Plot: Three embattled soldiers escort an old school bus carrying a group of missionaries deep into enemy territory.
In the 80’s there was a new action/war movie set in Vietnam every few weeks; they usually had amazing posters (see blow) which promised something epic, but the final product was usually anything but.
In 1985 Ferdinando Baldi (under the name Ted Kaplan) directed War Bus, an Italian movie which has some impressive action scenes. It rarely goes more than a few minutes without huge explosions, gunfire and even some fights.
The characters aren’t especially memorable aside from Major Kutran (Ernie Zarate) who is mostly the voice of reason. The concept of a group of soldiers using a school bus as a moving fortress is an awesome one and this is another movie I wouldn’t be upset about if it got a remake. The dubbing isn’t the greatest, but I’ve seen worse and it just adds to the entertainment value.
There is something about these low budget flicks from the 80’s that I can and do watch them all the time; you’re guaranteed plenty of explosions and a high bodycount; after all, what more could you want from an action picture? Sure, maybe better dialogue and more interesting characters would help, but as a movie which is practically one huge action scene I enjoy it for what it is.
Overall, War Bus is your classic low budget 80’s nam-sploitation flick with plenty of explosions, poor dubbing and bland characters; it’s the action we’re here for and on that front it delivers.
