Zebra Force

1976 "Running with the mob can be deadly!"
4.6| 1h40m| R| en| More Info
Released: 11 April 1976 Released
Producted By:
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

In this post Vietnam War actioner, a group of veterans, former members of a crack guerrilla team, decide to reteam and use their specialized skills to fight organized crime.

... View More
Stream Online

Stream with Prime Video

Director

Producted By

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
classicsoncall You know, I'd like to see some film maker tackle this story today because it might really turn out to be pretty good. There were some really cool elements here that resulted in a neat twist ending that I saw coming in only the last five minutes, but even then, I didn't think the Lieutenant would turn out to be the black guy.But oh man, is this totally mired in the Seventies with the cars, clothes and hair styles. I have to admit, I'm guilty of wearing some of those dated fashions back in the day and can see how ridiculous I must have looked back then. But only from today's perspective seeing how everyone else dressed the same way.Well this flick had an interesting premise, as a group of ex-Viet Nam vets battles the local drug kingpins by posing as black gang bangers and ripping them off, thereby creating animosity with a rival black gang. Making things more interesting is a police detective with connections to the Mafia who's forced to broker a drug deal with the boys in the hood. Thinking he's pulled one off for the police force, Sergeant Stangman (Stafford Morgan) is taken out by a Mafia sniper, at which point all hell breaks loose.It's all pretty typical Seventies TV movie hokum, with the cheesiness in just the right amounts. You've got your car chases and shoot 'em ups, and the obligatory guy who gets shot and falls through an upper story window into a swimming pool. Still, there's the germ of a good idea here, and done right, I think it could be made to look original even today.
Chase_Witherspoon A group of Vietnam veterans, fiercely loyal to their lieutenant (horribly disfigured as a result of a land mine explosion) agree to perform a series of audacious hits on mob-controlled gambling operations to ostensibly rid the town of their influence and protect society's youth from the spectre of drugs. But their raids also net hundreds of thousands of dollars in tainted cash, leading Mafia Don (Caruso) to enlist the aid of his Mr Fix-it Carmine Longo (Lane) to rectify the problem. You've probably read that the vets disguise themselves and while it's certainly a novelty, the "transformations" are unintentionally comedic (watch for the interrogation scene near the end of the movie). Puerile dialogue and atrocious cinematography (or perhaps the editing) don't do any favours, but I enjoyed the characterisations, and the cast has some talent. Lanky Mike Lane from "The Harder They Fall" is imposing, Stafford Morgan as the crooked cop, and Rockne Tarkington as the tough-talking downtown pusher, all make an impression in spite of the script they deliver.A jazzy soul soundtrack, slow-motion stunts, car chases and a twist ending keep things entertaining and overall, while it's routinely panned by the armchair critics, you could do a lot worse than this gangster flick dressed in a blaxploitation wardrobe. Often confused with its sequel "Codename Zebra" starring James Mitchum made in 1987, while the latter is more technically proficient, the sheer quirkiness and 70's infused texture of "Zebra Force" is superior in entertainment value.
Cristi_Ciopron When I was a kid, the genre to which CNZ belongs was called 'commando' or 'superaction—violence'. And it might prove a bit more interesting to discuss genres than to discuss this one movie. Yet a word or two have to be said, as this is Robert Z'Dar's first role.Zdarsky, 34 yrs in his first movie performance, was just embarking on a career of bizarre and unique Z features; you should see at least another 7 of his movies.He was a Palance for the '80s Z movies. I can confess, with a straight face, being something of a Zdarsky _completist. And if u ain't, u ain't. Using electronic music, the '80s thrillers could be quite suspenseful; and Zdarsky was a part of that mind—bending suspense.CODE NAME ZEBRA, a silly action movie or _actioner, like you have seen so many if you grew up in the '80s, like you should have, might have been a flick for the guys but is on the other hand an almost unique and perhaps even deliberate specimen of nasty acting coming both from the Mafiosi (Carmine, Charlie and the others) and the quasi—vigilantes; some men who fought in Vietnam now join together to form a band of almost vigilantes.As you wouldn't have believed, they're ingeniously disguised, by wearing amazingly efficient masks, as Afro—American citizens; but then again, the movie's insulting to the army by the atmosphere of idiocy that identifies the reunions of these former soldiers.CNZ is poor in action, a couple of scenes with derisory effects; most of the movie is people sitting, talking, planning, doing grimaces, but I would lie if I wouldn't admit that I have watched the whole movie avidly. Too much of a '80s _actioners fan.
emm Even though this late-night action flick has aged, it still has what many of today's multi-budget movies are lacking in: ORIGINALITY! Don't expect good guy heroes in "The Zebra Force" because this definitely is not your typical action film. Instead, this is a first-person anti-hero show that knows no limits. Watching the soldiers in black masks terrorize the innocent is rather deteriorating, but that's part of the fun. Overall, the real show stealers are the gang's leader with a deformed face who communicates via mini walkie-talkies, plus an unexpected finale. If you can live with obscure '70s trashies like this one, then I can't blame you for that!