Troma's War (1988)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Directors:

Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman

Writers:

Mitchell Dana (writer)
Eric Hattler (writer)
(more)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

NOT a true story but who cares!

Plot:

A small group of typical Tromaville citizens find themselves in the path of a terrorist army controlled by the power elite...

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Death | AIDS | Siamese Twins | Surrealism

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Carolyn Beauchamp	...	Lydia
Sean Bowen	...	Taylor
Rick Washburn	...	Parker (as Michael Ryder)
Patrick Weathers	...	Kirkland
Jessica Dublin	...	Dottie
Steven Crossley	...	Marshall
Lorayn Lane Deluca	...	Maria
Charles Kay-Hune	...	Hardwick
Ara Romanoff	...	Cooney
Brenda Brock	...	Kim
Lisbeth Kaufman	...	Jingoistic baby
Lisa Petruno	...	Jennifer (as Lisa Patruno)
Alex Cserhart	...	Sean
Aleida Harris	...	Nancy
Mary Yorio	...	Laurie
Susan Bachli	...	Susan
Dan Snow	...	Rev. Brown
Nora Hummel	...	Shelly Somers
James Galvin	...	Samsom
David Louden	...	Sal Longo
Rick Collins	...	Col. Jennings
Tod Johnson	...	Capt. Schweinhart
Zenon Zeleniuch	...	Maj. Asyolsky (as Zenon Zelenich)
Alexis Grey	...	Maj. Ramirez
Burt Wright	...	Siamese twin
Michael Locascio	...	Siamese twin
Paolo Frassanito	...	Senor Sida
Andrea Achilles	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Robert Amico	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Lisa Amsterdam	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Gregory Paul Anthony	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Eileen Beal	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Paul Borghese	...	Specially Trained Terrorist (as Paul Borgese)
Daniel Bouru	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Angel Caban	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
L.B. Chanin	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Roberto Colon	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Zane Daniels	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Bart DeFinna	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Storenzo Domenech	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Paul Drazen	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Reno Federishi Jr.	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Craig Fertel	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Patrick Fighot	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Joe Fleishaker	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Prince Steven Garcia	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Steve Genova	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Ron Goldberg	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
David Greenspan	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Jonathan Greenspan	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Cecil Hawsen	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Paul Izzo	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Jay Jones	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Lilly Hayes Kaufman	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Graham Kimble	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Pericles Lewnes	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Domenick Mastrianna	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Carl Morano	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Leslie Nemet	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Benny Nieves	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Manuel Olmo Jr.	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Jason Orans	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Ann Parker	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Lee Robin	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Kenneth Simmons	...	Specially Trained Terrorist (as Kenny Simmons)
Roy Sundance	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Michael Swiskay	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Chava Tiger	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Jack Tiger	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Jim Welsh	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Alan West	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Michael Wire	...	Specially Trained Terrorist
Adrienne Abbate	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Allison Abbate	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Geraldine Abbate	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Jaine Averbach	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Ilene Chaitowitz	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Eric Hattler	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Pat Jacoby	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Jorge Fernández	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Damian Sullivan	...	Senor Sida's Task Force
Carol Crowe	...	Crash Victim
Jennifer Pang	...	Crash Victim
Kathleen Richards	...	Crash Victim
Dawn Woo	...	Crash Victim
Mary Ellen Wood	...	Crash Victim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher De Marco	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Michael Gingold	...	(uncredited)
Vincent J. Mazella	...	Terrorist (uncredited)
Phil Rivo	...	Terrorist Eating Pear (uncredited)
Fred Salzberg	...	Specially Trained Terrorist (uncredited)
Scott Shepherd	...	Terrorist (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Herz
Lloyd Kaufman		(as Samuel Weil)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mitchell Dana		writer
Eric Hattler		writer
Lloyd Kaufman		screenplay
Lloyd Kaufman		story
Tom Martinek		writer
Rick Washburn		additional dialogue

Produced by
Michael Herz	....	producer
Lloyd Kaufman	....	producer
Jeffrey W. Sass	....	associate producer
Rick Washburn	....	associate producer (as Ryan Richards)

Original Music by
Christopher De Marco

Cinematography by
James A. Lebovitz		(as James London)

Film Editing by
Brian Sternkopf

Casting by
Eric Hattler

Production Design by
Alexis Grey

Makeup Department
Regina Deavers	....	makeup artist
Alita Griffin	....	makeup artist
Tom Martinek	....	special makeup effects
Kathleen Richards	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jeffrey W. Sass	....	production manager
Brian Sternkopf	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Denis Hahn	....	first assistant director
Rick Washburn	....	second unit director

Art Department
Pat Jacoby	....	props

Sound Department
Peter Dungan	....	apprentice sound editor
Dennis Fierman	....	supervising sound editor
Tom Foligno	....	sound editor
Joel Hirsch	....	assistant sound editor
David Pastecchi	....	sound mixer
Reilly Steele	....	sound mixer
Fontaine Stevens	....	boom operator
David Wahnon	....	assistant sound editor

Special Effects by
Wilfred Caban	....	pyrotechnics coordinator
Anthony Calandrillo	....	special effects makeup
Lawrence Ferber	....	special effects makeup
Jorge Fernández	....	special effects makeup
William Jennings	....	special effects coordinator
Pericles Lewnes	....	special effects coordinator
Tom Martinek	....	special effects makeup
Stephen Patrie	....	special effects makeup
Paul Pisoni	....	special effects makeup

