Attack for Z is a 1982 film based on true events during World War II. This film features screen icons Mel Gibson(Lethal Weapon, Apocalypto) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Omen III: The Final Conflict) in early roles and also stars screen veteran John Phillip Law(The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Danger:Diabolik). Tim Burstall directed this movie, which is a co-production between Australia and Taiwan. Attack Force Z was also filmed in Taiwan.
The storyline is simple, with the top-secret Z Special Force unit consisting of five men that are in an American fighter jet that crashes into an island that is held hostage by the Japanese. The Z Force decides to rescue the survivors on the island and to do battle with the Japanese. The Z Force also partners with the leader of the resistance, Lin (Koo Chuan Hsiung, The Silent Wife), his daughter Chien Hua (Sylvia Huang, Aces Go Places 1, 2 and 3) and other family members consisting of younger brothers and sisters. Lots of battles in the jungle ensue with the Z Force and the resistance risking their lives for the people on the island being held hostage.
Attack Force Z is your basic low-budget World War II film with an excellent cast that also includes John Waters (Breaker Morant, Five Mile Creek). They all hand in well-done performances to go with plenty of war action. There was a mild romantic subplot with Chien and Veitch that I thought was pointless since it didn’t go anywhere during the movie, but overall, this the movie is somewhat satisfying, if hard to follow what’s going other than the fighting. Just put your mind at rest, sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is.
Severin Films has released Attack Force Z onto Blu-ray and advertised as being “scanned in 2K from the original negative at The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia”. The results are most impressive with the video looking exceptionally sharp with rich colors, especially greens which there is plenty of as the film takes place in the jungle. Outdoor scenes look magnificent and sparkle throughout the presentation. No DNR appears to have been applied.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack is also perfectly clear with easy-to-follow dialogue. Action sounds, such as gunshots, screams and other weapons that make loud ‘booms’ do come in a bit more aggressively but the audio is well-balanced. No popping, hissing or drop-offs were detected. English subtitles are offered for this release, including for parts of the movie that aren’t in English.
The extras looked to have been imported from the MVD Visual and Cinevision releases.
The Z Men Debriefed which are interviews with Executive Producer John McCallum and Actors John Waters and Chris Haywood
A photo gallery and trailer are the remaining extras.
Attack Force Z has been given a few Blu-ray releases over the past five to six years and this Severin offering gives an opportunity for those who missed out on earlier releases or to own another copy of the film and view the film with a beautiful 2K scan.
Attack Force Z
Director – Tim Burstall
Cast- Mel Gibson, John Phillip Law, Sam Neill
Country of Origin-Australia / Taiwan
Distributor – Severin Films
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –2/20/2023