Wow! Such a good movie.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

"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.

Following the Great Oil Wars, society as we know it reverts to a barbarous state and gasoline becomes a precious rare commodity. The ruthless Colonel Straker (well played with hard and cruel resolve by James Wainwright) rides around the countryside in his formidable heavily armored battletruck with his vicious gang of marauders. When Straker and his men terrorize the peaceful commune of Clearwater for food and supplies, mysterious laconic loner motorcyclist Hunter (a solid and likable performance by Michael Beck) comes to the commune's rescue. Director Harley Cokeliss, who also co-wrote the simple, but effective script with Irving Austin and John Beech, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, presents a plausibly harsh and lawless futuristic society in which the fittest and most brutal reign supreme over everyone else, stages the exciting action scenes with real skill and aplomb, draws the characters with a bit more depth than you would expect (sure, the protagonists are quite engaging and the villains are truly hateful, but neither are depicted as one-note cardboard cut-outs), and maintains a generally serious tone throughout along with a few inspired touches of sharp sarcastic humor. This film further benefits from sound acting from an able cast: the pretty Annie McEnroe makes for a very spirited and appealing heroine as Straker's spunky wayward daughter Corlie, Bruno Lawrence provides hilarious comic relief as Straker's grubby, dim-witted lackey Willie, a pre-"Cheers" John Ratzenberger has a nice sizable role as amiable commune dweller Rusty, and Randy Powell is appropriately slimy as the traitorous and treacherous Judd. The titular battletruck rates as an impressively powerful and imposing monolithic vehicular monstrosity. Cinematographer Chris Menges offers plenty of striking shots of the truck and makes good use of the desolate rural New Zealand locations. Kevin Peek's robust and rousing score hits the groovy rockin' spot. A fun and worthwhile flick.

"Warlords of the 21st Century" aka "Battletruck" (as it is known to me) was a movie that I saw once when I was about eleven years old. It came on late night television and it left an extremely good impression on me.. Since then I've been trying to obtain the film on VHS for nearly eight years. It was so hard to get, even when I was in New Zealand I couldn't get my hands on it, as it was only for rent and no one would sell it to me.Seeing it again it didn't give me the same rush as I was little, but still, it was very entertaining. This low budget "Mad Max"-like action flick is no blockbuster, nor is it surprising since the storyline is very straightforward.. But the battletruck itself looks scary, the music is a little creepy and the acting performances are good enough.. Great for an evening on the couch with some friends, IF you can get your hands on a copy.. 7/10

Well, what can I say about this movie? It's basically a New-Zealand cheap version of Australian Mad Max.You won't believe this plot, yet again there is no oil and the chaotic future is desert like, but at least Mel Gibson rides a car, instead Michael Beck rides a (much cheaper I guess) motorbike.Actually for such a B-version the special effects are not that bad at all, and I've seen a lot worse perfomances in my life.The action in this movie (let's not compare to Mad Max 1 or 2 then) is centered in warlord Straker who drives Battletruck to steal oil from villages. Battletruck is this mean and powerful truck with all kinds of stuff to smash and destroy any resistance. Well anyway Hunter (Michael Beck), our hero gets involved in the plot because of a girl, that is no less then Straker's daughter. After Hunter, an ex-commando, and his kind-of-futuristic motorbike are on the case the world will never be the same.In conclusion, don't watch it, but if you have nothing better to do with your life and you don't feel like renting Mad Max, you might watch this, if it will ever pass on tv.