The Nick Millard Action Collection

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THE NICK MILLARD ACTION COLLECTION is part of our Vinegar Syndrome Archive collection, celebrating forgotten cinematic oddities from the video store era. This collection was inspired by our own brick & mortar video stores, with locations in Bridgeport, CT, Denver, CO, Toronto, ON, and Pittsburgh, PA (opening soon!).

Unique to this line, each hand numbered limited edition release will come fitted in a specially designed, bottom loading VHS inspired slipcase, while also including a double-sided poster.

These releases will ONLY be available on our website and at participating indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them. This spot gloss slipcase edition (designed by Luke Insect) is strictly limited to 5,000 units and and includes a 40-page perfect bound book. This release may (but probably not) be followed by a standard edition in the future.

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After a hefty career making oddball erotica, followed by the brain-melting one-two punch of the horror classics Criminally Insane and Satan's Black Wedding, director Nick Millard helmed an increasingly bizarre series of low-budget action thrillers, combining his trademarks of stolen international locales, sureally mismatched footage, demented dialogue, and some of the fastest-cut shootouts in cinema history. Welcome to THE NICK MILLARD ACTION COLLECTION. Presented here are all five of Millard's shot-on-film action, thriller, and caper features, newly restored from their original negatives and featuring a new documentary on the life and films of Nick Millard.

.357 MAGNUM (1977, 68 minutes) - Millard's action debut follows assassin John Hightower as he attempts to take down a rival hitman who has gone on an unhinged rampage. Fearing that he's not up to the task, he enlists the help of his mentor to train him to become the ultimate killing machine. The most ambitious of Millard's low-fi epics, shot on location throughout Asia, this clever caper offers an abundance of bloody shoot-outs, all the way through to its twist-filled conclusion.

ALCATRAZ BREAKOUT (aka Alcatraz 1313-0) (1978, 58 minutes) - Due to his successful escape attempts at other facilities, maximum security prisoner 1313-0 has been sent to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. While his wife and young daughter hope for his parole, he plots his most daring escape yet. Filled with sneakily stolen footage shot at Alcatraz, this was Millard's final theatrically released feature film.

ONE-ARMED WARRIOR (aka The Terrorists) (1980, 55 minutes) - James Luke is assigned the case of tracking a group of German terrorists who have been responsible for a series of brutal attacks. But when he discovers a plot to assassinate the President of the United States on an upcoming international trip, he's in a race against time to foil the deadly plan. Between typically absurd action set pieces and an abundance of location footage, this was Millard's final international mini-epic.

STREET RACE (1981, 71 minutes) — Once celebrated race car driver John Ryan is now in a crisis. His love for racing, while unchanged, is now being betrayed by his aging body, which may no longer be up to the task. Sensing his decline, a younger racer vies to steal his spotlight. Millard's attempt at a serious, character-driven drama pits actual race car driving against more nuanced and thoughtful character development. Long thought lost, and one of the "longest" films he made, STREET RACE features great international racing footage, from California's Grand Prix of Long Beach to the French Riviera's famous Formula 1 races..

SHOTGUN (aka Gunblast) (1985, 66 minutes) - Career criminal Roy Grant has spent his life in and out of prison, but his latest attempt to go straight is quickly foiled when a mysterious woman enlists his help to steal a fortune's worth of drugs and money. After pulling off the heist, the two embark on a getaway road trip, but danger is following them everywhere. A more "conventional" crime thriller than one would expect from Millard, this was his final feature edited entirely on film and offers plentiful action and surprises throughout.

directed by: Nick Millard
starring: Marland Proctor, Irmgard Millard, Nick Millard, Gary Boyd, Albert Eskinazi, Priscilla Alden, Barrett Cooper
1977-1985 / 318 min (combined) / 1.33:1 / English Mono

Additional info:

• 2-disc Region Free Blu-ray Set
  
• Newly scanned and restored in 4K from their 16mm original negatives
• Commentary track with author Brian Albright for .357 Magnum
• "Home Made Hollywood" (24 min) - a newly produced documentary on the life and films of Nick Millard
• "Do it All" (9 min) - an interview with Valerie Millard, daughter of Nick Millard
• 40-page perfect bound book with essays by Brian Albright and Charles Devlin
• Inside cover artwork
• English SDH subtitles