The Zebra Force (1976) review

THE ZEBRA FORCE 1976

Mike Lane (Carmine Longo), Richard X. Slattery (Charlie DeSantis), Rockne Tarkington (Earl Lovington), Glenn Wilder (Lieutenant Johnson), Anthony Caruso (Salvatore Moreno), Stafford Morgan (Sgt. Stangman), Clay Tanner (Lt. Dan Claymore), Timothy Brown (John)

Directed by Joe Tornatore

The Short Version: 70s actioner mixes mafiosi with the black action genre, and injects them both with a wild storyline only found in the whirlpool of creativity that graced low budget movies of the time period. The uniqueness of the script is punctuated by a laundry list of familiar genre players and one helluva cool twist in the tail. Another unexpected turn is that the title vigilante force nearly snafu their own movie via poorly written characters and exasperatingly bad acting. The Zebra Force feel like an afterthought in their own movie. Very entertaining, but average at best; only diehard 70s Drive-in specialists need apply.

White Vietnam vets disguised as black men guided by a maimed former commander lead an assault against the mafia to rid the city of its criminal element. After a number of double crosses between rival mob factions, one of the Zebra Force is captured and tortured for information. Their identities revealed, a showdown between the gangsters, the vigilante group and the cops takes place in and around the commando units hideout.

Cinema everyman Joe Tornatore writes, produces, and directs his first effort behind the camera; an intriguing low budget hybrid pairing the black action style and a gangster thriller while making the 'Disturbed Nam Vet' angle as the films narrative thrust. Tornatore got the film done in three weeks and for an amazingly low $185,000. The results are more than adequate, if not entirely effective. Rated PG, the violence level would equate to a PG-13 nowadays. Tornatore's script has some clever touches in it, including a fantastic swerve at the end. Still, some things nearly derail the picture, and this too is a bit of a bombshell. 

The films major handicap is, surprisingly enough, in its title strike force. We're introduced to this eight-man team during a well-staged assault on a mob casino spread out before and after the opening credits. A few minutes later, the group is revealed to be an all-white band of former Vietnam veterans wearing black masks to make their targets think it's black gunmen pulling off the hits. Led by Lt. Johnson (who is missing an arm, most of his face, and communicates through a voice box), their motivation is somewhat vague, aside from being a band of vigilantes fighting crime in ways the law can't. They do clean up in mob money during their raids, which alludes to the retirement plan the government denied them for serving their country.

What makes this group of specialists a detriment to their own movie is that little time is spent getting to know them. Any of them. It wouldn't much matter as their acting is unremittingly poor. Their dialog is likewise weak. It's like the Zebra Force lines were written in a rush and the best were reserved for the experienced cast members. The scenes involving the squad often feel intrusive. They remain largely unknown and never feel like they are the main characters they should be. You do learn they like RC Cola and Budweiser, though. More time is spent on the gangsters. They are the better actors, and far more engaging than the Zebra crew; who, for the most part, are about as appealing as goat cheese. 

The lackluster Zebra Force aside, they are at least surrounded by far more capable character actors to make the proceedings more interesting. Outside of some good, if sporadic stunt work (high falls, car stunts, etc), these thespians are the main saving grace of the picture, and arguably the main reason to watch this movie. They include....

Mike Lane has had a healthy career in films and television. He guested on numerous western, fantasy, and action shows; and even got to play Hercules in the mildly entertaining ULYSSES AGAINST HERCULES (1962) from director Mario Caiano. Other genre roles include the underrated thriller THE NO MERCY MAN (1973), the torturously plodding THE MASTER GUNFIGHTER (1975), and the post nuke favorite STRYKER (1983). 

Another TV veteran, Rockne Tarkington (third from left) had a healthy film career as well. He played the main heavy in THE NO MERCY MAN (1973), and the flamboyant hero with the pet lion in the under-appreciated black action thriller BLACK SAMSON (1974). As one of the mob bosses in ZEBRA FORCE, Tarkington gets one of the best sequences, and throws around some of the best lines.

Anthony Caruso made a mint off playing Indians and gangsters throughout his illustrious career. He did very little film work in comparison to his TV resume. According to director Tornatore, Caruso (like some of the other actors) approached him about getting a part in the movie. The same year Caruso would also appear in one of Fred Williamson's worst movies, MEAN JOHNNY BARROWS (1976).

Italian born Mario Milano was, like Mike Lane, a professional wrestler, and was active during the 1960s working angles with some of the big names in the NWA during that decade. Milano (above emptying trunk) did only a handful of movies in minor roles. He's just a driver in ZEBRA FORCE, but likely his most substantial role was as a Russian fighter in Chang Cheh's classic THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972).

