Wheels of Fire (1985) - Code Red - June 30, 2015

[rdodolak]

Spine # 42

Available exclusively at Screen Archives Entertainment (SAE)

WHEELS OF FIRE (1985) (Limited Edition)

An amateur Mad Max copycat hoping to cash in on that trend, this actioner is set in a degenerate future time when a group of low-lifes terrorize everyone around. Led by a baddie named Scourge, the men kidnap and regularly rape the sister of the hero Trace (Gary Watkins). Trace gathers up some allies in Stinger (Laura Banks), a distaff bounty hunter and Spike (Linda Grovenor) a young clairvoyant girl, so he can charge in and rescue his sister. Between the three of them, the Scourge by any name is sure to be conquered.

Special Features:

• Interview with Roger Corman
• Interview with producer Clark Henderson
• Interview with writer Fred Bailey
• Two different trailers

Wheels of Fire (1985) - Widescreen Trailer - YouTube

[rdodolak]

[rdodolak]

                                                                                                                Total   Video                                             
Title                                                           Codec   Length  Movie Size      Disc Size       Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track                          Secondary Audio Track
-----                                                           ------  ------- --------------  --------------  ------- ------- ------------------                        ---------------------
00003.MPLS                                                      AVC     1:21:07 19,333,423,104  23,793,360,255  31.77   28.42   DTS-HD Master 2.0 1739Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     Wheels of Fire
Disc Size:      23,793,360,255 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        Yes
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00003.MPLS
Length:                 1:21:07.863 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   19,333,423,104 bytes
Total Bitrate:          31.77 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        28420 kbps          1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         1739 kbps       2.0 / 48 kHz / 1739 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

FILES:

Name            Time In         Length          Size            Total Bitrate   
----            -------         ------          ----            -------------   
00003.M2TS      0:00:00.000     1:21:07.863     19,333,423,104  31,773          

CHAPTERS:

Number          Time In         Length          Avg Video Rate  Max 1-Sec Rate  Max 1-Sec Time  Max 5-Sec Rate  Max 5-Sec Time  Max 10Sec Rate  Max 10Sec Time  Avg Frame Size  Max Frame Size  Max Frame Time  
------          -------         ------          --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  --------------  
1               0:00:00.000     1:21:07.863     28,420 kbps     53,580 kbps     00:00:06.631    36,940 kbps     00:38:15.293    35,736 kbps     00:21:03.470    148,171 bytes   752,631 bytes   00:49:49.778    

STREAM DIAGNOSTICS:

File            PID             Type            Codec           Language                Seconds                 Bitrate                 Bytes           Packets         
----            ---             ----            -----           --------                --------------          --------------          -------------   -----           
00003.M2TS      4113 (0x1011)   0x1B            AVC                                     4867.780                28,421                  17,293,280,407  94,054,039      
00003.M2TS      4352 (0x1100)   0x86            DTS-HD MA       eng (English)           4867.780                1,739                   1,058,427,044   6,424,544

[rdodolak]

^^ Added screenshots

[The Great Owl]

In a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland, a ruthless gang led by the diabolical Scourge, played by Joe Mari Avellana (Silk), prowls the roads and pillages everything in its path. When his sister, played by Lynda Wiesmeier (Real Genius, Teen Wolf), is kidnapped and raped by this gang, Trace, a loner played by Gary Watkins (The Long Riders, Johnny Dangerously), takes off in his armored Ford Mustang to track down Scourge, who happens to be an old nemesis. With the help of a bounty hunter, played by Laura Banks (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan), and a psychic, played by Linda Grovenor (Die Laughing), he unleashes explosive fury on the villainous warlords.

The 1985 sci-fi action film, Wheels of Fire, was financed by the legendary B movie king Roger Corman and commissioned to Corman's Filipino collaborator, Cirio H. Santiago, who also helmed post-apocalyptic drive-in fare like Stryker, Equalizer 2000, and The Sisterhood. This one joins the ranks of countless other wondrously destructive Mad Max ripoffs of the 1980s, namely 2019, After the Fall of New York and The Exterminators of the Year 3000, that populated theaters and VHS rental stores. This is one of the more trashy and exploitative offerings of the genre, as well as one of the silliest, but there are still quite a few fantastic car crash stunts, explosions, and gunfights to keep the story engaging.

I love the idea that post-nuclear war landscapes of the future feature 1970s muscle cars and motorcycles as the primary modes of transportation. Be assured, however, that automobiles do not routinely explode when they careen into canyons and flip over. If vehicles exploded that easily, then our everyday commutes to work would be considerably more fiery and perilous.

My favorite moment in Wheels of Fire comes from out of nowhere. When venturing near a car that has been raided by the evil gang, our characters are pulled into the sand by mutant witches who dwell underground and cannibalize unsuspecting victims. It's almost as though someone took a scene from the 1981 fantasy film, Clash of the Titans, and inserted it into a knockoff of The Road Warrior.

This Code Red Blu-ray delivers the road racing goods with a nicely filmic transfer. We also get a fun extra courtesy of Katarina Leigh Waters (who runs over a Banana Man during her sequence), as well as interviews with Roger Corman, Frederick Bailey, and Clark Henderson.

[Metalbeast]

This was re-released by Shout Factory last year as a site exclusive double feature with Raiders of the Sun. The version of Raiders on the Blu-ray is the original longer cut without any stock footage. It's still in stock.