for the murder of three men who broke into his house and killed his wife Susan (Valerie Jones). By chance Drake has been sentenced to Death Row!
Luckily for Drake he is selected for the show alongside Abdul (Fred Williamson), Akira (Haruiko Yamanouchi), Kirk (Al Cliver), Tango (Tony Sanders) and his old friend Monk (Donald O’Brien). They are trained for the show by the Chief of the Praetorian Guard, Raven (Howard Ross).
Soon battle will commence and tv ratings and lives will be on the line!