Skin 'em Alive (1978): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1978, Skin 'em Alive is an action and adventure film directed by Mario Siciliano, running about 95 minutes.

What it’s about. This rare Italian action adventure tells the story of a broke man called Rudy, who goes into the African jungle to join his half-brother Franz. Franz is leader of a mercenary group that fights against native rebels, but Rudy only wants some money from his next of kin (on one occasion, he says: "You know I can't stand violence"). But Franz, a racist who sees Africans merely as animals, just wants him to leave again immediately. Then, Franz gets abducted and imprisoned by the rebels. Rudy joins forces with the other mercenaries, who are as fascist as Franz and like to kill Africans and rape their wives. He does so to make a deal with Franz as soon as they have freed him, but the mercenaries get attacked on more than one occasion by the natives.

Who’s in it. Skin 'em Alive stars Bryan Rostron as Rudy, Charles Borromel as Franz, Karin Well as Evelyn and Pierluigi Giorgio as Fred, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, Skin 'em Alive has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Skin 'em Alive page.

If you liked it. Fans of Skin 'em Alive tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.