A Dangerous Summer

A Dangerous Summer (aka Flash Fire) is a 1982 Australian crime film drama film directed by Quentin Masters and starring Tom Skerritt, Ian Gilmour, Guy Doleman and James Mason.

Premise
Howard Anderson, a restless and discontented American, goes to Australia to team up with an old associate, Julian Fane. They plan the construction of a holiday resort.

While Anderson is a builder who takes pride in his work, Fane's only motive in building is to burn down the resort in an insurance fraud. He hires an arsonist to carry out the work.

Unfortunately, Fane's plans are triggered too soon and result in murder. Anderson, suspicious about events, forms an alliance with George Engels, an insurance investigator.

Cast

 * Tom Skerritt as Howard Anderson
 * Ian Gilmour
 * Guy Doleman as Julian Fane
 * James Mason as George Engels
 * Giselle Morgan
 * Shane Porteous as Sergeant Goodwin
 * Ray Barrett as F.C.O. Webster
 * Norman Kaye as Percy Farley
 * Wendy Hughes as Sophie McCann

Production
The film was inspired by the Sydney bush fires of the 1979-80 summer. John Seale shot footage of the fire which Brian Trenchard-Smith turned into a 25-minute film, That Dangerous Summer. It was then announced this material would be used by Trenchard Smith in a feature version of the story, to be called Bushfire. In the end, Trenchard-Smith did not direct, and Quentin Masters did. Actor Ian Gilmour broke his leg during filming.

Fiilming was delayed due to an injury to James Mason. The film was originally budgeted at $2.3 million.

Box office
 A Dangerous Summer  grossed $33,000 at the box office in Australia.