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Psychotronic Film Society presents: Richard Harrison Birthday Salute: “Fireback!”

  • The Sentient Bean 13 East Park Avenue Savannah, GA, 31401 United States (map)

8 p.m. showtime, with $7 admission and discounts on craft beer and organic wine during the film.

The Psychotronic Film Society’s long-running Wednesday night series continues with a special 81st birthday salute to American cult film actor Richard Harrison (“Ninja Terminator,” “Challenge of the Tiger,” “Scorpion Thunderbolt,” “South Pacific”). In his honor, they’ll present an exceedingly rare public screening of the low-budget Filipino exploitation flick “Fireback!”

Directed by Teddy Page (infamous for his mastery of creating cinematic havoc on a non-existent budget), it’s the gritty tale of U.S. military weapons expert Jack Kaplan (Harrison) who winds up a POW in Vietnam (or Cambodia or Laos, it’s never clear), and upon returning to the U.S. learns his wife has been kidnapped. While trying to find and rescue her, he’s framed for murder by a team of gangsters and winds up a fugitive.

Luckily, he can rely on his copious soldiering skills (and a bizarre weapon that seemingly combines a crossbow, shotgun and bazooka) to help him elude the bad guys who’d prefer him dead. Filled with laughably inane dialogue, amateurish acting, ineptly staged fight sequences and stunts, plus characters with names like “Panther,” “Digger” and “Man with the Golden Hand,” it’s a ridiculous, guilty pleasure of an action flick that’s earned a solid rep among cult film aficionados as one of the most enjoyable “Z-grade” revenge movies of its kind. Never released on DVD anywhere in the world, this will be the best-quality uncut print of this schlock rarity known to exist.