Reazione mortale

My review was written in May 1989 after watching the film on AIP video cassette.

"Deadly Reactor", formerly titled "The Reactor", is an offbeat Western in sci-fi clothing that could attract a modest following among home video aficionados.

Filmmaker-singer David Heavene demonstrates, as he did in previous pic "Outlaw Force", a fondness for the Clint Eastwoo/Sergio Leone Westerns, Here he plays a preacher-styled gunslinger in a post-nuclear war West, appointed town sheriff and charged with defending the righteous citizens from a marauding gang (styled like contemporary bikers) led by fatso Hog (Darwyn Swalve).

Relying over-much on Heavener's voice-over exposition, pic opens with him recuperating from wounds inflicted by Hog's gang. Hog rape his sister and killed his family, so Heavener has lots of avenging to do. He's known as "The Reactor", a tag acquire from learning gunfighting from wise old mountain man Stuart Whitman, who taught him to observe the other guy, prompt the adversary to make the first move and then react.

Heavener, who resembles Tommy Lee Jones with beard, is quite effective doing Eastwood's Western shtick, abetted here by a catchy, folksy musical score by Brian Bennett that is inspired by Ennio Morricone's "For a Few Dollars More" theme.

There's a pretty good premise to this. A man's sister, neice, and nephew are killed in the post-apocalypse where only the Amish and outlaw gangs seem to have survived. He is trained by an old timer the ways of the cowboy to seek revenge.

What sadly drags this down though is the horrible acting, weird pacing, and shacky directing. The gang themselves are a little to over the top as well and exceptionally rapey even at weird times. This was Heavener's second attempt at directing and he would get a little better on later efforts like Twisted Justice and Prime Target.

After a nuclear war has decimated Earth a small religious community goes about life as best they can by essentially using 19th century technology to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the news that they appear to be thriving soon draws the interest of a gang of thugs led by an exceedingly brutal man who goes by the name of "Hog" (Darwyn Swalve) who decides he wants everything they have-and this especially includes an attractive young woman named "Shawna Dawson" (Alyson Davis) who just happened to catch his eye. What he doesn't know is that there is another man who he thought he killed named "Cody" (David Heavenor) who has since recovered from his wounds and is seeking vengeance upon him at all costs. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather dull low-budget film which suffered from extremely poor audio and some really ridiculous action scenes. Admittedly, Alyson Davis was pleasing to the eye but other than that this film had nothing else going for it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

The tv station I work for recently showed this movie. The shootout at the end has to be one of the most poorly put together scenes I have ever seen in a movie. While watching you may be laughing to much at it to care though. Great movie to watch late at night with friends.

This was David Heaveners' laughable homage to/ copy of the westerns of Clint Eastwood, combining as it does elements of the Dollar films, Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world purely as a cost-cutting measure. A Western would have required horses and costumes and you wouldn't be able to hire bikers to play the heavies for a couple of barrels of beer.

The other reviewers have amply covered the ludicrous aspects of this movie that make it so stupid, so funny and so entertaining. But the highspot to me came when the townsfolk were waiting for the biker gang to attack them. Our hero shows them how to use guns, but then, just before the gang are due to arrive, he leaves the town and the townsfolk to their own devices. WHY ? He liked the townsfolk. He loved one of the women. He wanted revenge on the bikers. Why ride away and leave the townsfolk to certain death etc ? And it suddenly struck me. That is what Eastwood did in High Plains Drifter......