Scott LeBrun "Warlords of the 21st Century", a.k.a. "Battletruck", is fun stuff, if overly reminiscent of the more famous "Mad Max" series (although, truth be told, this was actually filmed *before* "The Road Warrior"). It's competently directed (by Harley Cokeliss), nicely shot (by Oscar winning Chris Menges), and has enough action and futuristic stylings to make it enjoyable viewing. The characters are never fleshed out all that much, but at least in this simplistic script (co- written by Cokeliss), you're never in doubt as to who the good guys and the bad guys are. The acting is solid from most everybody involved. And there are a substantial amount of truly impressive explosions and one hell of an awesome vehicle - the "Battletruck" of the alternate title - to capture ones' attention.Michael Beck of "The Warriors" stars in this post-apocalypse tale in which oil is a rare and valuable commodity. He comes to the aid of the forlorn Corlie (Annie McEnroe, "The Hand"), who's run away from domineering villain Straker (an effectively one-note James Wainwright). He brings Corlie to a peaceful community known as Clearwater. Unfortunately for the citizens of Clearwater, Straker fully intends to get Corlie back, and so he proceeds to terrorize these people.The supporting cast features a likable John Ratzenberger (Cliff from 'Cheers') as Clearwater resident Rusty and a very amusing pair of performances from New Zealand native Bruno Lawrence ("Smash Palace", "The Quiet Earth") and Welshman John Bach (the "Lord of the Rings" franchise) as Willie and Bone, Strakers' primary two henchmen. Randy Powell is good as Judd, the kind of guy you "love to hate". Beck is an under-stated hero; McEnroe isn't bad but her character is kind of whiny.Kevin Peek does the rousing music in this engaging escapist fare, which builds to a pretty good action finale on board the Battletruck. This was filmed in New Zealand and there's lots of amazing scenery along the way.Most fans of the post-nuke genre will likely have a good time with this.Seven out of 10.

Coventry "Battletruck" is yet another umpteenth rip-off of "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior", only this time fabricated in New Zealand! Apparently not only the Italians but also their own neighbors, the Kiwis, were trying to cash-in on the cinematic success of the Aussies. Can you blame them? I guess not, because flamboyant post-nuclear vehicles were THE cinematic hype during the early 80's. This is a fairly enjoyable post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi flick, as long as you don't expect to see anything groundbreaking or mind-blowing. These post-apocalyptic flicks practically all feature the exact same elements. They take place during the aftermath of WWIII, when approximately 90% of the earth's population has been wiped out and oil products have become extremely scarce. They generally also feature only three types of main characters. Mad-raving psychopaths with bombastic vehicles on a murderous rampage looking for gas, Samaritan community members trying their best to re-build some sort of prosperous civilization and one (or maximally three or four) handsome outcast roaming the wastelands. In "Battletruck", the malignant General Straker overthrows the cute community of Clearwater because they gave shelter to his beloved runaway muse Corlie. Unfortunately for him, the lone rebel Hunter comes speeding in on his dirt bike to rescue the wench and save the day. Not very original, but good enough to guarantee an hour and a half of brainless entertainment. The obvious aspect to love about "Battletruck" is the titular 18-wheeled war machine. General Straker and his band of dim-witted crazies move around in a heavily armored truck that cheerfully runs over protective fences and people's houses. No wonder Straker is continuously on the lookout for fuel, as this thing must at least consume 17 gallons per 60 miles! The truck is undoubtedly the star of the movie, and thus director Harley Cokeliss aims all of his cameras on it as much as possible. The truck looks cool from all angles and especially in close up. The action sequences in "Battletruck" are somewhat disappointing. There's not a whole lot of cruelty and bloodshed (at least not compared to the Italian counterparts) and there weren't even any hints at sleaze or perversion! The acting performances are extremely weak and hammy, especially from lead couple Michael Beck (Swan of "The Warriors"!) and Annie McEnroe. Evil man James Wainwright, who looks like a crossover between Daniel Von Bargen and William Shatner, is okay but still not psychotic enough.

leestudd1 I first saw this movie on TV in the late eighties. I always remembered the battle truck and hunter's rather futuristic motorbike. Having just watched it through you tube I still love it. The plot is typical post apocalyptic ww3 stuff but still OK and the characters are well done even the girl is a bit annoying at times. For what is obviously a low budget movie the stunts are very well done in the vein of mad max 2. It is pretty cool to see them construct a a vehicle for hunter from parts scattered around which ends up looking like a massive Volkswagen beetle! The ending reminds me of Shane, hunter could stay with them but still leaves to go off exploring I guess. I wish you could get it on DVD but sadly I don't think this will ever happen.

uds3 If this is the "benchmark" for putrid movies as one reviewer laughably suggests, where does that leave HEAVEN'S GATE, SHOWGIRLS, ROBOT MONSTER, MONSTROSITY, DRACULA'S LAST RITES, THE ISLAND, THE SAINT, EVE OF DESTRUCTION, ALIEN 2, ALIEN RESURRECTION??? to name but 10!This is an energetic, low budget little NZ actioner. It's ONLY similarity to MAD MAX is the post apocalyptic oil-less future! Cockliss does pretty well within the constraints heaped upon him. I rather like NZ films - they tend to exude they're own unique little aura, much like Canadian flicks. Pretty much known as BATTLETRUCK everywhere (smewhat understandable - who wants to refer to a flick as WARLORDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY?) the film rips along quite nicely. No denying, the BATTLETRUCK of the title is one mean mother of a four-wheeled monstrosity. Definitely, the way to go in gridlock!Hero Hunter (Beck) rides his own mean "Street Hawkmobile" and despite being shot pretty much through the heart with an arrow, is able to get straight back on to his dirt-bike extraordinaire and take it up to warlord Straker who looks suspiciously like a reject from a STEVEN SEAGAL movie!The DUELesque ending is superbly done - shot from the almost identical angles that Spielberg used. It is equally impressive!If this is the crappiest movie ever made, then pigs already fly! The film is a "6" no question! Kinda left field and semi-haunting music too, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream's work in the aforementioned STREET HAWK.