''China Lake'' is a 1983

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

film starring Charles Napier as a deranged

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

who rides around on a

motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

"targeting" people that have offended him in some way while vacationing near the film's titular location of China Lake. The short film was directed by

Robert Harmon Robert Harmon (born 1953) is an American film and television director. He is best known for the 1986 horror film '' The Hitcher'', starring Rutger Hauer, as well as for films like ''They'' and '' Nowhere to Run''. His television work is distin ...

, who funded this movie personally to promote himself as a director. In 1990, the film was made into a feature-length made-for-TV movie titled ''

The China Lake Murders ''The China Lake Murders'' is a 1990 television film starring Tom Skerritt. It is about a small desert town that experiences a series of murders. The film was rated PG-13 and first aired on the USA Network and for many years held the record for t ...

'', which is considered to be a remake of this film rather than an actual sequel.

Plot

Donnelly is a disturbed cop on vacation leave. Despite being off-duty, he is still in his uniform. As he rides through the desert on his

Harley Harley may refer to: People * Harley (given name) * Harley (surname) Places * Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada * Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada * Harley, Shropshire, England * Harley, South Yorkshire, England * Harley Street, in L ...

, he stops a lady whom he accuses of being drunk; while exhausted from driving continuously for hours, she is obviously anything but drunk. Donnelly proceeds to lock her in the trunk of her car, leaving her on a quiet road where no one is likely to pass by for some time. Continuing on, he stops at a closed petrol station in the middle of the night. The pumps are padlocked, so he takes out his revolver and shoots the lock off so he can refill his bike with fuel. The next day, Donnelly goes to China Lake for some relaxation and then goes to a nearby diner for lunch and coffee, which he refers to as Black Mud. Two cement workers are sitting at the main counter and they arouse his ire to the point that he completely forgets the (somewhat pleasant) conversation he was having with the waitress. Later that same day, he notices a car on the side of the road belonging to one of the truckers, as it has the same trademark on it. After the other trucker leaves his friend to repair the car by himself, Donnelly, who has been watching and waiting nearby for the men to return, makes a reappearance and chases the confused man before knocking him down. He then locks the man in the trunk of his car and pushes the car over the stretch of desert next to the road. Donnelly is next shown returning to work. When the watch commander asks Donnelly how his vacation was, he responds that he enjoyed it. The film comes to an end as the credits roll.

Cast

* Charles Napier as Donnelly *

William Sanderson William Sanderson (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired actor. He played J. F. Sebastian in the feature film ''Blade Runner'' (1982), and had regular roles on several television series such as Larry on ''Newhart'' (1982–1990), E. B. ...

as Little Germ *

Mickey Jones Mickey Jones (June 10, 1941 – February 7, 2018) was an American musician and actor. He played drums with acts such as Trini Lopez and Bob Dylan, with whom he played on his 1966 world tour. He became a founding member of The First Edition ...

as Big Guy *

Gilmer McCormick Gilmer McCormick is an American actress and singer best known for her performance in the stage and film versions of ''Godspell'' in the early 1970s and for her role as Sister Margaret in the 1984 horror film ''Silent Night, Deadly Night''. Early ...

as Helene * Lindsey Fields as Kitty (credited as Lyndsey Fields) *

James Luisi James A. Luisi (November 2, 1928 – June 7, 2002) was an American professional basketball player and actor. Luisi is perhaps best known for his role as Lt. Doug Chapman, the apoplectic foil to detective Jim Rockford, in a total of 23 episo ...

as Watch Commander * Ed Brodow as Field Supervisor * Michael Ray Lloyd as Assistant Watch Commander

References

1983 films 1980s psychological thriller films American short films Films directed by Robert Harmon 1980s English-language films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub