You know, I've wanted to watch this movie because the dude on the cover has a facemask on and is carrying a crossbow. That never really happens in the movie, but at least it's entertaining.

At the end of the Vietnam War, the soldiers known as The Annihilators - Sgt. Bill Ecker (Christopher Stone, The Howling),Garrett Floyd (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs),Ray Track (Gerrit Graham!),Woody (Andy Wood) and Joe (Dennis Redfield) - undertake their final mission, during which Joe is critically injured saving his friends.

Years later, Joe works at his father's Atlanta convenience store, which is under attack by a street gang led by Roy Boy Jagger (Paul Koslo) and his gang The Rollers, which ends up costing him his life. His father then begs Bill to teach the neighborhood how to fight back, which pretty much consists of the guys ineffectually shooting at the gang members and neither side being really able to hit one another, all while trying to stay away from the cops.

Known as Action Force in Europe, this movie would have been much better if I just watched the poster and got high. Well, I learned my lesson, The Annihilators.

Charles E. Sellier Jr. Directed this. Yes - the producer of so many of my favorite Sunn Classics films! It was his last time directing after a career that included Encounter with Disaster; Silent Night, Deadly Night and Snowballing. He also created The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams.

This movie was made at the same time as Invasion U. S. A. And shared the same stunt team, who worked on this movie during the day and with Chuck Norris at night.

A quartet of men who were buddies during their time in 'Nam reunite in the 80s to avenge a fallen comrade, and clean up the streets of Atlanta. Currently, gangs are running amok, and it's up to our team of heroes to eradicate this criminal scum. The main baddie is a swaggering yet aged punk named Roy Boy Jagger (Paul Koslo, "The Omega Man"),while our title Annihilators are played by the likes of Christopher Stone ("The Howling"),Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs ('Welcome Back, Kotter'),Gerrit Graham ("Used Cars"),and Andy Wood ("Rambo: First Blood Part II").

This oddball cast (also including Dennis Redfield ("Dead & Buried") and Jim Antonio ("Outbreak")) ensures this slight but amusing urban action flick some sort of cult status. It fits quite comfortably into that "vigilantes vs. gangs" genre that was popular in the 80s. ("Death Wish 3" and William Lustigs' "Vigilante" being other notable examples.) It is pretty cheesy, amateurish, and laughable at times, but it still manages to push some buttons, complete with some effectively brutal violence and shots of ladies' breasts.

The actors are fun to watch, with the ever-amusing Graham in fine form as a guy who kisses the accounting profession goodbye in order to kick some gang members' posteriors. Stone is the cool-headed leader of the group, while Wood is established as a weak link given that he's descended into alcoholism. But this viewer would suggest that you watch this one basically for the late, great character actor Koslo, who sports an awesome hairdo, and threatens citizens while stalking the streets with flamethrower in hand. Roy Boy Jagger is simply a priceless character name.

You've likely seen all this before, but there's still fun to be had here provided that you don't take "The Annihilators" seriously at all.

Six out of 10.

Worth a look if you accept the limitations of fast filmed exploitation nonsense. It's a Vietnam buddy revenge plot to payback Paul Koslo and his street gang. The first part is a Vietnam set up, and is about what you might expect. When one of the ex soldiers is tortured and shot by Koslo and his thugs, his comrades come to deal with his killers. What follows is some inane dialog, hundreds of rounds ricocheting everywhere, and really nothing more than typical mayhem. Yet, there is a certain unexplainable viewing fixation mostly because of the rapidly spiraling out of control script. You get the expected explosions and car wrecks, and I suppose beyond that the best surprise is no surprise. - MERK