Detector

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.

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?

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.

'The Chain Reaction' was made by many of the same actors and crew who made the first - and best - 'Mad Max' movie. Although the IMDb credits don't share too many names, the style, photography and direction are so uncannily similar, that George Miller must've been more involved with 'The Chain Reaction' than just as co-producer. The two films are practically twins. Even the car-chase scenes are alike, which is good.

The plot could easily serve as a prequel to Mad Max; an accident at an Austrailian nuke disposal site out in the boonies results in catastrophic radiation leakage which will poison the area's water table. The evil corporation that owns the disposal site is trying to hush up the accident by sealing off the area, but some eco-activists have been in contact with one of the scientists at the site, and they find out about it. The scientist took a huge dose of plutonium during the accident and only has 3 days to live, but hotheaded motorhead dude Larry (played by Steve Bisley - 'The Goose' in 'Mad Max') and his wife get tangled up in the unfolding crisis...

Many of the local inhabitants appearing in 'The Chain Reaction' also played similar characters in 'Mad Max'. They don't necessarily play the exact same parts, but it is not a stretch to imagine that after the nuclear catastrophe has devastated their environment, they all evolved into the desperate characters of 'Mad Max'.

It appears (to me anyway) that 'The Chain Reaction' was filmed first, since one of the characters seems to say "It's 1977, mate...", but I'm not quite sure about this. The haircuts and clothes are definitely mid-70's, (flared jeans etc) while Mad Max has a later, more punkish late-70's look.

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!