The Chain Reaction

The Chain Reaction (also known as Chain Reaction) is a 1980 Australian independent action/disaster/thriller film directed and written by Ian Barry. The film stars Steve Bisley, also starring in the film Mad Max (1979) and Arna-Maria Winchester. The film's plot is about an engineer badly injured in an accident caused by an earthquake. He knows that the nuclear waste will poison the groundwater and wants to warn the public. The movie features many actors who were in Mad Max, among them Mel Gibson as a bearded mechanic, though he doesn't appear in the title credits. The taglines used in advertising the film included "A fast drive to Paradise turns into a nuclear nightmare!" and "Mad Max meets The China Syndrome"; the latter referring to the car chase and nuclear accident. The film is not to be confused with Chain Reaction, a 1996 American film of the same name. The film was rated M in Australia.