Callejón infernal

Killer cockroaches, Jan Michael Vincent, Paul Winfield, George Peppard, giant scorpions, ultimate SUV's, inbred hillbilly types and dusty old Las Vegas where the slots still work...all combine to make a fun little, albeit cheesy, flick.

As a kid this movie was a fun Saturday matinee movie and to this day, still a fun Saturday Matinee movie...grab a big bucket of popcorn, turn your brain off and have some cheesy fun...

Silly post-apocalypse road movie is amusing enough to give it some sort of cult status, even though it's really not that good. The actors giving the better performances tend to get less screen time. One can see that the filmmakers, led by director Jack Smight, are clearly working against the limits of special effects technology at the time, rendering this more of a cheese fest than anything else. Those light shows in the stormy skies ARE pretty trippy, though. Pacing is adequate enough; this runs a scant 92 minutes long. But that makes one wish that more could have been done with the source material, a novel by Roger Zelazny (adapted for the big screen by Alan Sharp ("Night Moves" '75) and Lukas Heller ("What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?")). The movie is modestly diverting, but also disappointing.

WWIII causes complete devastation throughout the continental United States. A team of Air Force personnel who have designed ultra cool tanks / vans dubbed "Landmasters" decide to take the safest path possible (which one of them has named "Damnation Alley") to Albany, the only place from which they've ever received a radio signal. The characters include domineering tough guy Denton (George Peppard), cheerful Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent), leading lady Janice (Dominique Sanda), easygoing Keegan (Paul Winfield) and teenager Billy (Jackie Earle Haley).

The odd lack of continuity creates some guffaw-inducing WTF moments; watch as switches are made from real people to dummies. The visual effects can charitably be described as negotiable. Still, there's some fun to be had in seeing giant scorpions super imposed on the desert settings. And if people aren't squirming from seeing those, there's an onslaught of killer armour-plated cockroaches that make quick work of one poor guy. Hell, there's even a bunch of survivalist rednecks (led by Robert Donner, who sports a hilariously ridiculous looking beard) with which to contend.

Co-starring Kip Niven ("New Year's Evil") as another of the military guys, this also features Murray Hamilton in a noticeable but non-speaking uncredited role.

At the very least, this has some decent widescreen photography by Harry Stradling Jr. and a typically excellent score by the always reliable Jerry Goldsmith.

This is one of the rare cases where it would be interesting to see somebody attempt another version of the tale.

Six out of 10.

OK, In some ways I can see why people hate this movie, especially if it is viewed nowadays since the new era of digital movie-making.

The acting was acceptable but could have been better.

The cinematography was ok and, yes the "special effects" were cheezy; let's be honest here; the scorpions were back projected, and the cockroaches were plastic props dragged on the ground by strings. How much more cheezy can you get?

Like the one commenter said: this movie is a great Saturday Afternoon Matinee. I agree. Get out the movie goodies and sit back and have some fun.

I don't watch this movie for being a 'B' classic, the acting, the cinematography, or even the storyline, not to mention the cheezy special effects; I watch it time and again because I love to see the Landmaster in action. The Landmaster is the Star of the movie in my book.

The movie shows it having a shower and bunks and other amenities including space enough to carry the dirt bike easily. I can tell you now that those parts of the movie are just Hollywood Hype because the Landmaster's engine compartment takes up most of the foreward section and the rear section could not possibly "house" the rest of what seemed to be in it. But, the real joy is in its mechanics and the fact that it 'was' amphibious. When the rubber center section was in place it did float and it did use the tri-wheels like a paddle-wheel boat on the Mississippi River.

The real joy in this movie, for me, IS the Landmaster.

It would be great to have the movie come out in DVD for better quality viewing. Having the soundtrack would be a great plus as well. But, like Galaxy Quest, the thing I would enjoy the most is to be able to 'buy' and enjoy building a scale model of the Landmaster (and the Galaxy Quest ship). These two wonderful vehicles would be a joy to build and have in my model cabinet. Too bad no one has seen fit to put these on the market.

To conclude, this was a fair movie and quite realistic in it's time. The cockroaches devouring Paul Winfield was quite gross then, but is nothing compared to today's movies. Take Starship Troopers for instance; Cheezy storyline, highly "in-your-face" gore, and not too different in believability but, a great Saturday Afternoon Matinee.

As a matter of note, the Landmaster was built in 1973 for a price of $300,000.00 and starred in Damnation Alley in 1974. The Landmaster has been in several commercials and was also seen in at least 2 other movies, of which I have seen bits and pieces of but don't know the names. Dean Jefferies told me of the dates and cost and also of the other engagements it was involved in. Also, in 1999 it was all rusty and in poor shape. It was undergoing refurbishment at the time and some slight modifications and dressing up. Dean Jefferies told me, then, that it was going to be used in a promotional, but I didn't get to find out what it was. I've seen and photographed it recently and it is dressed with missile pods and other stuff from it's fame in Damnation Alley. The only thing not installed is the rubber flex mid-section, and, of course, all the Hollywood extras that seemed to be installed for the movie.

Wowza!

Now this movie aint great (far from it) but it aint horrid either. Just yer basic post nuclear sci-fi apocalypse survival flick.

Survivors get from point A to point B with a bunch of trouble in between. The trouble actually doesn't add up to much (look for roaches!) and the acting and storyline are at a minimum....BUT!!!!!!

The following things kicked ass!:

Beginning!--->creepy slow suspense as the world faces nuclear destruction!

Score!--->Great music sets the tone for the scenes (saving many)

Sky FX!--->tripped out! The skies are the best looking I've seen in any apocalyptic movie...way cool!

The SUV!!--->They actually built this thing! it works and works great! No scale model here, although I'm sure its looks are best viewed on the outside, but its done well, not cheap, handles the road great, and if i could find one, I'd buy it (look carefully at wheel design....amazing!)

Dats it, Dats all. B-movie sci-fi fun. No brainer..great for 2 for 1 rental, follow it with something that will get brain workin again.

This is a really fun movie if you like post-atomic flicks! Or any Jan Michael Vincent flick, for that matter. The effects are sometimes cheesy, but overall the atmosphere and film-work on this are pretty decent! It's also fun to see Jan Michael 'AIRWOLF' with George Peppard "A TEAM" together. They make a good pair! The 'bug' scene is very fun- and includes some great Jan Michael motorcycle wheelies! The tornado scene is also cool. This movie definitely takes you to a different world, and the strange sky color throughout sort of makes everything seem - well- post atomic! It's a clever movie, not too violent, but it definitely is worth the buy! If you are a Jan Michael fan, this would be a MUST have as he looks fantastic as usual.