Die Kettenreaktion

A nuclear plant employee is accidentally showered in radioactive waste and his company wants to hush up the fact the water supply has been contaminated. He escapes and quickly falls under the care of race car driver Larry (Steve Bisley) and his wife Carmel (Arna-Maria Winchester) at their vacation home. Since they are corporate guys, the baddies will stop at nothing to silence the escapee and anyone who helps him. It is THE CHINA SYNDROME with car chases! This one is pretty decent but suffers from a sluggish pace at times and making a straight-forward plot convoluted. There are some nice character touches (the deaf hit-man; Hugh Keays-Byrne's eccentric anti-nuke guy). MAD MAX's George Miller was originally supposed to direct, but didn't. He did do the work on the car chases (uncredited), which are really good but the film could have used more of them. Ian Barry directed and has a good eye and stages some nice shocks. Wish it was more even though. Some guy named Mel Gibson has a two-second cameo.

I saw this at the drive in when it was released, but cant find it these days on DVD, I have fond memories of this film, but am afraid it was another Houseboat Horror!!!! Am I wrong?

The worst part is I cant remember Steve Bisley in this film, sorry Steve! Then again, it may have something to do with the girl I was at the drive in with on this particular night!

What really astounded me at the time was the fact that we (Australians), were starting to make films finally that were not about colonial times, or period drama, but films that were truly able to be considered international, in that they really could have been made anywhere, this was an incredible break through.

After being contaminated when an earthquake causes a leak at a waste management plant, an engineer, Heinrich, realizes he has to warn the public. The company is more interested in protecting their interests, though, and thugs pursue Heinrich when he goes on the run.

Heinrich stumbles upon the home of Larry and Carmel, where he collapses. Carmel is a nurse and takes care of Heinrich, although Larry doesn't trust him. Larry is a mechanic and fast driver, and his skills are put to the test when their lives are endangered. In the process, Larry becomes the film's action hero.

Heinrich is suffering from temporary memory loss. He remembers he had to warn people of an impending disaster, but can't recall what it entails. To make matters worse, he doesn't have much time with the radiation consuming him. The film becomes an action-packed race against time to warn the public.

I must be honest, there were times when I had a difficult time trying to understand what was actually going on. In general, the movie was entertaining enough and I enjoyed the good car chase climax.

Steve Bisley stars as Larry, and the film uses every excuse to show off his lean, hairy body - and I'm certainly not complaining!

I saw this movie at the Roxy Cinema,Parramatta, Sydney Australia in 1980. I thought the action stunts and story were good. Steve Bisley who played Goose in "Mad Max" in one of his early lead roles. Watch out for Mel Gibson in an unbilled role as a mechanic at the beginning of the film.

This was a pleasant surprise I caught on cable one day. Opening a year after Mad Max and with 2 actors Steve Bisley and Hugh Keays-Byrne also from Mad Max this little action/thriller is very entertaining. Aussies really know how to put together some great car chases - lots of V8 engine noises and cameras by the wheel, this movie has at least 2 that beat the crap out of several hundred car chases in American movies. The story might be a little far-fetched but nothing that's intolerable. I gave this one an 8/10, without the car chases a 7.