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Now, and I’m sure my old mate Simon Wigg (see link opposite) will agree with me on this one, here is a real hidden gem of a movie. Very low budget but an incredibly well paced, directed and executed movie that really should have been a bigger hit than it was. The basic plot is that society has become so violent, controlled by gangs, that the only way to contain them is to give them a free range to do what they want in areas called Free Fire Zones. The police will not enter Free Fire Zones but the real problem is the violence in schools, so much so that a multi-million dollar company has re-programmed military droids with a basic teaching ability as part of a disciplinarian pilot scheme to keep the little shites in line. Of course the droids revert to their original programming and wage war with the pupils (“Kill the enemy!”), eventually forcing the two rival gangs to join forces if they want to live.

What’s right with this movie is that it is ALL action. From the opening board meeting outlining the proposals, intercut with our hero Cody Culp) being released from prison, the explosions, fights, car chases and gun battles do not let up for one second. They are also surprisingly well handled (Director Mark L Lester has previous, he also directed Schwarzenegger in the similarly violent and entertaining “Commando”), particularly a pitched battle between both gangs that is infiltrated by the teachers without the hoodlums even knowing they’re there.

The film has some very impressive gore scenes as well, including one teenager being pulled through a wall by the waist, another gets a drill through the forehead, one man has his heart ripped out and another has his throat ripped open. All this violence and mayhem, though, is permeated with some of the cheesiest action one-liners to add a comic touch to proceedings. After destroying one of the teachers in a Chemistry explosion, Cody utters “I guess I blew that course”, one of the teachers exclaims how he “loves to mould young minds” as he thrusts a drill through his head and when Cody tries to convince his gangmates the teachers killed his brother, one of them quirks up “why, because he didn’t do his homework?” All great fun.

So, what’s wrong with it? Well, the effects could be better. The robotics and matte work are awful, although it does lend itself to work well with the overall comic feel. The plot is thin, it is an excuse for a series of all action set pieces so anyone looking for a film with meaning will be let down, despite it’s grim outlook on American society and school violence. Also, some of the script and acting is weak, the way they finally come round to the idea it’s the teachers killing everybody is ridiculous (After their rival gang leader calls them out to the school, one of them says “Jeez, don’t we spend enough time there as it is”, another replies “That’s it, it’s the teachers, why would Hector be at school if he didn’t have to”), but these are minor quibbles that, for me, add to the enjoyment of the film as a whole because it’s so ridiculously enjoyable.

Throw Pam Grier and Malcolm McDowell into the mix and you’ve got all the makings of a cult classic. I don’t for one minute believe it’ll ever go down in history as anything approaching that accolade but there’ll always be a special place for it in my heart, even if there’s also usually a place for it in the bargain bin at Blockbuster. If you do chance upon it though, buy it! You will NOT be disappointed.

"Beware the moon and stay on the path..."