Stunts
Steve Ambrogio	....	stunts
Alexis Berrios	....	stunts
Paul Borgese	....	stunts
Gary Bravata	....	stunts
Thomas R. Campbell	....	stunts
Terry Cash	....	stunts
Peter Castillo	....	stunts
Trevor DeSouza	....	stunts
Charlie Driscoll	....	stunts
T.J. Glenn	....	stunts (as James T. Glenn)
Scott Leva	....	stunt coordinator
Joseph Massa	....	stunts
William J. McVey III	....	stunts
Robbin McVey	....	stunts
Kevin O'Donnell	....	stunts
Annette Presti	....	stunts
Scott Rhodes	....	stunts
Peter Rocca	....	stunts
David Tatosian	....	stunts
Matt Tomasino	....	stunts
Markus Wischmeyer	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael A. Broz	....	second assistant camera
James Brummel	....	best boy electric
Jonathan Burkhart	....	camera operator
Neil Danziger	....	electrician
Kenny Lee Hamel	....	grip
Rolfe Kanefsky	....	apprentice grip
Michael J. Latino	....	first assistant camera
James A. Lebovitz	....	camera operator
Deborah Lipman	....	second assistant camera
Jimmy Mah	....	key grip
Jamie Maxtone-Graham	....	first assistant camera
Kenny Myers	....	grip
Tom O'Halloran	....	camera operator
Theo Pingarelli	....	first assistant camera
David Pisani	....	second assistant camera
Chris Rotter	....	first assistant camera
Dave Samuel	....	grip (as David Samuel)
Ron Schlaeger	....	camera operator
Mark Serman	....	gaffer
Joseph Spallino	....	grip
Neal Spencer	....	first assistant camera
Josh Steinberg	....	grip
Bruce Verman	....	electrician
Heather White	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Carol Crowe	....	casting assistant
Laurie Joseph	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ilene Chaitowitz	....	wardrobe
Heidi House	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Sarah Berry	....	assistant editor
Ken Blackwell	....	assistant editor
Tim Cahill	....	apprentice editor
Dick Cohen	....	negative cutter
Justin D'Orazio	....	assistant editor
George Larkin	....	assistant editor
Gary Levi	....	first assistant editor
David Lyons	....	assistant editor
Dean Merriman	....	first assistant editor
Victoria Robinson	....	apprentice editor
Alexandra Solona	....	apprentice editor
Sarah Teitler	....	assistant editor
George Thomas	....	supervising editor

Other crew
Joel Azzopardi	....	production assistant (2008)
Lu Griffin	....	weapons assistant
Douglas Hill	....	script supervisor
Carl Morano	....	production coordinator
Randy Parker	....	location manager
Phil Rivo	....	production assistant
Rick Washburn	....	weapons coordinator (as Ryan Richards)

Production Companies

• Troma Entertainment

Distributors

• Troma Entertainment (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Troma Team Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Select Effects (optical effects)

Other Companies

• Sound One Corporation  sound mixed at
• Weapons Specialists  armourer

Also Known As:

1,000 Ways to Die (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:91 min | USA:105 min (director's cut) | USA:87 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | West Germany:18 (heavily cut) | UK:18 | Netherlands:16 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Troma Entertainment

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Parker: Airborne!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Poultry in Motion: Truth Is Stranger Than Chicken (2008) (V)

jaw-dropping, over-the-top satire

Author: plazma_dragon wrote 'The makers of this film tried to combine a comedy movie with an action movie'.

no, that's not what they did. what the wonderful folks at troma did in this film is to take all the conventions of all Hollywood action films set in the contemporary era, and push them to their logical extremes.

the action film is inherently illogical - that's exactly why we watch them. in the action film you identify with the hero and blow away a criminal as soon as you can, and move on to the next criminal to blow away.

in real life, if you shoot someone you think is committing a crime, you may miss and get shot; you may only wound him, in which case you have to listen to his squeals of pain, and later, in most states, he has the right to come back and sue you for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon - no joke. and if you do kill him, then you have to justify it to the police, and sometimes to a judge, and you have to listen to his mom weep in agony, and then she sues you for 'wrongful death' and you have to wonder - was causing so much pain to others and one's self really worth it - a question that may haunt you the rest of your life. finally, there's the possibility that he may shoot you - setting aside your possible demise, there's the problem of getting crippled for the rest of your life. you can sue the criminal, but if he's just the corner thug, you'll never see a penny.

this doesn't mean that you don't shoot the criminal - you may need to - if he's threatening a loved one, and i got a good shot, i certainly would. but what all this does mean is that you're stuck with all kinds of consequences that never happen to Stallone or snipes or Jackie Chan.

troma takes this basic principle - shoot the guy and move on, hero - to the extremes. any of the airliner survivors who show compassion are deemed wimpy and abandoned. the Rambo-wannabe wades into a whole regiment of enemy soldiers and doesn't get shot. the pacifist priest is sadistically tortured and shot in the goriest fashion, condemned to die by a neo-Nazi for being Jewish - even though he's clearly not - simply because the Nazi thinks everyone he kills must be Jewish, since he's a Nazi and Nazis kill Jews.

as for the nudity - it is rumored that steven seagal actually used to have it in his contract that there would be at least one female nude scene in any movie he made. nude scenes are pro-forma to the genre - but since this is troma's war, of course they need to be done as ineptly as possible.

one can say that 'this is not my kind of comedy', and leave it alone. however, don't for a minute think these people don't know what they're doing.

personally i think this movie is a jaw-dropping, over-the-top satire of the best kind. i hold back one star because there's no doubt the editing could have been a little tighter.