Turkey Shoot (1982 film)

Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith
Screenplay by

Jon George
Neill D. Hicks[a]

Story by

George Schenck
Robert Williams
David Lawrence

Produced by

Antony I. Ginnane
William Fayman

Starring

Steve Railsback
Olivia Hussey
Michael Craig
Noel Ferrier
Carmen Duncan
Roger Ward
Lynda Stoner

Cinematography John R. McLean
Edited by Alan Lake
Music by Brian May
Production
companies


Hemdale
FGH
Filmco

Distributed by Roadshow Film Distributors
Release date
14 October 1982
Running time
93 minutes
Country Australia
Language English
Budget A$2.5 million[1]
Box office A$321,000 (Australia)[1]

Turkey Shoot (originally released in the US as Escape 2000 and also known in the UK as Blood Camp Thatcher) is a 1982 Australian dystopian action film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. Its ensemble cast — an eclectic mix of international stars, Australian soap opera veterans and character actors[2] — is led by Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig, Noel Ferrier, Carmen Duncan, Roger Ward and Lynda Stoner. The film marks the first of three directorial collaborations between Trenchard-Smith and producer Antony I. Ginnane — the others being The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) and Arctic Blast (2010) — although the director had previously made promotional reels and trailers for Ginnane's earlier films.[1]

Described by the director as a cross-genre piece in which "1984 meets The Camp on Blood Island where they play 'The Most Dangerous Game'",[1] the film depicts a concentration camp in a totalitarian society which allows rich adventurers to participate in human hunting games with its "deviant" convicts. Its story follows a political activist (Railsback) and an innocent prisoner (Hussey) as they work together to survive one such game and turn the tables on their oppressors.

Filmed on location near Cairns, Turkey Shoot underwent a troubled production as a result of a budgetary shortfall that reduced the shooting schedule; this also necessitated multiple scenes being rewritten or cut entirely, extensive simultaneous second unit photography directed by executive producer David Hemmings, and use of stock footage during post-production.[1] Widely considered to be a seminal example of the Ozploitation cycle, the film is notable for its extreme depictions of graphic violence and sadism; Time Out declared that the film "makes modern day grindhouse imitations such as Machete and Planet Terror seem like anaemic shadows in comparison".[2]

A remake, directed by Jon Hewitt, produced by Ginnane, executive produced by Trenchard-Smith, and starring Dominic Purcell and Viva Bianca, was released in 2014.

Cast

Steve Railsback as Paul Anders, a political dissident who has already escaped from several re-education camps.
Olivia Hussey as Chris Walters, a shopkeeper falsely accused of aiding a rebel.
Michael Craig as Charles Thatcher, the tyrannical warden of Camp 47 and supervisor of the turkey shoot. He is armed with a Winchester Model 70 sniper rifle and drives a red buggy.
Carmen Duncan as Jennifer, a depraved aristocrat armed with a crossbow. She rides a horse.
Noel Ferrier as Secretary Mallory, the head of the government's re-education program and Thatcher's superior. He travels on foot and wields a poisoned dart gun.
Lynda Stoner as Rita Daniels, a woman imprisoned on suspicion of prostitution.[5]
Roger Ward as Ritter, the camp's Chief Guard and Thatcher's second-in-command, covertly vying for his position. He acts as Mallory's guide and carries a Smith & Wesson Model 27 revolver.
Michael Petrovitch as Tito, a violent sadist who holds a flirtatious rapport with Jennifer. He drives a buggy with an attached tractor shovel and carries a small arsenal of firearms, including an MP 40 submachine gun, an M72 LAW rocket launcher, a Colt Trooper revolver, and a Browning ANM2 machine gun.
Gus Mercurio as Red, a lecherous guard and Ritter's right-hand man. He is armed with a whip and an L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle.
Bill Young as Griffin, a long-time rebel who has previously escaped from several camps, placed in the turkey shoot after a confrontation with Dodge.
John Ley as Dodge, a model prisoner who continuously sucks up to Ritter and Thatcher in hopes of an early release.
Steve Rackman as Alph, a troglodytae-like man with cannibalistic tendencies, found by Tito in a carnival freak show and acting as his companion.
John Godden as Andy, a prisoner who unsuccessfully attempts escape and is subsequently burned alive.
Oriana Panozzo as Melinda, a female prisoner beaten to near-death by Ritter to make an example to others.
Kerry Rossall as Officer arresting Chris (uncredited)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzIeaHfLTTw