The Chain Reaction

Good to see Farkas in a lead role, but aside from the car chases and some nudity - mostly Farkas! - the film rarely ignites. Many scenes filmed in near darkness and much of the plot is incomprehensible. And where on earth is the violence?

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.

In Australia, an earthquake damages a nuclear waste storage facility and causes a dangerous leak. Engineer Heinrich Schmidt is badly injured as he tries to stop the leak. The plant boss refuses to warn the public due to adverse publicity. Heinrich manages to escape but his head wound leaves him with only memories from before 1957. He stumbles upon Larry Stilson and his wife Carmel in their vacation cottage.

It's Ozploitation and a cult classic. It has great car action especially two extraordinary chases. I love the placements of the cameras. It's kinetic. It's wildly destructive. It's also dangerous on a few instances. It's great stunt work. These guys are riding on the knife's edge. As for the story, it makes little sense to put Larry and Carmel as the central characters. The lead should be Heinrich. He's the one with the info. Maybe if Heinrich passes on the info to the couple before dying, then they would need to contact the outside world. It's easier if Heinrich is the lead. The plot is a muddle despite being relatively straight forward. All in all, this movie has great car chases which accounts for about fifteen minutes. Those parts are exceptional.