The Chain Reaction
Encyclopedia
The Chain Reaction is a 1980 Australian independent action
/disaster
/thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley, also starring in the film Mad Max
(1979) and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an earthquake. He knows that the nuclear waste will poison the groundwater and wants to warn the public.
The movie features many actors who were in Mad Max
, among them Mel Gibson
as a bearded mechanic, though he doesn't appear in the title credits. The taglines used in advertising the film included "A fast drive to Paradise turns into a nuclear nightmare!" and "Mad Max meets The China Syndrome"; the latter referring to the car chase and nuclear accident. The film is not to be confused with Chain Reaction (film)
, a 1996 film of the same name.
The film was rated M in Australia.
and Sydney
, both located in New South Wales in Australia. The film was released at the same time as Mad Max and it has a similar theme to that film as well as American films likeThe China Syndrome in regards to the whole nuclear-apocalyptic storyline. The director of this film, Ian Barry, worked with a budget of . The director George Miller was brought in to shoot the car chase sequences, which featured the Ford Fairlane LTD in most scenes as the preferred vehicle of the antagonistic authority chasing Larry's modified utility vehicle (Ute). The film was shot with a Widescreen
anamorphic lens.
*Working title
The video presents a 1.70:1 aspect ratio, originally 1.66:1.
in 2009 dollars.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/disaster
Disaster film
A disaster film is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject...
/thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley, also starring in the film Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
(1979) and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an earthquake. He knows that the nuclear waste will poison the groundwater and wants to warn the public.
The movie features many actors who were in Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
, among them Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
as a bearded mechanic, though he doesn't appear in the title credits. The taglines used in advertising the film included "A fast drive to Paradise turns into a nuclear nightmare!" and "Mad Max meets The China Syndrome"; the latter referring to the car chase and nuclear accident. The film is not to be confused with Chain Reaction (film)
Chain Reaction (film)
Chain Reaction is a 1996 American film starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Brian Cox, Kevin Dunn and Fred Ward. It presents a fictional account of the invention of bubble fusion using sonoluminescence and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this...
, a 1996 film of the same name.
The film was rated M in Australia.
Plot
An earthquake in rural Australia causes a dangerous leak at WALDO (acronyms of Western Atomic Longterm Dumping Organisation), a nuclear waste storage facility. Heinrich Schmidt (Ross Thompson) an engineer badly contaminated in the accident, knows that the leak will poison the groundwater for hundreds of miles around and wants to warn the public. His boss, however, is only interested in protecting himself and believes that the accident should be covered up, when in fact the contamination risks thousand of lives. Heinrich escapes from the facility but is badly injured. Lost in the woods and suffering from amnesia, he is rescued by Larry Stilson (Steve Bisley), a car mechanic on vacation, and his wife Carmel (Arna-Maria Winchester). As Heinrich tries to piece together his memories of what happened, his boss' thugs are quickly closing in on the trio.Cast
- Steve BisleySteve BisleySteve Bisley is an Australian film and television actor, who attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art .-Acting career:...
— Larry Stilson - Arna-Maria Winchester — Carmel Stilson
- Ross Thompson — Heinrich Schmidt
- Ralph Cotterill — Gray
- Hugh Keays-ByrneHugh Keays-ByrneHugh Keays-Byrne is an English character actor who moved to Australia in 1973. He is well-known in Australia as a television and film actor...
— Eagle - Lorna Lesley — Gloria
- Richard MoirRichard Moir-Biography:In 1990, Moir was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, the degenerative effects of which gradually brought his acting career to a premature end...
— Junior Constable Pigott - Patrick WardPatrick WardPatrick Ward is an Australian actor noted for several performances on Australian television.-Career:Ward played a guest television role in police procedural Matlock Police in 1973...
— Oates - Laurie Moran — Police Sgt. McSweeney
- Michael LongMichael Long (actor)Michael Long was an Australian actor, best known for his television work.His credits include: Prisoner , Taurus Rising , Sons and Daughters and Richmond Hill ....
— Doctor - Bill McCluskey — Ralph
- Margo Lloyd — Molly
- Tim Burns — Survey driver
- Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
— Bearded mechanic (uncredited)
Production
The film was filmed in Glen DavisGlen Davis, New South Wales
Glen Davis is a village in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. The village is located in the local government area of the City of Lithgow. It is located 250 km north-west of Sydney and approximately 80 kilometres north of Lithgow...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, both located in New South Wales in Australia. The film was released at the same time as Mad Max and it has a similar theme to that film as well as American films likeThe China Syndrome in regards to the whole nuclear-apocalyptic storyline. The director of this film, Ian Barry, worked with a budget of . The director George Miller was brought in to shoot the car chase sequences, which featured the Ford Fairlane LTD in most scenes as the preferred vehicle of the antagonistic authority chasing Larry's modified utility vehicle (Ute). The film was shot with a Widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
anamorphic lens.
Distribution
The film was distributed in Australia by the Palm Beach Picture, join with Victorian Film Corporation and Australian Film Commission and released on 25 September. In the United States the film's distributor was Warner Bros., and in the United Kingdom it was Columbia-EMI-Warner.Track listing
- "Awakening" (1:46)
- "The Beast" (4:17)
- "Decontamination" (2:05)
- "Heinrich's Theme" (3:00)
- "WALDO" (1:17)
- "A Swim in the River" (1:48)
- "Chain Reaction" (4:52)
- "Once More with Feeling" (3:00)
- "Paradise Valley" (1:03)
- "Car Chase" (4:31)
- "Carmel's Theme" (1:38)
- "WALDO Arrives" (1:57)
- "The Hand at the Window" (0:42)
- "Message to a Friend" (End tiles)(4:28)
Awards and critical reception
The film was nomitated for 1983 Saturn Award by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy of Horror Films for Best International Film but lost to Mad Max 2 (1981). It was also nomitated to the 1980 AFI Awards with 6 nominations: Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Production Design, Best Achievement in Sound and Best Achievement in a Supporting Role. The web page TV Guide.com gave 3 out 4 stars. In Yahoo! Movies, the users rating to the film with a C and 5.5 out of 10 in Internet Movie Database.Titles around the world
- Detector (Italy)
- Ketjureaktio (Finland)
- Die Kettenreaktion (West Germany)
- Nuclear Run
- Peligro: reacción en cadena (Spain)
- Perigo...Reacção em Cadeia (Portugal)
- Skotoste ton, xerei polla! (Greece)
- The Man at the Edge of the Freeway* (Australia)
*Working title
DVD extras
The DVD includes these extras:- Thills and Nuclear Spills: The making of the film (31:37)
- The Sparks Obituary (24:50)
- Deleted and extended scenes (8:14)
- TV Spot (0:32)
- Poster and Still gallery (2:54)
- Umbrella trailers
The video presents a 1.70:1 aspect ratio, originally 1.66:1.
Box Office
The Chain Reaction grossed $796,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $2,825,800in 2009 dollars.
See also
- The China SyndromeThe China SyndromeThe China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and cameraman who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. It stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, and Wilford Brimley.The film was...
- Mad MaxMad MaxMad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
- The Crazies