Dennis Hunt

Harry Wingate, a rugged adventurer, is hired by a gem collector to retrieve a priceless opal, known as "The Blue Lightning," from Lester McInally, a super-criminal with an army of killers operating in the Australian outback.

The action moves along quickly, jumping over holes in the script, in this made-for-television drama about Eve, an ex-terrorist from Germany who is forced to escape to Australia with her teenage daughter Chrissie when she is sought by Riley, a lover from 17 years in the past. In turn, the IRA has sent two members after Riley because he shot an IRA soldier and must pay the consequences. The two IRA operatives looking for Riley come across a really nasty biker who wants vengeance on Eve for setting his car on fire -- and the three men finally track her and Chrissie to the wine-growing country of Barossa Valley. The final denouement is about to explode, as Riley also arrives on the scene. With under-par acting and a patchy plot, this film was never released theatrically.

The plot centres on Queensland's Gold Coast in the early 1980s, when a disgraced former cop, Michael Stacey writes a book exposing police corruption, does an investigation resulting in 2 murders, exposes a religious cult and watches the army begin a military coup.

During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.