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terrible... so disappointed.

One of my all time favorites.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I was really surprised to see all of the negative comments, for even though all we have left is a very lousy copy, it is still watched occasionally and all of the family and friends that have seen it have had nothing but good to say of it.We must just be movie hillbillies as we can have a good time knowing that the movie is just there to entertain.Yes there are a couple of scenes that may not tie together very good but so what? There are similar dis-jointed scenes in Romancing the Stone and the Indiana Jones movies also. In my book this movie is as good as or even better than them because it is even more realistic.The drunk is always drunk, the bad guys are bad and the action is exciting. If anyone gets killed it's not dwelt on, there is no drugs (except booze), the sex is only hinted at and family (and civil) morals are left intact. (Could not sell it today)I am amazed at the number of Tape and DVD jacket covers that do not really relate to the film but the correct one does. Where the bogus covers came from, I don't know, but if you've seen the movie you know which ones are bogus. (The ones with the plane in the water are real)The only thing I would like of this is a good copy, like the first rental one we had that we should have stolen. No good copies seem to be available.

First off, the initial concept of a lost fortune in gold bars discovered in a New Zealand lake, inside a downed World War 2 plane is a great opening. What follows is nothing but cartoon like drivel. Men chasing men, cars chasing men , helicopters chasing men, helicopters chasing boats, boats chasing boats, for the better part of an hour, the most boring nonsense, with absolutely no advancement to the story. Special mention must be made of the chop shop editing, as many scenes seem to have been spliced together in random order. The acting by all concerned is an embarrassment. One last thing, the picture quality and sound quality is so bad on this DVD that you will be appalled. - MERK

Scruffy rough'n'tumble helicopter pilot Barney (a likable turn by Ken Wahl), his boozy and crotchety hunter buddy Gibbie (delightfully played with deliciously hammy gusto by Donald Pleasence), and Gibbie's feisty daughter Sally (a fine Lesley Ann Warren) venture into the scenic New Zealand wilderness in search of the Yankee Zephyr, a downed American World War II Navy cargo plane containing valuable medals and $50 million dollars worth of gold bullion. Meanwhile, snooty, yet ruthless businessman Theo Brown (nicely essayed to the suavely slimy hilt by George Peppard) and his pernicious flunkies also try to get their wicked hands on the booty. Director David Hemmings, working from a witty, eventful and blithely silly script by Everett De Roche, relates the lively story at a constant snappy pace, maintains an engagingly breezy and lighthearted tone throughout, and stages the exciting action set pieces with a substantial amount of skill and flair (a thrilling boat chase rates as the definite heart-racing highlight). Moreover, the enthusiastic cast have a field day with their colorful roles: Wahl, Warren and Pleasence make for appealing protagonists, Peppard has a ball as the fey villain, and Bruno Lawrence does well as Brown's equally no-count partner Baker. Brian May's spirited score hits the stirring spot. Vincent Monton's sumptuous widescreen cinematography offers plenty of lovely shots of the exquisitely lush and verdant New Zealand countryside. The movie's overall amiable sensibility and infectiously giddy sense of good-natured goofy humor add considerably to the film's cheerfully inane charm. A neat little flick.

This is a nice campy little film that the whole family might enjoy IF you can find a copy anywhere. However there are many unrealistic "shoot em up" scenes, which may leave the young to think that gunplay has no consequences. I won't describe the plot as given elsewhere.There are two great helicopter chase scenes in the film (reminiscent of "the Gauntlet") that really show off some of the backcountry beauty of New Zealand that frankly, you would not be able to see without a helicopter.There are also many later scenes of "expert maneuvers" in helicopter, such as "quickstop-pedalturn-reverse heading", a "hammerhead pushover" or two, "sidewall dismount", and "confined spaces settling". The pilotage is excellent.The film also shows some of the wild ruggedness of New Zealand's South Island, where(at the time the film was made at least in 1981) the only paved roads are in larger towns and cities, and the country thoroughfares are primarily just "metal" (gravel roads) though always well maintained. And yes, the peaks really are that jagged. No special effects.Donald Pleasance, as a happy go lucky over the hill sot, plays his character to perfection. He makes numerous muttering quips similar to the humorous mutterings you hear in the vintage "a.a.p." Popeye cartoons. Unfortunately, many of these mutterings in RFYZ are unintelligible without multiple rewinds and equalizing to hear what is said. A bit frustrating, as there are probably a few lost jokes in there.George Peppard's accent is a very forced upper class snotty, which conforms to his portrayed character adequately.Ken Wahl and Lesley Ann Warren's characters play well off of each other to establish a typical independent rugged male vs. coddled entitled wenging female dynamic that would be "toxic" if not for nuances of a smoldering mutual sexual interest. There is one very brief fully clothed and appearing to have been intentionally directed "doggie style" movement between Wahl and Warren masked in a "struggling to escape" context that adds a subliminal mild eroticism to the play, but will go right over the heads of the kiddies. (Though may well spark Mom and Dad's fantasies once the kiddies have gone to sleep . . . .) There are no overt sexual references in the film that the kiddies would understand, however there is a brief "wet slip" scene which does faintly reveal the nature of LAW's upper "endowments".Shooting violence is significant, including use of assault weapons, but amazingly through the expenditures of hundreds of rounds of ammo, nobody ever gets hurt(hooray for Hollywood), nor is their accompanying gore.Conversational and expletive profanity (all but the F word and genital synonyms) are typical for middle class language, and would likely only be offensive to "devout" types, though may be inappropriate to guarded "inculcation" of pre-teens. Overall a fun "adventure" type film that all can enjoy as long as the young'uns are thoroughly coached or cognizant that in real life all the gunplay would really end up with lot's of dead people. And a must see for anyone interested in the wilds of New Zealand that could otherwise not be seen, or any student of rotor-wing aviation. Though all shots are exterior, so accurate control inputs are not shown. Choppers used are Hughes 269, Hughes 500C and Bell 206.