Der Kampfkoloß (1982)
45KDer Kampfkoloß: Directed by Harley Cokeliss. With Michael Beck, Annie McEnroe, James Wainwright, Bruno Lawrence. Post World War III futuristic tale of collapsed governments u0026 bankrupt countries heralding a new lawless age.
“u0026quot;Battletrucku0026quot; is yet another umpteenth rip-off of u0026quot;Mad Max 2: The Road Warrioru0026quot;, only this time fabricated in New Zealand! Apparently not only the Italians but also their own neighbors, the Kiwis, were trying to cash-in on the cinematic success of the Aussies. Can you blame them? I guess not, because flamboyant post-nuclear vehicles were THE cinematic hype during the early 80u0026#39;s. This is a fairly enjoyable post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi flick, as long as you donu0026#39;t expect to see anything groundbreaking or mind-blowing. These post-apocalyptic flicks practically all feature the exact same elements. They take place during the aftermath of WWIII, when approximately 90% of the earthu0026#39;s population has been wiped out and oil products have become extremely scarce. They generally also feature only three types of main characters. Mad-raving psychopaths with bombastic vehicles on a murderous rampage looking for gas, Samaritan community members trying their best to re-build some sort of prosperous civilization and one (or maximally three or four) handsome outcast roaming the wastelands. In u0026quot;Battletrucku0026quot;, the malignant General Straker overthrows the cute community of Clearwater because they gave shelter to his beloved runaway muse Corlie. Unfortunately for him, the lone rebel Hunter comes speeding in on his dirt bike to rescue the wench and save the day. Not very original, but good enough to guarantee an hour and a half of brainless entertainment. The obvious aspect to love about u0026quot;Battletrucku0026quot; is the titular 18-wheeled war machine. General Straker and his band of dim-witted crazies move around in a heavily armored truck that cheerfully runs over protective fences and peopleu0026#39;s houses. No wonder Straker is continuously on the lookout for fuel, as this thing must at least consume 17 gallons per 60 miles! The truck is undoubtedly the star of the movie, and thus director Harley Cokeliss aims all of his cameras on it as much as possible. The truck looks cool from all angles and especially in close up. The action sequences in u0026quot;Battletrucku0026quot; are somewhat disappointing. Thereu0026#39;s not a whole lot of cruelty and bloodshed (at least not compared to the Italian counterparts) and there werenu0026#39;t even any hints at sleaze or perversion! The acting performances are extremely weak and hammy, especially from lead couple Michael Beck (Swan of u0026quot;The Warriorsu0026quot;!) and Annie McEnroe. Evil man James Wainwright, who looks like a crossover between Daniel Von Bargen and William Shatner, is okay but still not psychotic enough.”
