Attack Force Z *** (1981, John Phillip Law, Mel Gibson, Sam Neill, Chris Haywood, John Waters) – Classic Movie Review 7333

Director Tim Burstall’s 1981 action adventure Attack Force Z is short and sharp, with good work from a cast headed by the unfairly fading American star John Phillip Law (once the archangel in Barbarella) as Lieutenant Jan Veitch and Aussie cinema regulars Sam Neill, Chris Haywood and John Waters as Sergeant Danny Costello, Able Seaman Sparrer Bird and Sub Lieutenant Kingo King.

A very young and carefree-looking Mel Gibson (aged only 24, in his third film, following Mad Max and Tim) is another one of the stars of this Australian Second World War-set film about a group of commandos sent on a mission to pick up plane-crash survivors on an island behind Japanese lines. Gibson plays Captain Paul Kelly.

This tough-toned action thriller boasts punchy direction by Burstall, who rushes over any talk and characterisation, and concentrates on keeping the action coming.

It runs 110 minutes, with the US version at 84 minutes; and the video version at 93 minutes.

Attack Force Z is directed by Tim Burstall, is an Australia/ Taiwan co-production, runs 110 minutes, is made by John McCallum Productions, Central Motion Picture Corporation, Fauna Productions and The Australian Film Commission, is distributed by Roadshow Film Distributors, is written by Roger Marshall, is shot by Lin Hun-Chung [Hung-Chung Lin], is produced by John McCallum (executive producer) and Lee Robinson and is scored by Eric Jupp, with Production Design by Bernard Hides.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7333

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John Phillip Law as the archangel in Barbarella.