Customer Reviews

Tunnel Rats

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I do not jump on the bandwagon either way on Uwe's work, if there is a good film I will review it accordingly. Simply, this was a painfully tedious tunnel film, beginning to end. Will try cover in this two sections: film and features.

As far as the film goes, there was an earnest attempt at recreating the tunnels, jungle isolation and military equipment. The tedious amount of character discussion leading up to the tunnel infiltration can be a killer (32 minutes of it before the first lid is popped), then you have to stomach over 48 minutes of crawling, digging, repetitively bad writing and a non-existent command structure. There are several outdoor battle scenes quite reminiscent of Predator in the amount of M-60s being swung around one-handed, with believability made even more absent as soldiers stand by as they are blown up by their own planes (for a couple minutes mind you - I figure they should have run after the 1st bomb, or maybe the 20th, but anyway...).

The special features contain some nice tidbits for Uwe fans. There is a 14 minute interview of Uwe stating his reasons why the US lost the war in Vietnam and why the film exists. A 10 minute making-of details the thinking and locations of this film (the tunnels were actually all on a stage - not in the jungle as stated by another reviewer here). The best material comes in the form of Uwe and the other actors admitting there was no script - they all wrote their own parts and winged the whole thing. 6 minutes of rightfully deleted scenes rounds out the last feature.

A couple more things - Uwe states that the soldiers are "responsible for the war" and on more than one occasion stands by his questionable feeling that the main reason the US lost the war was because of the tunnels only...hmmm. BIG SPOILER: the worst part of this whole mess was the entire film becomes pointless when every single person from both sides is killed - makes you feel like the whole time investment in any character was moot.

Once more - I am not a hater of Uwe, but this was a very long, boring, poorly written production.

I did a year with the Air Cav in 1966-67. I've seen most Vietnam movies. The Tunnel Rats is without doubt the worst of the lot. I can only assume no one connected with the production ever set foot in country, read a book about Vietnam, watched a movie about Vietnam nor did any research into the war - even the basic technical details of their above ground base camp were completely wrong and looked more like a Boy Scout camp in Wisconsin.

The major tunnel systems began in Cambodia and Laos; the networks extended for 100's of kilometers and you certainly didn't crawl the entire distance. Some systems were so well developed there were roads complete with mechanical workshops, hospitals, barracks and substantial warehouses. While there were limited numbers of small "neighborhood" tunnel systems as depicted in this movie the majority were similar to those shown in the movie We Were Soldiers.

This movie sucked!!!

Since when did they have Blackhawks during Vietnam? I don't think I'll even attempt to watch it if the DVD jacket cover isn't somewhat historically accurate.

In 1968 Tunnel Rats (2008), director Uwe Boll shines a light on a facet of the Viet Nam conflict that is not generally recognized, the tunnel systems in the Cu Chi district of Saigon, Viet Nam, and the "tunnel rats", soldiers whose mission was to investigate tunnels, and clear them of any enemy personnel. Though actual conditions were much worse, the film does a reasonably good job of conveying some sense of what this terrifying duty may have involved. Taking you into close fitting tunnels, where soldiers with just a flashlight, a knife, and a pistol, face the possibility of horrific death deep underground.

Tunnel systems apparently began in Viet Nam in the 1940's, and became more sophisticated, after the Americans arrived and the conflict intensified. The complex tunnels at Cu Chi, were used by the Viet Cong as places of refuge, and also by the civilian populace, as places to live. Following circuitous routes, tunnels systems could be very complicated, and were often booby trapped. Large caverns where people could stand upright were also constructed. Usually deep below the surface, these spaces served as living areas, medical treatment areas, and even schools. 1968 Tunnel Rats features some of these aspects, but really provides just a tip of an iceberg's view, of how elaborate some of these systems really were.

The bulk of the action takes place during a single day, as a squad of tunnel rats is deployed from their jungle basecamp, and finds a tunnel opening while on patrol. The squad proceeds to investigate, and very shortly encounters a strong enemy presence, when a soldier is graphically skewered with a bamboo pole. After being attacked by the enemy, what remains of the squad takes refuge in the tunnels. What happens below ground may seem a little surreal, as the brutal gut level tunnel warfare is not what most are accustomed to, as when one soldier trapped between two dead bodies, must cut his way out. While the "rats" are exploring the tunnels, the US camp is under a full scale attack. The wild scenes of conventional battle, contrasts with the in close fighting underground.

Among many things discussed in the director's commentary track, Boll was seeking to make a statement about the futility of war. The film was set in 1968 because he believes it was an extremely significant period in time. And the enemy's use the tunnels was a key factor in the US failing to achieve victory, thus making this an important subject to examine.

Uwe Boll is a much maligned filmmaker, which may lead some to dismiss any project he is associated with. While his view regarding the nature of war may not be entirely cogent, he does deserve some credit for exploring this subject, and incorporating realistic elements. While the film is graphic and at times extreme, Boll could easily have made things even more gory or brutal. With a cast of mostly unknowns (save for Michael Pare), and often working from an improvised script, the film doesn't escape being clichéd or manipulative in some respects, however there is still much about it that is thought provoking, impactful, and insightful. Conflict at its most basic level, is about survival, not ideology.

