Having just completed a massive cross country trip across the highways of America including “short cuts” through major cities; a movie about a futuristic race involving trucks that are controlled by artificial intelligence computers doesn’t seem so futuristic. Supposedly certain states allows “driverless” trucks on the highways. Terminus is a French movie from 1987 about a truck that’s pretty much controlled by a computer. It felt like an extreme thing to happen at a time when a “driverless truck” meant the driver was asleep in the back with a lot lizard and left off the brakes. The film has a bit of the post-apocalyptic Road Warrior vibe that had taken over Italian cinema at the time, but it has more of a French twist to the metal carnage.
In 2037 (which is only 12 more years away), there’s a new sort of race involving giant trucks going cross country. They have to make it all the way to the Terminus. This isn’t an “easy” trip like in Smokey and the Bandit. There are a lot of people out to prevent any truck from making the run. This includes rival trucks and even local armies. Nobody has won the massive prize so far. Mati (RoboCop 2‘s Gabriel Damon) is a boy genius who has designed the ultimate truck for the competition. His “partner” is Doctor (Das Boot & Dune‘s Jürgen Prochnow). The truck is controlled by a computer that manipulates a mouth to look like it’s talking to the human driver. Behind the wheel is Gus (Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s Karen Allen). She’s ready for all various obstacles on the road until the computer breaks down. This leads her getting lost and captured by rather nasty locals. She ends up in a cell with Stump (Johnny Hallyday, The French Elvis & The Pink Panther 2) who has a metal hand on the stump of his arm. She tells him about the Monster and the race. This is a good thing since they torture her. She gives instruction to a kid (Julie Glenn) working in the hospital ward about the truck and the password. She wants Stump to win the race for her. But she’s the only person wanting him to succeed.
This isn’t the usual doom and gloom post apocalyptic Mad Max rip-off from this era. There’s a lot truck damage on the screen. The Monster knows how to tear apart walls and other trucks when it’s barreling down the countryside. Karen Allen seems to be having a bit of fun behind the wheel of a truck that doesn’t need to stay on the road. Jürgen Prochnow has three roles in the film. First he’s “the Doctor” who seems to be the money behind little Matti’s creation. He’s also the Sir doing “innovative” work. Finally he’s an evil trucker on the trail of the Monster when Johnny Hallyday and the kid take over. What’s remarkable is that Prochnow projects a different kind of menace for each character. Unlike a lot of Italian Mad Max films from this era, there’s a bit more of a sophisticated feel on the screen in Terminus.
The best part of this Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is the inclusion of both the slashed U.S. release of the film and The Extended Director’s Cut. What’s the difference? The US version runs a scant 84 minutes. That’s 32 minutes more if you appreciate French science fiction. I completely recommend watching the Director’s Cut first. Terminus is no longer a futuristic tale, but what we might be encountering on the road this evening’s commute home.
The video is 1.66:1 anamorphic for the Director’s Cut with the US Cut in 1.78:1 anamorphic. Both version have 1080p transfers that bring out the details so you can tell Jürgen Prochnow’s characters apart. There is a rougher feel to the US Cut. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 French for the Director’s Cut and LPCM 2.0 English for the US Cut. You’ll get to hear Stan Ridgway (formerly of Wall of Voodoo) sing the love song cleanly. Both versions have English subtitles.
Interview with star Jürgen Prochnow (15:55) gets him into playing the three parts. He talks about getting into movies by dubbing Sly Stallone voice in the early Rocky films. He identified the most as the submarine captain in the classic Das Boot. His first American agent also represented Barbra Streisand. He did The Keep with Michael Mann and Dune with David Lynch. He enjoyed working with Pierre-William Glenn and his love of American action movies. There is behind the scenes footage. He talks about how he handled the three parts and being a clone without confusing the identities.
“We All Descend – The Making of Terminus” (49:29) includes interviews with Vincent Glenn and Julie Glenn (the children of director Pierre-William Glenn) and vintage interviews with Pierre-William Glenn about his career and film. He wanted a film that combined a race like Dakar Rally with American football. His children talk about his career since he was a cinematographer and director over his long career. Many of his colleagues would drop by the house. This included Johnny Hallyday. The kids got into showbiz. Julie has directed a TV movie and her brother Vincent makes documentaries. The “kids” talk about Terminus and Julie gets into what it was like to act with Hallyday. She calls him a second father. Pierre-William Glenn passed away last Fall. This is in French with English subtitles.
Photo Gallery (3:03) includes press photos, lobby cards, the single from Stan Ridgeway, posters and VHS covers.
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:13) captures the weirdness of this film. This is for the US Release.
Limited Edition Slipcover that looks like you pulled the book off the shelf at Videorama back in the late ’80s. This is only on the first pressing so grab it now.
MVD Rewind Collection presents Terminus (Collector’s Edition). Directed by Pierre-William Glenn. Screenplay by Pierre-William Glenn, Patrice Duvic, Alain Gillot and Wallace Potts. Starring Johnny Hallyday, Karen Allen, Jürgen Prochnow, Gabriel Damon & Dominique Valera. Running Time: 116 minutes. Rating: Director’s Cut is Unrated & USA cut is Rated PG. Release Date:
