Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Attack Force Z Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2018

Tim Burstall's "Attack Force Z" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; featurette with executive producer John McCallum and actors John Waters and Chris Haywood; and gallery of vintage stills. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Captain Kelly

During WW2 Australia apparently had an elite unit of commandos named Z Special Force that carried out a large number of secret missions in the Pacific while receiving orders directly from General Douglas Macarthur. These commandos were incredibly well trained men, but many of them died in action and then their identities were sealed so that the unit can continue to function. It was only after the end of the war that enough information was declassified so that they can be honored.

Tim Burstall’s film Attack Force Z attempts to offer an authentic summation of the type of dangers the commandos faced while operating in enemy territory in much the same way as Ridley Scott’s Black Hawk Down recreates the horrors that U.S. rangers had to overcome while carrying out missions in Mogadishu, Somalia, during the early ‘90s. In other words, it is a nicely researched film that takes its action very seriously and does not mind explaining what the big picture is as well. However, in addition to coming from a different era Attack Force Z is also a much smaller film, which is something that has an obvious effect on its authenticity. For example, on the technical side of things it is easy to tell that Burstall did not have access to a lot of army equipment and as a result there are segments where it becomes quite apparent that he prefers to stay away from prolonged conflicts. A closer examination of the Chinese and Japanese characters also reveals some linguistic inconsistencies that historians and even WW2 history buffs will almost certainly catch.

The action begins a few months before the end of WW2 in the South West Pacific where a team of commandos exit a submarine and then land on a small island that has been occupied by Japanese forces. They have been tasked to rescue a high-ranking diplomat after a U.S. military plane has crashed there and a local Chinese resistance group has managed to get to it before the Japanese. After one of the commandos is seriously wounded and terminated for safety reasons, the rest, led by Captain Kelly (Mel Gobson), head to what they believe is the crash site. Very soon, however, it becomes clear that te mission would be a lot more complicated than initially expected and that certain changed will need to be make in order for Captain Kelly and his men to be successful.

The first half of the film has a nice atmosphere and a bit of a rough edge that makes the journey through the island quite interesting. After the commandos establish contact with the resistance leader Lin Chan-Lang (Koo Chuan-Hsiung) and then Lieutenant Veitch (John Phillip Law) becomes attracted to a member of his family, however, the film begins to stutter as a number of moralistic messages are unloaded to question the consciousness of those who are prepared to die while following orders. It is rather unfortunate because these are the type of calculated message that typically transform gritty war dramas into soapy melodramas and to a certain extent this precisely what occurs here.

Sam Neil plays Captain Kelly’s right-hand man, Sergeant Costello, and Chris Haywood is 'Sparrer' Bird.

Attack Force Z Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tim Burstall's Attack Force Z arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster that was struck from an interpositive and as a result the bulk of the film looks quite good. There are some areas where small density fluctuations are easy to see but never become distracting. My guess is that additional work could have been done to ensure better balance. Additionally, some manual cleanup work could have been performed to remove some tiny white flecks and scratches. The color grading is very nice, though some of the darker footage does reveal light crush. The overall balance, however, is very convincing and there are no distracting anomalies to report. There are no traces of compromising degraining or sharpening adjustments, but the encoding optimizations should have been made to ensure that film looks as good as it should on Blu-ray. All in all, while not perfect, this is indeed a healthy organic presentation of the film. (Note: This is s a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Attack Force Z Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. (with small portions of Japanese and Mandarin). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and supporting a very nice range of dynamic nuances. Some work could have been done to completely eliminate traces of aging, but there are no technical anomalies to report.

Attack Force Z Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for Attack Force Z. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills - a collection of vintage stills. Silent. (3 min).

• The Z-Men Debriefed - featurette with executive producer John McCallum and actors John Waters and Chris Haywood. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

Attack Force Z Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I would have preferred to see Attack Force Z a little less melodramatic during its final act, but there is a retro vibe that runs through it that makes it quite attractive. Actually, it feels a bit like a Cannon Group production with a lot of future big-time stars, so if you have a soft spot for the type of films that Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus produced I can guarantee that you will enjoy it. This recent release from Umbrella Entertainment is sourced from a very nice 4K remaster, though ideally the film could look even better on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED. (*If you reside in the United States, you should know that there is also a local release of this film that is co-distirbuted by Umbrella Entertainment).