There’s a lot of exploitation movies from the early ’70s that went AWOL after their original release. Mostly this was because outside of a movie theater, there was no market for them. The films were way too harsh to run in the middle of the night on a UHF station. Cable TV hadn’t kicked in so there were no pay channels like HBO that didn’t worry about shocking the kids. The VHS VCR or even Beta had been introduced so they could find an audience at tape rental clubs. They survived in the memories of fans who enjoyed telling people about this wild film they once saw. A few of the truly devoted would write mimeographed fanzines that championed the films as classics that needed to be released once more. Quite a few of them were revived in the VHS era. Brute Corps must have been a rush to see in the drive in with its potent mix of bullets and a hitchhiking blond. Now the movie has been given a 4K UHD to let its extreme action dazzle.
A group of men in military vehicles are cruising up the mountain desert road. While they might appear as army, their hair is a little long. When a group of bikers hassle them at an abandoned gas station, one of the troops just picks up a shotgun and kills all the bikers. Turns out they are a group of mercenaries eager for their next big assignment. The owner of the bar they hang out with isn’t quite happy with them. Wicks (The Friends of Eddie Coyle & The Godfather’s Alex Rocco) wants to have his way with the barmaid. When they hit the road, MacFarlane (Rocky IV‘s Michael Pataki) leaves a nasty tip with the bartender. This is a mean crew of hired killers. They set up a camp in the woods. Hitchhikers Kevin (Johnny Got His Gun‘s Joseph Kaufmann) and Terry (White Lightning‘s Jennifer Billingsley) stumble across the camp. Wicks takes a liking to Terry which turns out to be not a fun thing when he shows her his judo moves. The other guys in the mercenary unit want their chance with Terry. This when things start to get rough and the R-rating really happens.
Brute Corps is interesting because it deals with the Vietnam War and returning troops while the war was happening. The movie was shot around 1970. These are mercenaries that have zero problem using their military training to kill women and children if the price is right. This is a crew that doesn’t want to return to their hometown and work a straight job at the gas station.
A quick note that Michael Pataki played Demolition Derby star “Count” Malachi on Happy Days. He and his brother perfected the Malachi Crunch in the legendary episodes. He was also the voice of George Liquor on Ren and Stimpy. Joseph Kaufmann appeared in animator Ralph Bakshi’s Heavy Traffic. Billingsley also starred in the Joe Namath biker classic C.C. And Company. Director Jerry Jameson was busy and made Airport ’77, Superdome and Raise the Titanic. Later he’d do the post series Gunsmoke TV movies.
Brute Corps is a rough film that wouldn’t have popped up on your local station’s Dialing For Dollars. The movie delivers on the intense violence and carnality as promised in the poster. Brute Corps is an unflinching nightmare about retired soldiers who are eager to destroy people for the private sector and the dangers of hitchhiking.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer was struck from the Original Interpositive and looks better than when the film played drive-ins during the ’70s. This film’s high resolution lets you really feel the rough moments on the screen. The Audio is DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with writer/producer Michael Kars has him explain how the film came together. He points out the stunt doubles in a major fight scenes. There’s also jokes about how rare it was for a second take during the shoot. These guys were professionals.
Interview with co-stars Felton Perry and Parker West (31:33) has the stars reflect on their director and co-stars. Michael Pataki is raved about keeping the cast honest on the screen. He jokes about his final scene in the movie. Jennifer Billingsley is remembered as the girl. She was about getting it done on the screen. Perry also mentions his time in the classic Trouble Man. Parker West joked that they called the director “Mr. Two Shot” since he rarely gave anyone a close up.
Dark Force presents Brute Corps. Directed by Jerry Jameson. Screenplay by Michael Kars & Abe Polsky. Starring Paul Carr, Joseph Kaufmann, Alex Rocco, Jennifer Billingsley, Michael Pataki, Charles Macaulay, Roy Jenson, Felton Perry, Joseph Bernard & Parker West. Running Time: 88 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: July 15, 2026.
