Turkey Shoot (1982)

Deviants are held at a rehabilitation fortress until they're set into a deadly game of survival, in the hopes of returning to world society.

Director:

Brian Trenchard-Smith

Writers:

Jon George (screenplay), Neill D. Hicks (screenplay) (as Neill Hicks)

Stars:

Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Steve Railsback	...	Paul Anders
Olivia Hussey	...	Chris Walters
Michael Craig	...	Charles Thatcher
Carmen Duncan	...	Jennifer
Noel Ferrier	...	Secretary Mallory
Lynda Stoner	...	Rita Daniels
Roger Ward	...	Chief Guard Ritter
Michael Petrovitch	...	Tito
Gus Mercurio	...	Red
John Ley	...	Dodge
Bill Young	...	Griff
Steve Rackman	...	Alph
John Godden	...	Andy
Oriana Panozzo	...	Melinda

Storyline

In a totalitarian country, any subversives, undesirables and "deviants" are sent to a prison camp to be rehabilitated and reeducated. The camp is run in fascist fashion, with guards torturing and killing prisoners for sport. Their pinnacle of the guards oppression is an event where a select band of prisoners are set free in the surrounding bush, to be hunted by the guards and special guests for sport - the Turkey Shoot.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner | dystopia | brutality | rape | gore | 

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Taglines:

Controversial! Violent! The film that shocked Australian critics and broke Box Office records in London!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Escape 2000

Filming Locations:

Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$3,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,414,828

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,414,828

Company Credits

Production Co:

FGH, Filmco Limited, Hemdale

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lynda Stoner was apparently very demanding on the set. Due to her strong animal beliefs (she is a long term campaigner of numerous animal right causes), she refused to cut open an actual dead fish in one scene, forcing the special effects department to jerry-rig together a fake one as fast as possible for the scene. Additionally, she also refused to do a nude scene, but after a long discussion with director Brian Trenchard-Smith, she compromised to partially appearing nude (backside shot).

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Goofs

During the air strike the aircraft flown change between French made Dassault Mirage III and American F-4 Phantom II:s and back again repeatedly. The first plane to attack, in Viet Nam era camouflage, is an American F-111 Swing Wing Aardvark. It's very apparent at the 1:29:26 mark and is seen twice more after that.

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Quotes

Charles Thatcher: One of you has been foolish enough to try to leave us before his re-education was completed. In my view this is treason, and will be treated as such. You will remember our motto: 'Freedom is obedience, obedience is work, work is life'. Well, now understand once and for all that the reverse is also true, 'Disobedience is treason, treason is a crime, crime will be punished!'

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Alternate Versions

The Australian version, released on the Roadshow Home Video label under the title 'Turkey Shoot', is the rare complete and uncut version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: The Legend of Boggy Creek (2014)

User Reviews

Muddled exploitation

Directed by Anglo Australian filmmaker Brian Tenchard-Smith (most notably known for the Australian film that introduced Nicole Kidman to the world, BMX bandits, a kid/family movie, mainly remembered for the zeitgeist trend of the bicycle craze in the title), this post-Mad Max dystopian future movie tells the 'story' of a camp for retraining the 'deviates' of society, so that they may conform to the institutionalised norm as a whole. It begins with three people being taken in the back of a van to the camp of 'Re-Education and behaviour modification'. The camp looks much like the Nazi concentration camps of such films as SS Experiment Camp, or Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS. The film begins as all of the usual 'nazisploitation' movies do, with a pinch of titillation and humiliation. This is not however a nazisploitation movie, as it appears to have a more communist edge; as the motto goes (in a quite comical sequence where 'chief' guard Rimmer picks out the smallest woman, and mock-punches to her face, whilst forcing her to recite it), "I am a deviate, lowest form on earth..."

The main 'heroes' of the piece, are Paul (Steve Railsback), and Chris (Olivia Hussey - also known for such genre films as It, and Black Christmas). These also constitute the ubiquitous love interest within the plot. Whilst the inhabitants of the camp are humiliated and ritually abused in almost gladiatorial fashions, the main plot stems from the concept highlighted by the films title (although this was altered both for the UK video market - Camp Blood Thatcher; and the US market, Escape 2000), where there are five prisoners who are set 'free' from the camp so that seemingly elite persons from society can game hunt them with no consequences. All this leads to utterly predictable outcomes, resulting in an attempted overthrown of the 'authorities'!

The film exploits the concept of game hunting with elements of gore (again ubiquitous of the times of production), but doesn't really explore the societal elements that the protagonists are trying to subvert. We know nothing of the 'societies' structural elements that may instigate any kind of revolution or revolt. What exactly are the protagonists subverting? What are the policies, or dogmas of this 'society'? We only see the camp, and are not given any knowledge of the non-diagetic world beyond this.

The rich hunt the imprisoned. That is about as political as this movie gets. OK, so all movies don't necessarily need to have a message, granted. But if you are going to make a film set in a dystopian future, the world needs to be constructed so that we may understand why this future exists. To add insult to injury - despite the finale having a touch of gore - it almost seems like an episode of The A-Team, only people actually get shot. I almost forgot to say; a certain 'thing' accompanies one of the rich on the game hunt that he "found in a freakshow", which is essentially a badly dressed wolf-man. It's as if someone turned up on set in the wrong costume, and the director thought "well, we'll make it work!"

If you love bad filmmaking, with no social commentary, and no element of surprise or suspense, then you may well love this. But, it is, and will always be a bore!

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