Soldiers search the grounds of an abandoned plantation in 'R-Point' (2004).
Apocalypse Now meets Ringu.
After Headquarters receives a mysterious signal from soldiers long presumed dead on an island off the Vietnamese coast, a South Korean Lieutenant must redeem a failed command by leading a search party, finding the missing men, and bringing everyone safely home.
Those with blood on their hands will not return.
Note that R-Point is not a war film; it’s a horror film with a war backdrop. Despite the training the cast members apparently actually underwent, I didn’t believe that these guys were soldiers. I must admit, though, that my favorite scene in the movie does rely on infantry tactics to provide not only a decent scare but a hint of subtext as well.
R-Point largely overcomes its derivative K-Horror trappings to become a fairly effective wartime psychological / supernatural horror tale. While there is liberal borrowing from lots of other, better movies involved, there isn’t too much evidence of mere cargo-cult filmmaking
. (If I’m right about the finale being influenced by Ghosts of Mars as much as by The Thing, R-Point may actually have improved on the source material in at least one case.)
R-Point is available on DVD. You can buy it from Amazon, rent it from Netflix, or look for a copy in your local library.
