R-Point (2004)

Effective Korean action thriller.

There have been many, mainly American films about the Vietnam War. Since the mid-70s after the end of the war until today, a number of films have been made with Vietnam as a theme: Apocalypse Now, Pluto, Good Morning Vietnam, Born on the Fourth of July: The list could be made long. It is perhaps a way for Hollywood to pay tribute to its soldiers. Although the war ended 50 years ago, Vietnam is its own chapter in American history. The war and its horrors are still remembered in various ways. More than 2´000 American soldiers are still missing. Many of those who came home had experienced terrible experiences and were never the same again.

The Korean action horror film R-Point takes place in 1972. A group of 9 soldiers are sent out to an area called R-Point to search for soldiers who had previously been there and had not returned. They have 5 days to find their missing comrades. There shouldn't be any problems. They are all young, strong and brave. What few of them know or care about is that a temple in the area is built on a cemetery where Chinese soldiers who killed a lot of Vietnamese buried them. It was many years ago, but it's probably just as well to respect the final resting place of the dead.

The young soldiers also like to have a little fun and joke with each other, like hiding from their comrades and not answering the calls of the others. It's fun when it's temporary, but it can sometimes be a little creepy if everyone suddenly just disappears as if they've been swallowed by the earth. It's a feeling that you sometimes get to experience: Everyone seems to be suddenly gone, without any explanation. Now you might think that they can't find each other because of the many weeds and trees out in the field, but that's not all. Inside the old temple that serves as a temporary camp, strange things also happen. Things seem to be replaced, things seem to have moved without anyone touching them and unexplainable things start to happen. The soldiers start to get irritated, even tired and angry at each other. No one wants to pretend to be a pussy because those who seem weak are easily teased by others. You feel a little paranoid: What is happening? It's eerie. You almost feel that something unpleasant is going to happen.

R-Point is, in my opinion, like a mix of Blair Witch Project where a group of happy young people go out into the woods and the interesting horror My Little Eye where 5 young people find themselves in a guarded house. In this case, you are not locked in a house and can move around outside too, but what good is that when you still seem to be guarded? The confusion increases. No one and nothing seems to be what you think. You can't even trust your own comrades.

R-Point is a surprisingly good action horror film. It is effective, the atmosphere is intense and the pulse is constantly rising. There are virtually no special effects. Yet it manages to scare the viewer to death. Clearly worth seeing and interesting. In both its home country of Korea and the rest of Asia, this film has been well received by audiences, topping the charts and breaking box office records. It is a nail-biter that keeps the viewer in its grip until the end. An action horror that is perfect for the quiet summer. It is possible that you will want to see it more than once!

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i dont even know what or where to begin with this movie, I'm a big fan of horror/ghost type movies so i guess that's what attracted me to this movie. Basic summary w/out any spoilers…. military sent to a deserted island to find out what happened to another military unit that disappeared 6 months ago blah blah blah. the acting was great i think the cast work very well together. the music…cant remember much. id rewatch it just so i can show some of my friends because its just one of those movies you have to see at least once. Overall this movie is ridiculous(in a good way). Everything starts off okay and then goes to complete shit. You will either like it or hate it. ^^

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