A regular in the films of the great Jack Starrett (who directed one scene in the picture), Clay Tanner plays the chief cop on the case. Tanner isn't given a whole lot to do, but it's nice seeing him amongst the other familiar faces. He made a more memorable impression as one of the devil worshipers in RACE WITH THE DEVIL (1975), and the abusive father in FINAL CHAPTER: WALKING TALL (1977). 

Of the squad, Timothy Brown had the healthiest exploitation career, and is the only member of the Nam'sters who stands out, despite having limited screen time; which is saying quite a bit considering little is done with the characters the film is built around. You'll just have to see the flick to see how the exploitation veteran figures into the mix. You can find Brown in related fare like SWEET SUGAR (1972), BONNIE'S KIDS (1973), GIRLS ARE FOR LOVING (1973), and DYNAMITE BROTHERS (1974). 

As for this widescreen DVD release, it looks fantastic. But like the films lacking qualities, there's a bit of violence missing from the finale. In it, one of the main villains is gunned down by police. On the DVD all we see is Carmine exit his car, and then there's a jarring cut to an aerial shot of him already on the ground. The option of seeing this bit of footage is listed on the main menu as 'Original Ending (1st test theatrical release)'. That footage is of lesser quality and fullscreen, but it's great to see it, and a shame this final bit of just desserts is missing from a fairly immaculate looking print.

As a piece of escapist 70s cinema, THE ZEBRA FORCE will leave its mark mostly with hardcore fans of that decades bountiful number of exploitation pictures. Few others will find much of interest here, particularly if you're not familiar with the well known faces of the cast. It was a popular enough title that Joe Tornatore got the squad back together again for the 1987 sequel, CODE NAME: ZEBRA FORCE. For its budget, Tornatore's first time helming a motion picture isn't bad at all, but ultimately feels like having a juicy steak without the potatoes to complete the meal.

This review is representative of the Code Red DVD. Extras and specs: Interview with director Joe Tornatore; original uncut ending; ZEBRA FORCE trailer; trailers for EQUALIZER 2000, WHEELS OF FIRE, MANIAC (THE RANSOM), INN OF THE DAMNED, FAMILY HONOR; 16x9 widescreen 2.35:1 (box mistakenly states 1.85); running time minus PG end card: 1:30:22 (box states 96 minutes).

My Old Man's Place (1971) review

 

MY OLD MAN'S PLACE 1971 aka GLORY BOY aka THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HELL

Arthur Kennedy (Walter Pell), Mitchell Ryan (Sergeant Martin Flood), William Devane (Jimmy Pilgrim), Michael Moriarty (Trubee Pell), Topo Swope (Helen)

Directed by Edwin Sherin

The Short Version: One of the earliest, and most provocative of the 'Disturbed 'Nam Vet' sub-genre is this little discussed psychological drama-gedy armed with a cast worth the price of admission alone. Far from peaches and cream, this downer ensemble harbors a lot of intensity, misogynist behavior, and calamity that are all found at MY OLD MAN'S PLACE.

Two friends, Trubee and Jimmy, return to the United States after tours in Vietnam and head out to Trubee's dads farmhouse for some rest and relaxation. Meeting up with a deranged Sergeant named Flood, Trubee thinks he and his dad, a former WW2 veteran, will have lots in common and that he should meet him. A quiet, peaceful respite out in the country sounds appealing to them all. Almost immediately upon their arrival, tempers begin to flare, building to a violent rage once a pretty girl enters the picture. By the end, lives are both changed and lost at the title residence.

The 'Disturbed Nam Vet' sub-genre was a multifaceted style of movie covering the emotional gamut from tense drama (THE DEER HUNTER) to horror (DEATHDREAM), action (FIRST BLOOD), and exploitation (THE NO MERCY MAN, MY FRIENDS NEED KILLING). All of them intended to shock, poke and prod at one's brain in some way. Some were thematic mixtures difficult to categorize. MY OLD MAN'S PLACE is a character study that builds tension bit by bit till its not entirely unexpected shock turn at the end. Prior to that there's a lot of male bonding, doses of misogyny, and thought provoking diatribes. Of the lot, director Sherin's movie shares much in common with Richard Compton's searing 'Nam Vet shocker, WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER BOYS (1972). 

However, the violence in MY OLD MAN'S PLACE is far more subdued than Compton's film, but goes a bit further in getting inside the damaged heads of our trio of former soldiers who, through no fault of their own, bring the war back home with them. One of the more cerebral films of its type, each of the performances are as varied as they are similar. 

In real life, Michael Moriarty is often thought of as certifiably crazy. Ironically enough, his big screen debut in MY OLD MAN'S PLACE is very laid back, with only subtle nuances that the war has scarred his mind. He's more disappointed, really. His dad being a war hero that inspired Trubee to enlist in Vietnam (or as he put it, "lied him into it") only to discover it wasn't the John Wayne movie he expected. That he killed a woman left a deeper scar on his psyche than any knife or bullet wound. Each man takes something away from the film, and Moriarty is the most emotionally distraught, and sympathetic of the bunch.

