Battletruck

Warlords of the 21st Century video

Battletruck aka: Warlords of the 21st Century - 1982

Battletruck Films - 92 min.

Cast: Michael Beck, Annie McEnroe, James Wainwright, Bruno Lawrence, John Bach, John Ratzenberger.
Screenplay: Irving Austin, Harley Cokliss, John Beech from a story by Michael Abrams; Photography: Chris Menges; Music: Kevin Peek; Producers: Lloyd Phillips & Rob Whitehouse; Director: Harley Cokliss.

Rural survivors of the oil wars are terrorised by roving military-style bandit Colonel Straker and his men, who travel and fight in a heavily armoured truck. For most, the choice is capitulate or die. Hunter, however, believes that there is always a way to fight back. Romantic interest takes the form of Corlie, whom we later discover is Straker's daughter. Hunter may be rather cool and undemonstrative for the most part, but when one of the more cowardly and underhanded farmers attempts to murder him and captures Corlie for delivery to Straker, it really gets his dander up.

Censor Rating: GA - Review Rating: C

AVAILABILITY OF VHS OR DVD COPIES

Available in PAL and NTSC vhs videos. Expect new copies, if you can find them, to be at least $50. Used NTSC copies can be found in the U.S. for about $10-20.
As of August 3, 2010, it will be available on a R1 ntsc dvd from North American sources. It is coupled with 'Death Sport' in a set called "Roger Corman's Cult Classics'. It might be easier to locate it by its UPC #826663119077.

SOUNDTRACK ON AUDIO CD

There are no known soundtrack CDs of this title.

Link to soundtrack sample download

The first known NZ feature film to also have its own soundtrack release was the 1977 33rpm LP of Sleeping Dogs. Other titles that are on 33rpm LP and/or audio cassette, but have not yet (as of 2007) found their way to CD are: Solo (1978), Goodbye Pork Pie (1980), Battletruck (1981), Smash Palace (1981), Strata (1984), The Silent One (1984) and The Leading Edge (1987).

Details on these rare LPs can be found at the Soundtrack LP page.

REVIEWS

Internal Bleeding Review

Moria Review

Post-Apocalypse.co.uk Review, plus many still photos and the trailer.

Cold Fusion Video Review

More Hollywood-in-New Zealand, with a plot strangely reminiscent of the Australian 'Mad Max 2'. Western-with-technology pretending to be science-fiction (Nicholas Reid - 'A Decade of New Zealand Film')

TRAILER AND OTHER TITLE RELATED LINKS

Official Trailer

Information at IMDB

AWARDS

1982 - Catalonian International Film Festival, Spain - Best Actress: Annie McEnroe

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