Turkey Shootaka Blood Camp Thatcher aka Escape 2000 (Brian Trenchard-Smith 1982) Trash rating
Since the early 90's most of British director Trenchard-Smith's work has been in TV movies. His last foray into film was
Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997) which thankfully went straight to video, and can probably be found in any number of pound shop bargain bins. He's not really done anything else of note unless you count
BMX Bandits (1983) memorable only for the fact that it was Nicole Kidman's first film.
Turkey Shoot was an Australian production filmed in north Queensland, and has a cult following amongst trash lovers. The film features a mixture of American, British and Australian actors, including a couple who appeared in George Miller's
Mad Max (1979). It's had a nasty reputation ever since the BBFC (British Board of Film Clasification) hacked it to bits due to scenes of sadistic torture and gore. So let's give it the once over...
Set in a totalitarian near future (we don't know exactly when),
Turkey Shoot has a nice opening credits sequence showing real footage of riots and marches. We then pick up with activist Paul Anders (Steve Railsback) who gets arrested whilst inciting riots over a radio. Next he's in a van being taking to a correctional facility, along with fellow prisoners, sensitive Chris Walters (the lovely Olivia Hussey) and Rita Daniels (Lynda Stoner). Once there they feel the full wrath of the guards, who regularly rape, torture, and kill prisoners, all supervised by Camp leader Charles Thatcher (Michael Craig) . It soon becomes apparent that Thatcher has an ulterior motive for running the camp, namely the hunting of select prisoners (ala
The Most Dangerous Game 1932). Naturally Anders and co get picked, and off they go into the jungle with a three hour headstart, and a promise of freedom if they survive. On their trail are Thatcher with a sniper rifle, Jennifer (Carmen Duncan) a dominatrix with a crossbow, Secretary Mallory (Noel Ferrier) armed with poison dart gun, and Tito (Michael Petrovich) a luatic who drives a JCB, and has a pet werewolf freak (don't ask).
Turkey Shoot is pretty awful stuff that falls completely flat for a number of reasons. First off are the heroic characters, all of whom (with the exception of Hussey) are thouroughly unlikable and uninteresting. Railsback is supposed to be the hero, but he comes off like a one dimensional contrary school boy devoid of charm. The only good guy of any interest, (Bill Young as Griff) is underused and gets killed off early on. Carmen Duncan is the best thing about the film, she's delightfully nasty as Jennifer, kind of like a poor man's Joan Collins, and certainly brightens things up. The rest of the villains however, are just steriotypically sadistic in such a way as to make sure you don't forget who you're rooting for. I cared about Hussey's character, but the rest of them might just as well have been mincemeat. So all that left was the films reputation and action scenes. Yes it's bloody, but the effects on show are second rate at best. We get a man cut in half after having his eye poked out, another gets shot up with arrows, there's an impaling, a man explodes, another is burned alive, and most laughably Chief Guard Ritter (Roger Ward from
Mad Max) who has both hands chopped off. The fact that he can be clearly seen hiding his hands up his sleeves just says it all really. Most of the films action involves hunters shooting at Railsback and co with such poor accuracy, you might as well be watching
The A Team. It's watchable forgettable stuff with some nice scenery that passes the time, but nothing more. My advice? stick with
Battle Royale.