Somewhere in Italy
Trapped behind enemy lines during World War II and chased by Nazis, a small group of American soldiers end up as the rescuers of an unlikely POW—an alien!
1985’s Zone Troopers is definitely not for everyone. It’s a B-movie with big dreams and hokey special effects that might turn off a lot of audiences. For me, however, it’s perfect. Featuring a cast headed up by prolific character actor Tim Thomerson (the Trancers film series, television shows such as Down And Out In Beverly Hills, Sirens, and The Flash), this action/science fiction yarn is surprisingly fun and full of 80’s action.
Three actors round out the core cast with Thomerson. Biff Manard (Trancers, The Flash, Bonanza), Art LaFleur (The Sandlot, Field of Dreams, Trancers), and Timothy Van Patten (Class of 1984, St. Elsewhere, The Master) are all excellent performers in their own right and keep the story interesting.
Thomerson, Manard, and LaFleur have starred alongside each other in many films and television shows over the years. Most of those projects were either written and/or directed by Danny Bilson. Zone Troopers was Bilson’s directorial debut and one of his earliest writing credits, but he’s probably best known for writing films and television shows such as The Rocketeer, The Flash (1990), Viper, and Human Target. Timothy Van Patten started as an actor, but made his mark behind the camera as the director of multiple episodes of hit series like The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, and Touched By An Angel. He was even nominated for four Emmy awards.
Zone Troopers moves quickly and feels more like a big budget television movie than a major motion picture. That’s a good thing in my opinion. I can easily visualize this movie being sandwiched between episodes of The A-Team and Knight Rider in 1980-something. The humor is light and cheesy at times, but it’s perfect for this film. The action features a lot of shooting, running, and a little bit of luck, which was par for the course in most 80’s films.
While the special effects and costumes aren’t much to look at, they don’t take away from the story. Yes, you might chuckle whenever the alien uses a grenade-like device to obliterate a Nazi tank, but you’ll keep a smile on your face for the entirety of the film because it’s such a fun ride. I do want to point out that the exterior of the crashed alien ship looks great, as does the interior hall that leads to the cockpit.
This is an excellent film to watch if you’re rained in on a weekend. You won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time watching this movie and you might even find yourself watching other classics like Trancers while you’re at it.
As always, thanks for reading. Let me know if you’ve seen Zone Troopers or any of the other films starring, written, or directed by this extremely underappreciated cast and crew.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 