Much like in Compton's movie, there's reflection between Vietnam and prior excursions with the older generation, and the differences in treatment to those who came home. In SOLDIER BOYS, this is used as a lighted fuse leading to an explosion. In Sherin's film, this device is utilized to give more insight into who these characters are, and how their lives have changed through these devastating experiences. This is where Trubee's dad, the old guard, the WW2 vet, comes into play.

Arthur Kennedy (THE MAN FROM LARAMIE, BARABBAS, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA) is Walter Pell, the owner of the title abode, and he too shows signs of ruination; but less to do with his war exploits than the wedge combat has driven between him and his son. Both Walter and Sgt. Flood bond as Trubee said they would, but Trubee's reason for introducing them is for deceptive purposes that become clear as the picture draws closer to its downbeat conclusion.

Kennedy had a major Hollywood career, but winded down in many European genre pictures throughout the decade; these include LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE (1974), THE ANTICHRIST (1974), and ROME ARMED TO THE TEETH (1976).

Mitchell Ryan (THE HUNTING PARTY, HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER) is both unsettling and unpredictable as the unhinged Sgt. Flood. He's the one character we learn the least about; and in that way, it makes him the most frightening. The audience is left with the notion that his derangement may not be the result of the PTSD afflicting the others, but something residing within him well before he went to war. You learn some things about Flood during the violent climax that changes the meaning of things he states near the beginning of the picture. Flood not only brings the war home with him, but he seems content with carrying on with it.

William Devane is the most memorable of the round table of war heroes. Nam Vet movie specialists will naturally know him from the CITIZEN KANE of the genre, ROLLING THUNDER (1977). Both pictures make a striking double feature to compare Devane's performances between them. Viewers will surely find more reasons to appreciate the thespian's skills in how diametrically opposed Pt. Jimmy Pilgrim is to RT's Major Charles Rane. Pilgrim never shuts up, has a mouthful of catch-phrases ("I bought tha' gas.... filled it right up to tha' top!"), and for a running gag, repeatedly takes punches to the face.... and still he never shuts up. Harmless, but clearly bonkers, Pilgrim stays in a near constant state of excitement, talks to himself often, and suffers from perpetual horniness throughout.

Aside from all the drama-gedy over the course of this films 93 minutes, there's an air of misogyny running through it. For Trubee and Jimmy, the first thing they want to do is get laid. They try a number of times and none of the women they encounter are turned on by a man in a uniform; they seem repelled by it. Once they rendezvous at the pictures main locale, Trubee and Flood (minus Jimmy who has the first of a few fat lips) decide to look up an old acquaintance named Bubbles who was always eager to put out. Things don't go as planned, though, as Bubbles makes it clear things have changed in the years since he's been gone. Both Trubee and Flood turn and leave in dissatisfaction that Bubbles refused to be their sperm bank. Things take a more drastic turn once a beautiful young flower girl named Helen enters the picture. 

Helen (as played by Topo Swope) is a hippie, one of the anti-war types, working in a facility with an Uncle Sam sign defamed with the phrase, "Have YOU had your pill today?" Helen is the most transformative of the series of characters in the film. She's a free-spirited woman at the start, but by the end she's taken on this role of Suzie Homemaker once she's fallen in love with Trubee. It acts as the perfect therapy for the two of them, yet it's short-lived. It's here that the film, which up to this point is headed for greener pastures, suddenly runs into severe turbulence. And we'll just leave things at that.

As for the tenure of the pictures theatrical life, it was greeted with a similar indifference the returning veterans received. Re-released under a few different titles, the marketing attempted to sell the film in a variety of ways. The most exploitable seemed to be in the advertising for the picture as THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HELL. In that trailer (on this disc), there's stock Vietnam War inserts and additional nudity during one of the rape scenes not present in this DVD version.

Based on the novel by John Sanford, Edwin Sherin's stimulating motion picture will likely not be the sort of fix for those seeking out another WELCOME HOME, SOLDIER BOYS (1971), or a ROLLING THUNDER (1977); it's not that type of Nam excursion into insanity. It has a lot in common with those, but this is a character study first, and brooding thriller with a violent aftermath second. If you appreciate the talent involved on this extremely well acted, and well written film, there's a lot of cinematic substance to be found at MY OLD MAN'S PLACE.

This review is representative of the Code Red DVD. Extras and specs: Interview with Mitchell Ryan; three different trailers for the film; other trailers; 16x9 1.78:1 widescreen; 93 minutes.