Surf Nazis Must Die
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| Surf Nazis Must Die | |
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 Poster for Surf Nazis Must Die |
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| Directed by | Peter George |
| Produced by | Robert Tinnell |
| Written by | Jon Ayre |
| Starring | Gail Neely Barry Brenner Robert Harden |
| Music by | Jon McCallum |
| Cinematography | Rolf Kestermann |
| Editing by | Craig Colton |
| Distributed by | Troma Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 1987 (USA) |
| Running time | 83 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Surf Nazis Must Die is a 1987 film directed by Peter George (no relation to the author and the professor of the same name) and starring Gail Neely, Barry Brenner, and Robert Harden. It was distributed by Troma Entertainment, a company known for its low-budget exploitation films.
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[edit] Plot
An apocalyptic earthquake leaves the California coastline in ruins and reduces the beaches to a state of chaos. A group of Neo-Nazis led by Adolf (Brenner), the self-proclaimed "Führer of the new beach," take advantage of the resulting chaos by fighting off several rival surfer gangs to seize control of the beaches. Meanwhile, an African American oil well worker named Leroy (Harden) is killed by the Nazis while jogging on the beach. Leroy's mother "Mama" Washington (Neely), devastated by the loss of her son, vows revenge. After arming herself with a handgun and grenades, she breaks out of her retirement home and sets out to exact bloody vengeance on the Surf Nazis.
[edit] Cast
- Gail Neely as Eleanor "Mama" Washington
- Robert Harden as Leroy
- Barry Brenner as Adolf
- Dawn Wildsmith as Eva
- Michael Sonye as Mengele
- Joel Hile as Hook
- Gene Mitchell as Brutus
- Tom Shell as Smeg
- Bobbie Bresee as Smeg's Mom
[edit] Reception
Surf Nazis Must Die was criticized by reviewers as boring and hard to follow, and its acting, dialogue, and camerawork were widely panned. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1987, where it generated some interest due to its title but was met with a mostly negative critical reception. Janet Maslin wrote "Not even the actors' relatives will find this interesting." Roger Ebert stated that he walked out of the film after 30 minutes.
[edit] The Surf Nazis
The Surf Nazis is a small but brutal group consisting of racist surfers who do not tolerate any outsiders interfering with their way of life. Their members include:
Adolf is the leader of the gang. He considers himself the "Führer of the new beach", at first planning to unite the various gangs on the beach for his own purpose. He is a fairly ruthless character, possessing a uniquely short temper. He carries with him a long knife and wears a black leather jacket. During one scene in the film, it is revealed that his birth name is Ricky Johnson.
Eva is Adolf's girlfriend, who serves as the cook and medic of the gang. She dislikes Mengele and spends much of her time carrying out small errands for Adolf. She uses a switchblade during combat. Her real name is not known to us.
Mengele is Surf Nazis' "mad scientist kinda guy". He invents, creates and supplies all kinds of weapons for the gang (for example he created deadly "switchboard" by integrating a switch-blade like device inside a surf board). He is also a dangerous and blood-thirsty fighter and a killer.
Hook is one of the most dangerous Surf Nazis. His hand got bitten off by a shark, so Mengele made him a prosthetic hook-hand, in the image of Captain Hook. Violent and angry, he doesn't need a reason to kill.
- Smeg
Smeg is a blond surf kid that lives home with his father and stepmother but spends a lot of time hanging with Surf Nazis. His stepmother hates Surf Nazis and has a hard time accepting that Smeg wants to hang with them.
