''The Zebra Force'' (''Codename: Zebra'', USA title) is a 1976 American film directed by Joe Tornatore. The film is about a group of Vietnam War veterans who declare war on

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

s and the

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

. The film is also known as ''Code Name: Zebra'' (US) and ''Commando Zebra'' (Italy). A sequel by Joe Tornatore with

Mike Lane Michael V. Lane (January 6, 1933 – June 1, 2015) was an American actor and professional wrestler. Biography Lane's size (height 6'8" or 2.03 m, weight 275 lbs or 125 kg) led him to work in the King Bros. Circus boxing tent and wr ...

, also named ''Code Name: Zebra'' followed in 1987. The websites

Letterboxd Letterboxd ( ) is an online social cataloging service for film founded (partially with investment company Tiny since 2023) and owned by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011, and headquartered in New Zealand. Members can rate and review ...

and The Grindhouse Database list this movie as belonging to the vetsploitation subgenre.

Plot

The film opens with a raid on an illegal casino performed by a group of blacks with automatic weapons. The audience discovers the perpetrators are white disguised as blacks. The story moves to a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

flashbacks with a patrol being ambushed by the

Vietcong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the Communism, communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vi ...

, and the resulting firefight. The leader of the

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

veterans is a man known simply as the

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

who was their

platoon leader A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank ...

and disfigured in the action. Recuperating in a hospital he regroups the survivors for a series of escalating raids to not only to enrich themselves, but to wipe out organised criminal gangs involved in illegal gambling and narcotics distribution. The main protagonist of the film is Carmine Longo, a Mafia enforcer sent to meet with local chief to discover who performed the action. The two are assisted by a corrupt

Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

detective sergeant. Their suspicion falls on their only known suspects, a gang of drug dealing black criminals who deny their involvement. Longo schemes to eliminate them through their police contact who will set up a drug deal where they can be killed by the police.

Cast

as Carmine Longo * Richard X. Slattery as Charlie DeSantis *

Rockne Tarkington William Rockne Tarkington, Jr. (July 15, 1931 – April 5, 2015) was an American stage, film and television actor. Career Born in Junction City, Kansas, Tarkington began his career as a stage actor, and made the transition to television with ...

as Earl Lovington * Timothy Brown as Jim Bob Cougar * Glenn Wilder as Lieutenant Dan * Anthony Caruso as Salvatore Moreno * Stafford Morgan as Sergeant Stangman * Clay Tanner as Lieutenant Claymore * Tony Cristino as Willie * Mario Milano as Peter * David Ankrum as Art * Buddy Ochoa as Larry * Patrick Strong as Nick * Bernard Tierman as Ernie

Notes

External links

* * * *
Zebra Force at Letterboxd
1970s crime action films 1976 directorial debut films 1976 films American crime action films American vigilante films 1970s English-language films Films about veterans Films scored by Charles Bernstein Golan-Globus films Vietnam War films 1970s American films English-language crime action films {{1970s-US-film-stub