Boll's commentary with director of photography Mathias Neumann, is a little rambling, but covers many key points. It is evident that due to past criticism, Boll is a little defensive at times, and hoping that people will give this film a chance. War isn't about happy endings, and even the "victors" usually suffer great losses. That sometimes there are no winners, would seem to be one of the key points of the film.

Parts of the Cu Chi tunnels are today, popular tourist attractions. Those interested in learning more, may want to investigate Tom Mangold's book The Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Harrowing Account of America's "Tunnel Rats" in the Underground Battlefields of Vietnam one the leading references on the subject.

Veterans are the toughest customers for war films. The military teaches attention to detail, and therefore we're very picky about that when it comes to movies made about our profession. After watching it I skimmed the credits and found no mention of a military advisor being used for this film(but then that was pretty obvious).

There were many things wrong with the American soldiers' uniforms and gear(name tapes of a type I've never seen, 30 round M16 mags when the only issued were 20 round mags, incorrect web gear, incorrect rucksacks, incorrect rank, the list goes on). The VC seemed to be carrying chinese AK's chambered in 5.56(judging by the magazine shape(which is very wrong, it would have been 7x39 AK's) and generally they didn't wear helmets. I don't think the film maker understood the distinction between VC and NVA.

Then comes the fighting. That the Americans keep sending soldiers in the tunnel few by few until they're all dead makes no sense. Neither does the fact that the soldiers at the tunnel entrence pulled no outward security(instead sat smoking cigarettes and talking). I doubt very much that I'd want to jump into a VC tunnel rather than fight it out above ground. The fight at the patrol base was the most ridiculous part. The base seemed to be a random collection of tents scattered in the middle of the jungle in a horrendously undefensible arrangement. Then when the attack came the Americans basically ran around and flailed their arms while the VC massacred them. I also liked that the lueitenant(who was way to old to be that rank) called in an airstrike that didn't start dropping bombs until later that night(it would probably happen within 10-15 minutes). Even if you didn't have a military advisor, simply asking yourself 'does this make any sense at all?' would have corrected the majority of these issues.]

I guess I should have expected all of this from a CANDADIAN film about an AMERICAN war. Avoid this film like the plague.

Totally bizarre, clumsily plotted, the attention to detail (there is none), special effects (lame), any sort of real acting (zero & there was no script). I think I saw a paint ball gun in a few of the scenes. If I really looked at the cover & saw the Blackhawk. I should have known better. I don't know who the director is & I don't care. Uwe Boll received a rare "Worst Career Achievement" award at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards on February 21, 2009 for 1968 Tunnel Rats. I never thought I should have to google a movie before I rent it. Okay, I lost an hour and a half of my time (which I can't get back). I just want my money back.

If you have a family member who served during the Vietnam War...don't rent or buy this!


* I forgot to add - the place where I had the misfortune to rent this. They gave me a refund, and a free rental for another movie. They said "I wasn't the only person who they gave a refund for this movie".

I wont tell you how it ends, because I could not stomach the movie for more than 28 minutes.
It looked to me like a poorly done high school production of "hey kids, lets make a war movie".
When I read that there was no script, that all the lines were improve, it explained a lot.
No plot, no direction, no character build, all in all a terrible waste of time and film.
Please, Please, do not waste even a Netfilx space on the tripe.

Uwe Boll is the kind of director that you can't help but love to hate. No matter how many universally panned films he makes, he just keeps going, and keeps churning them out one right after the other, and we still keep watching them. Personally, there's nothing I like better than to have a laugh at one of a number of Uwe's trainwrecks (House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, BloodRayne; c'mon, you know the list), but lately, the master of error has churned out some flicks that actually haven't been half bad with Postal and Seed. Tunnel Rats falls into this category as well, as this time around Uwe steps away from the video game adaptation world and focuses on a too often forgotten part of the Vietnam war, of which tunnel digging played a pivotal role in. Boll favorite Michael Pare stars as the lieutenant of a group of these soldiers, as Boll offers a bleak and unflinching look at the Vietnam war. What it lacks in terms of characterizations, Tunnel Rats more than makes up for in keeping the viewer compelled, which is a small miracle in itself. Not to mention that Boll has a keen eye for carnage here, even if the camerawork and editing isn't always as good as one may hope. Still, by the time the end credits roll, you'll probably be left thinking just what was the point of the whole thing, but at the same time, Tunnel Rats remains a surprisingly solid, violent, and gritty war flick that is worth giving a shot.

I was married to a Vietnam Veteran and cannot say enought about how this war was a waste of human life. I work for the Veteran's Hopsital and am truly shaken by what I have to type. I hold our Veterans in the highest esteem there is and I thank them daily for keeping our country safe. What these men had to go through amazes me and I watch these movies so I can get a better idea of what they had to go through.

45 years later Viet Nam is a travel destination. This movie gives the viewer a snippit of the futility, the cruelty, the frustrations on both sides, the sheer hatrated, and the senseless sacrifice that encompasssed that war. It is well done, and leaves one with the realization that a lot of the lost of life was due to the utter missmangement and bad political decisions of the time. Not for the squimish. Engrossing!