The Zebra Force

I really love bad movies,when they are so bad they're fun but really zebra force(aka;code name zebra)is really bad,the acting is really below par and i think its really a racist premise,OK these ex military white guys disguise themselves as black men and hit the mafia,take their money and kill them.this would never work on the sopranos.the mafia in this movie is portrayed as dolts.and no its no comedy.the leader of the zebra force is a disfigured and one armed army commander. and then there's a surprise twist at the end.look for frank Sinatra Jr in a small part,hey he needed the bread.and character actor of bad movies; George buck flower,OK this is about 85 minutes of my life I'm not getting back.zebra force really should've been on the video 50 worst movies of all time,at least plan 9 from outer space is bad but fun,as for 70's schlock zebra force is the bottom of the barrel.hokey,bad acted and just plain bad.

Yes, it's another typical shoot em'up '70s action opus, but it actually is pretty entertaining given the production values of this film. Essentially, it's about a diverse group of Vietnam veterans who go up against the mafia and a group of crooked cops. Plenty of violence, average acting, and some amazing stunt work. The only minor quibble I have with the film is how the marketing people behind this movie had the nerve to compare the film's climatic car chase to The French Connection. It doesn't even come close. Oh, well. It was the '70s, after all.

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.

A few of the user comments submitted here are, in fact, written for the belated 1987 sequel. You can't blame anyone for the confusion, because the sequel's official title "Code Name Zebra" is also an alternate title for the original and both films are incredibly obscure. Haven't seen the 80s sequel yet myself, but if it's as unpretentiously entertaining and action-packed as this one, I will most certainly track it down! "The Zebra Force" is a crazed exploitation flick made by, and targeted at, macho males. The only women here are ravishing looking extras, like guests at a casino or girls by the pool, and they are not opening their mouths to speak, only to shriek. Writer/director Joe Tornatore may not care too much for women, he certainly does know how to make a remarkable entrance! The film opens with an exhilarating heist on an illegal mafia casino, where several gangsters and guests are killed by a well-trained and organized 8-headed group of black guys in blue overalls. The mob's senior leadership immediately sends for professional "caretaker" Carmine Longo to find the assailants, but it's not so easy. For you see, the black guys are really disguised white guys! They are buddies who served together in Vietnam and still loyally follow their lieutenant who worked out a plan for all of them to get filthy rich via three big hits against the mafia. Let the mob look for black gangsters and declare gang wars; - they'll never find the black-and-white "Zebras". The Lieutenant is, by the way, one of the most remarkable characters in 70s exploitation history! Following a landmine accident in 'Nam, he only has one arm, a horridly disfigured face and he talks via a throat-cancer device. "The Zebra Force" guarantees a raw and gritty 70s atmosphere, complete with wild car chases and brutal executions. The final showdown between mobsters and veterans is already grotesquely violent, and then still Joe Tornatore foresees a totally out-of-the-blue but fantastic end-twist! If you like 70s smut, you must watch "The Zebra Force", period!

This is nothing more that an excuse for a bunch of scenes of slaughter. It has virtually no plot or motivation. The characters are stereotypical and really questionable actors. Their reason for doing what they do wouldn't stand up under any scrutiny. It's the Zebra force against the Mafia. I don't know why because it's never clear. If they are both basically evil, why don't the just stay away from each other. There's virtually no conversation and when it happens it is senseless and pointless. The old running back, Timmy Brown, is in it. So is the Sinatra kid. It's a monumental waste of time. There isn't even the "bad movie" syndrome at work here.