''Terminus'' is a 1986 French-German

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed by

Pierre-William Glenn Pierre-William Glenn (born 31 October 1943) is a French cinematographer and director. He contributed to more than seventy films since 1968 including ''Day for Night'' and ''Street of No Return ''Street of No Return'' is a 1989 crime film dire ...

Plot

In the year 2037, an international sport has been established, wherein a driver of a truck must cross the country and arrive at a designated terminus, while confronting obstacles and enemies along the way. The lead truck, named "Monster", has been designed by a boy genius (

Gabriel Damon Gabriel Damon Lavezzi (born April 23, 1976) is an American former actor. His acting career involved a leading voice role as a child in the 1988 film ''The Land Before Time'', and a variety of live-action guest roles on television. Biography Damo ...

) and is to be piloted through the course by a woman named Gus (

Karen Allen Karen Jane Allen (born October 5, 1951) is an American film and stage actress. After making her film debut in ''Animal House'' (1978), she portrayed Marion Ravenwood opposite Harrison Ford in '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), a role she lat ...

). Eventually, the truck's AI fails and Gus ends up in uncharted territories. There, she encounters leather-clad "hoods" (

hoodlums A hoodlum is a thug, usually in a group of misfits who are associated with crime or theft. Early use The earliest reference to the word "hoodlum" was in the December 14, 1866, ''San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin'' after the Hoodlum Band was ...

) that torture her and eventually kill her. Prior to dying, she befriends a fellow prisoner (

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and pop singer and actor, credited for having brought rock and roll to France. During a career spanning 57 ...

), who later uses the truck to rescue himself and a young orphan. Meanwhile, the boy genius watches them by an artificial

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

so that he may see how well the truck's software works. The conclusion reveals that as he watches the truck, he is himself watched and evaluated by the sinister doctor (

Jürgen Prochnow Jürgen Prochnow ( ; born 10 June 1941) is a German-American actor. His international breakthrough was his portrayal of the good-hearted and sympathetic U-boat Captain "Der Alte" ("Old Man") in the 1981 war film ''Das Boot''. He is also known f ...

) who

cloned Cloning is the process of producing individual organisms with identical or virtually identical DNA, either by natural or artificial means. In nature, some organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. In the field of biotechnology, c ...

him.

Cast

as Stump (Manchot) *

as Gus *

as Doctor/Sir/the hostile truck driver *

as Mati * Dominique Valera as The commander

Reception

This film has been categorized as a strange oddity with Moria giving it two of four stars. The props and sets were praised. This French-German production is one of the strangest oddities to emerge from the cycle of films inspired by Mad Max 2.

Soundtrack

Released as a vinyl album in France by

Carrere Carrere or Carrère may refer to: As a name * Georges Carrère (1897–1986), French classical violinist * Edward Carrere (1906–1984), Mexican art director * Emmanuel Carrère (1957–), French author, screenwriter, and director * Fernando Car ...

A1 End Of The Line (Long Version) Vocals – Stan Ridgway 05:40 A2 Tracks 1:50 A3 The Grey's Pursuit 2:17 A4 Higway Chase 3:12 A5 Docteur Labo 1:42 A6 Monster's Drive 2:06 A7 Military Roadblock 2:05 B1 Love Theme "Terminus" Composed By – Stan Ridgway Performer – Stan Ridgway 4:30 B2 Princess Tango 2:42 B3 Bridge In Fire 1:15 B4 Jailbird 2:15 B5 Terminus (Front Title) 3:36 B6 Higway Chase 3:12 All compositions by David Cunningham except A1 and B1 by Stan Ridgway

References

External links

* * * *
Terminus
at unifrance.org 1987 films West German films Films set in the future French science fiction action films French road movies 1980s science fiction action films Dystopian films Cyberpunk films German road movies 1980s road movies 1980s French-language films English-language French films English-language German films 1980s French films 1980s German films {{1980s-sf-film-stub