The Zebra Force

The Zebra Force
The Zebra Force
	Can the end justify the means?; When It's Revenge...All Hell Breaks Loose!
Directed by	Joe Tornatore
Written by	Robert Leon (screenplay); Annette Lombardi (writer); Joe Tornatore (concept);
Produced by	Eddy Donno (associate producer); Joseph Lucchese (producer); Deno Paoli (executive producer); Larry Price (producer); Jefferson Richard (associate producer); Joe Tornatore (producer);
Starring	Mike Lane; Richard X. Slattery; Rockne Tarkington; Timothy Brown;
Cinematography	Thomas F. Denove; Billy Dickson; Robert Maxwell;
Edited by	Ed Hansen; Michael Kahn;
Music by	Charles Bernstein (as Charles Alden)
Production; company	Pac West Cinema Group
Distributed by	Echo Bridge Home Entertainment; Trans World Entertainment; Cannon Films;
Release dates	1976 (Argentina); 1980 (Philippines); 1984 (US);
Running time	100 minutes; 86 minutes (Swedish cut version);
Country	United States
Language	English

The Zebra Force (Codename: Zebra, USA title) is a 1976 American film directed by Joe Tornatore. The film is about a group of Vietnam War veterans who declare war on Los Angeles drug dealers and the Mafia. The film is also known as Code Name: Zebra (US) and Commando Zebra (Italy). A sequel by Joe Tornatore with Mike Lane, also named Code Name: Zebra followed in 1987.^[1] The websites Letterboxd and The Grindhouse Database list this movie as belonging to the vetsploitation subgenre.^[2]^[3]

Plot

The film opens with a raid on an illegal casino performed by a group of blacks with automatic weapons. The audience discovers the perpetrators are white disguised as blacks. The story moves to a Vietnam War flashbacks with a patrol being ambushed by the Vietcong, and the resulting firefight. The leader of the vigilante veterans is a man known simply as the Lieutenant who was their platoon leader and disfigured in the action. Recuperating in a hospital he regroups the survivors for a series of escalating raids to not only to enrich themselves, but to wipe out organised criminal gangs involved in illegal gambling and narcotics distribution.

The main protagonist of the film is Carmine Longo, a Mafia enforcer sent to meet with local chief to discover who performed the action. The two are assisted by a corrupt Los Angeles Police Department detective sergeant. Their suspicion falls on their only known suspects, a gang of drug dealing black criminals who deny their involvement. Longo schemes to eliminate them through their police contact who will set up a drug deal where they can be killed by the police.

Cast

Mike Lane as Carmine Longo
Richard X. Slattery as Charlie DeSantis
Rockne Tarkington as Earl Lovington
Timothy Brown as Jim Bob Cougar
Glenn Wilder as Lieutenant Dan
Anthony Caruso as Salvatore Moreno
Stafford Morgan as Sergeant Stangman
Clay Tanner as Lieutenant Claymore
Tony Cristino as Willie
Mario Milano as Peter
David Ankrum as Art
Buddy Ochoa as Larry
Patrick Strong as Nick
Bernard Tierman as Ernie

Notes

^ "Code Name Zebra (1987) - IMDb". IMDb.
^ "Vetsploitation. List by Jarrett". Letterboxd. 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
^ "Category. Vetsploitation. From The Grindhouse Cinema Database". The Grindhouse Cinema Database. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.

External links

The Zebra Force at IMDb
The Zebra Force is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
The Zebra Force at Rotten Tomatoes
Codename: Zebra at Rotten Tomatoes
Zebra Force at Letterboxd

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[1] "Code Name Zebra (1987) - IMDb". IMDb.

[2] "Vetsploitation. List by Jarrett". Letterboxd. 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

[3] "Category. Vetsploitation. From The Grindhouse Cinema Database". The Grindhouse Cinema Database. February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.

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