Dead End Drive-In (1986)

Dead End Drive-In is one of those films that could only have hailed from the '80s, a neon-drenched dose of new-wave nonsense from down under, a cult oddity that dabbles in social commentary (junk culture and racism), but which works best as pure B-movie fodder, director Brian Trenchard-Smith delivering crazy characters, car crashes, shootouts, drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll aplenty.Ned Manning stars as Jimmy "Crabs" Rossinni, who takes his girlfriend Carmen (Natalie McCurry) to the Star drive-in, unaware that the place is being used as a detention centre for the nation's disaffected youth. Trapped by a tall wall topped with electrified wire, the prisoners are fed a diet of drugs, junk food and trashy movies (including a couple of Trenchard-Smith's earlier efforts), but unlike Carmen, Jimmy isn't about to sit back and accept his situation and plans to escape by whatever means necessary, with or without his girlfriend (personally, I would have stayed: McCurry, who would go on to be crowned Miss Australia 1989, is a total babe).With a neat set-up, the scene is set for lots of trashy fun, and for a while it all works very nicely, but Trenchard-Smith struggles to keep the momentum going, his script offering very little of interest once Jimmy realises the gravity of his predicament, the lad spending most of his time hunting for new wheels for his car (boring) when he could be seeing to his knockout girlfriend (not boring).Things eventually pick up for the entertaining finale, in which Jimmy makes a bid for freedom that results in lots of vehicular stunts and exchange of gunfire with the cops, although the ending does leave a rather awkward question unanswered: is Jimmy now a fugitive, wanted for the killing of a cop? If so, that's hardly the upbeat finish that Trenchard-Smith seems to be going for.

Dead-End Drive In (1986) ** (out of 4) Australian cult film takes place in the (then) future as crime, unemployment and various other issues have taken over everywhere. A variety of punks, criminals and lowlifes end up pulling into a drive in to enjoy a movie but little do they know that they'll be trapped there due to it being turned into what's basically a prison camp. DEAD-END DRIVE IN comes with a great title, an interesting concept and a likable lead but unfortunately there's very little else working in the picture. I'm not sure what the budget of this thing was but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that had it featured a bigger budget then perhaps they could have done more with it. As it stands, the film is simply interesting on a few levels but not enough to make it a complete winner or really worth watching unless you're a fan of Australian cinema. The main plot deals with a couple (Ned Manning, Natalie McCurry) entering the drive-in and getting trapped. While Manning wants to find a way out, it seems everyone else is happy with the worthless situation. The biggest problem with the movie is the simple fact that there's really not too much that happens. I'm sure having the setting in one placed helped the budget but there's just not enough going on inside the walls to make it interesting. We see the different types clash, we see Manning wanting to escape and every once in a while we'll get some exploitation in terms of nudity and silly violence but that's it. There's really no way to connect to any of the characters and it's really impossible to care about what happens to them. I thought Manning did a pretty good job in the lead role and he certainly helped keep the film moving. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith handles the material quite well but I'm sure he wishes he had a bit more money. What money was available seemed to go towards one terrific stunt at the very end of the picture, which almost made the entire film worth sitting through.

What can I say?This is a film that I saw one night on telly at about 2 AM... I was about 16 years old, and I LOVED it!!!! I never remembered it's name, and it took me until now, and an old copy of Halliwell's to track it down... WOO HOO! I love every single thing about this film... it's wonderful in the way that only B movies can be when they hit the right note. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it is ENTERTAINMENT in large letters, with enough socio-political comment for you to get every single little dig at the establishment, without being arty-farty or self important. Of course... it's a Peter Carey story... that says it all. Chock full of fun. Class act!

Yes this movie stinks with 80s pompous acting and tackiness, yet from another perspective it becomes an interesting time-capsule into the resent past, and for someone who did not experience the 80s I watched the film with an anthropological curiosity. Though this film suffers from logical loopholes. They are easy to overlook since the plot holes are there for the purpose to present a socially satirical world. Overall the acting was fine and the message interesting, though what really stood out in this movie to me are the great set designs and first class cinematography. Also the story is engaging and the characters charming in a comic way. I recommend this movie to the already fans of the genre and to those who are like movies that are offbeat and satirical.