![]() "Damnation Alley" has a lot of elements to appeal to young and naive audiences, especially 15 to 20 years ago, when computer generated effects didn't dominate cinema yet. I remember seeing this film on late night television when I was a young lad and I instantly loved it for life or at least I thought I would at the time. It's truly unfortunate and even mildly depressing how your personal perception changes over the years. You could say this was an early audition role for Peppard's A-Team role, as his commander in charge, is mostly in control.of course, Vincent's hot shot daredevil can't help himself sometimes, especially when he hops on his motorcycle. It lags in places because the crew must drive for long periods, and the low budget hurts more than helps at times in the special effects. The military tank van is rad, and it's cool hanging with Peppard and Vincent for 90 minutes, so DAMNATION ALLEY wasn't too difficult to endure. Along the way, the group come across giant Scorpions(bad, bad, bad special effects, even terrible by 70's standards including what appeared to be a woman riding with Vincent as he must evade the creatures, obviously an actress, later proved to be a mannequin and this effect is never convincing), flesh-eating beetles(poor Winfield doesn't come out so great), radioactively diseased humans with malicious intent, and a devastating storm which causes a giant washout as Peppard attempts to find parts in a Detroit auto graveyard. They encounter a woman in Vegas(Dominique Sanda)and a kid not long after(Jackie Earle Haley)as they journey to their destination. The earth has become thrown off it's axis thanks in part to a nuclear war where America tries to avert a cataclysmic disaster after a warring country fired missiles towards the United States. Overall, a pretty good film if you are looking for an evening of distraction and non-reality, if you can get past the opening sequence.Ī series of adventures following US Air Force soldiers Jan-Michael Vincent & George Peppard(and Paul Winfield for a while)as they must leave a military installation destroyed after cigarette ash ignited leaking gas, hoping to find support across the country in Albany, NY. Dominique Sanda adds some nice eye candy as the token female member of the intrepid band of pilgrims, rescued by Peppard and company from the ruins of Las Vegas. Fans of "The A-Team" will like seeing George Peppard in a lead role, as the by-the-book superior officer who tries to keep the non-conformist junior officer (Vincent) in line. Wild weather, crazed hermits, and killer cockroaches require a little suspension of disbelief, but still keep the pace going. The "Landmaster" vehicles add a jazzy and technie touch to the otherwise predictable trip. However, the aftermath seems to be typical post-nuclear mis-adventure, with the survivors from the base starting out on a cross-country road trip. The careful, measured tones coming from the missile base loudspeaker announcing the progress of "the war" belie the fact that at that moment scores of millions of people are being atomized as the bombs fall. ![]() The beginning of this film really shakes you up.
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