The Stick (1988) User Reviews

An attempt to capture the South African infantryman's experience of the war in Angola, The Stick is nearly there, but not quite.

[wheeltapper · 6/10 · 1 September 2005]

Made at a time when South Africa was heavily embroiled in a big punch-up in Angola, The Stick was bound to incur the considerable wrath of the authorities. In fact, worse was yet to come (Cuito Cuanavale) but we didn't know it then. The Stick is often compared to Oliver Stone's Platoon but it is both a grittier and yet less satisfying portrait of men at war. It suffers greatly from having the players dressed in non-SADF uniforms, operating in an nameless African country, and yet it's obviously supposed to be the SADF in Angola. As a result the film is reduced to allegory and we are left with the situation that no film-maker (and few writers) have adequately explored the effects of the Angolan war and South Africa's long-winded role in it. But the performances are superb and accurate. The O'Grady character is typical of the sociopaths that one found in just about every SADF platoon, no matter which branch of service. The tension between the rank and file, and the underlying tension between the English-speaking and Afrikaans conscripts is finely pitched. As a record of the SADF experience, The Stick is pretty good. But, still, it could use a re-make.

Don't be thrown of looking for a B movie

[tsimms-64083 · 7/10 · 18 March 2020]

This movie, although it seems like a B one, it really is a great watch if you get a chance. This can be remade in 2020 and make a great story plot.

Worst South African "war" film ever

[jackvs · 1/10 · 12 June 2009]

While the acting and directing could be argued as having some merit - the storyline is a very poor wannabe Vietnam movie with the country name simply changed.

At the very least, for a movie to hold some credibility, try and have some semblance of accuracy in equipment, weapons and tactics. Nevermind the gross misrepresentation of the behaviour of the troops as a norm.

Aside for the limited use as silly propaganda about the South African Defence Force, it serves little purpose - definitely no entertainment value.

Aspiring movie makers - this is how not to make a war movie. Do some research, and have some pride in your product.

Why aren't there more horror films of this caliber?

[peter-1650 · 8/10 · 8 February 2006]

The Stick is not only the best South African film I have seen, its definitely in my top 10 list of movies of any genre I have ever seen.

The direction is engaging and the photography top class. The script is solid and very good in that its believable if you familiar with eerie world of witch doctor medicine, which makes it very scary. Underlying the story; the senseless killing and confusion of the South African apartheid state of mind is portrayed in a controversial way, which I thought added an interesting tension to the script. Most of which caused it to be heavily banned. So I don't think there are many people on the planet who have seen it. Lucky for those who have. The landscape and content make this film uniquely South African, but its one any horror fan would enjoy.

Truly a great and very different horror film.

A doomed mission

[jrp-1 · 9/10 · 5 July 2004]

Darrell Roodt takes the viewer through a surreal journey as we see how a group of men lose their sanity. The Angola war was a sensitive subject at the time and this film was not welcomed by the government of 1988. The film is often described as being anti-war, but that is up to the viewer since the film only shows humanity at its worst in fact. The characters in the film don't really seem to change much, but more of them are revealed as they suffer more. Some snap, some panic, the film shows it all and I guess you can call it an anti-war film if you feel people aren't capable of acting responsibly when put under this kind of pressure. The direction is solid and the script seems realistic. Well worth a watch and certainly one of Darrell's best films.

Running scared

[michael.drost · 8/10 · 18 February 2002]

Although it has been a some time since I've seen this movie, it seems to have stuck quite well. The actors manage to convey quite clearly the effect the events have on them as their companions drop off one by one.

The viewer, like the main characters, never really sees what it is that has them running but whatever it is that's scaring them will have you scared as well.