Freshly released on DVD by the good folk at Synapse is 1978 South African grindhouse picture Death Of A Snowman. Also known as Soul Patrol and Black Trash this one is a reminder of why so many of the current wave of grindhouse throwbacks fail: there's no nodding and winking in these things, they mean it all. Here's how Synapse describes it:
Synapse have been good enough to pass along the trailer for this one so you can get a taste below.VIGILANTE VIOLENCE! AFRICAN ACTION! EXPLOSIVE EXPLOITATION!
A SOUTH-AFRICAN GRINDHOUSE CLASSIC! ROUGH AND TOUGH -- THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!
The true soul of grindhouse shakes and shimmies in this down and dirty tale of master criminals meeting violent death in Johannesburg, South Africa, a city plagued by organized crime. Steve Chaka (Ken Gampu), an ambitious news reporter, learns that these deaths are from the hands of an all-black vigilante group known only as "War on Crime." Teaming up with Lt. Ben Deel (Nigel Davenport, CHARIOTS OF FIRE, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS) of the local police department, Chaka investigates anonymous tips regarding future 'hits' and ends up fighting for his life to uncover the trusth behind the vigilante killings!
DEATH OF A SNOWMAN is an action-filled South African grindhouse gem. Exploitatoin fans will enjoy the outrageous violence, erratic editing, funky disco soundtrack, and jaw-dropping dubbing. Also released as SOUL PATROL and BLACK TRASH.