VECTOR ZERO

VECTOR ZERO (1987) · Golan Crest Pictures · A Canyon Home Video Release · Rated R · approx. 91 minutes
Directed by Rick Torsney · Written by Doug Tremaine · Produced by Hal Brandis
Director of Photography László Fehér · Music by Gerald Plass · Edited by M. Okonek
Executive Producers Sy Nadler and Burt Nadler

Dak Brannon plays Tom Reznick, an ex-Army Corps demolitions engineer who quit after "what happened at Bell Valley" (never fully explained — see Trivia). He gets pulled back in when THE COLONEL (Walt Mercer, incredible) takes over an unfinished dam project with a stolen device and a countdown. Leigh Castelle plays Angela Voss, the state engineer who figures out the valley readings are, and I quote, "off the chart."

The middle 40 minutes are Reznick working his way through the dam site taking out the Colonel's men one at a time, mostly with tools that would be at a construction site, which I respect. The whole thing builds to the flooded spillway and the famous last exchange (QUOTES page, obviously) and then the dam goes. The dam GOES. For a video release in 1987 the destruction at the end is absolutely unbelievable. See Trivia for how they did it.

What is the vector? What is vector ZERO? The movie never says. The Colonel says it isn't real. Reznick never asks again. This has been argued about on this page's guestbook (when it worked), by email, and one time in person at a yard sale. My position is on the Trivia page.

DAK BRANNON as Tom Reznick — his best role, and I will not be taking questions about Steel Habit (1990).
LEIGH CASTELLE as Angela Voss — deserved her own movie. Her delivery of the trigger line is perfect.
WALT MERCER as "The Colonel" — the Colonel is never given a name in the entire film. Not once. Walt Mercer reportedly stayed in character between setups, which considering the character, means he just stood somewhere and looked at things.