N.Z. at a fast but disjointed clip

Press, 27 January 1986, Page 17

N.Z. at a fast but disjointed clip

at the cinema

hans petrovic

SHAKER RUN Directed by Bruce Morrison

Screenplay by James Kouf, Henry Fownes

and Bruce Morrison

Although "Shaker Run” (Regent) may not be the greatest chase movie made, it certainly has the best over-the-cliff finale I have seen.

As a fast-action travelogue of New Zealand, “Shaker Run” should also prove to be one of the biggest money-makers this country has yet produced.

The story is simple, yet has sufficient originality and interesting characters to set it above the average film of this genre:

Two down-on-their luck stunt drivers (Cliff Robertson and Leif Garrett) and their pink-and-black Trans Am car, named Shaker, are hired by a beautiful scientist (Lisa Harrow) to transport a highly contagious virus from somewhere around Queenstown to a place north of Wellington.

Miss Harrow’s aim is to prevent the virus from falling into the hands of the New Zealand military, which intends to use it as a lethal defence weapon. Instead, she intends to deliver her deadly cargo into the hands of a C.I.A. agent (lan Mune).

After a vicious attack

and a narrow escape, she is forced to tell her drivers why their lives are in danger. Realising the importance of her mission, they agree to continue the journey. Being hunted by all forces of the law, including the Army’s sinister Paul Thoreau (Shane Briant), there is no turning back. In recent years, the successful ground rules for chase movies would have been laid down by the very popular “Smokey and the Bandit,” and it takes quite a bit to improve on this formula. “Shaker Run” succeeds mainly by incorporating plenty of spectacular New Zealand scenery, which should help sell this film both overseas and in this country, where just about every person will be able to Identify with at least some small portion of the landscape. Geographically, much of the scenery is confus-

ing, and I gather one is not supposed to follow too literally the inter-cutting of scenes from different parts of the country. Overseas audiences, at least, will not be troubled by this.

The director, Bruce Morrison, has already proved in his earlier film, “Constance,” that he has a good stylistic eye, and again demonstrates this here with his classy, sharp-focus capture of detail — particularly in some of the zooming, aerial shots.

I imagine the inclusion of two American actors (Robertson and Garrett) was because of contract stipulations by overseas financiers. They do not detract from the film, may even help sell it internationally, but represent two lost opportunities for local talent. On the other hand, it is a pleasure to watch the highly talented and lovely Lisa Harrow as the wayward scientist. The role may seem a little light for such an accomplished actress, but she certainly seemed to enjoy making the movie, which is a total change of pace from her part as an older woman who falls in love with an Auckland street kid in “Other Halves.”

lan Mune is good fun as the shady C.I.A. agent;

while Shane Briant has just the right kind of cold, good looks for the nasty Thoreau. For those wondering where they have seen Briant before, he was the cruel photographer in “Constance;” and the crippled Sir Clifford Chatterley, opposite Sylvia Kristel and Nicholas Clay, in “Lady Chatter-

ley’s Lover.”

The New Zealand film industry has advanced sufficiently during the last eight years or so that comparisons with other movies made here are inevitable.

Among these, “Goodbye, Pork Pie” is the first to spring to mind, and “Shaker Run,” unfor-

tunately lacks the anarchical sense of dare-devilry that made “Pork Pie” such great fun. On the other hand, “Shaker Run” is lightyears ahead for exciting entertainment of that other Queenstown lakesarea, chase-and-shoot epic, “Race for the Yankee Zephyr,” which

also featured overseas stars (George Peppard instead of Robertson), but never took off. During the last 12 months, the New Zealand film Industry has given us an amazing variety of films, which have also done remarkably well. Just think, for contrast of style, of Billy T. James in

the 1940 s comedy, “Came a Hot Friday”; the bleakly brilliant “Vigil”; and now back to road action with “Shaker Run.” All of them deserve to do well, and it makes us look forward to the release of Geoff Murphy’s “The Quiet Earth,” which stars Bruno Lawrence as the last man on Earth.