Commando Squad (1987)

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Commando Squad is a 1987 American action film directed by Fred Olen Ray, starring Kathy Shower, Brian Thompson and William Smith. Shower stars as a tough U.S. cop who travels to Mexico to help her ex-boyfriend and fellow crime fighter, who has run afoul of a drug cartel led by a disgraced colleague.

Production

An early incarnation of the film, written and to be directed by Herb Freed, was in the works at Trans World Entertainment circa 1984, with Mike Norris in the lead, in the first of a two-picture deal with Trans World. In 1985, the project was retooled as a girls with guns film starring Sybil Danning and Israeli actress Anat Atzmon, with Fred Olen Ray now attached to direct.

However, the film was delayed and went through more rewrites. Concurrently, Danning was replaced by recently anointed Playmate of the Year Kathy Shower, in her first feature starring role. Danning threatened a $1.5 million lawsuit against TWE, alleging that they had only hired her to raise international financing before dropping her.

Dawn Wildsmith, who appears as Consuela, became Ray's wife one week before filming. Although Tané McClure's manager husband had placed one of her songs in Ray's earlier film Armed Response, her casting in Commando Squad did not stem from that and she just showed up for the audition on her own. Ray, who always enjoyed hiring old Hollywood stars, cast Marie Windsor in what turned out to be her final role.

Filming actually took place in November 1986 at a budget of $750,000. This marked the first collaboration between Ray and his frequent cinematographer Gary Graver. Graver had been recommended three years prior by fellow producer George Edwards, with whom Ray shared an office, but until then, he had never had a backer who would afford Graver's rate. Lucky Brown's MovieTech studios in Van Nuys were used for interior sets.

The script called for a number of night scenes, but nobody wanted to work late. Ray opted for earlier call times, which allowed him to finish day scenes in advance and shoot the night scenes in the second part of the afternoon, as the canyon got dark before true sunset. The cartel camp was erected especially for the movie by set building company Tom Stasinis Productions. It was entirely destroyed for the climax, which was shot over three days.

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