Tunnel Rats (2008)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Uwe Boll

Writers:

Uwe Boll (screenplay)
Dan Clarke (story)

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War

Tagline:

Hell Is For Heroes

Plot:

During the Vietnam War [1959-1975] a special US combat unit is sent out to hunt and kill the Viet Cong soldiers in a man-to-man combat in the endless tunnels underneath the jungle of Vietnam. Suicide squads of a special kind. |

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Michael Paré	...	Sergeant Vic Hollowborn
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wilson Bethel	...	Corporal Dan Green
Adrian Collins	...	Private Dean Garraty
Scott Cooper	...	Private Joseph Walderson
Mitch Eakins	...	Private Peter Harris
Erik Eidem	...	Private Carl Johnson
Brandon Fobbs	...	Private Samuel Graybridge
Jane Le	...	Vo Mai
Scott Ly	...	Tran, Huy
Rocky Marquette	...	Private Terence Verano
Garikayi Mutambirwa	...	Private Jonathan Porterson
Nate Parker	...	Private Jim Lidford
Brad Schmidt	...	Sgt. Mike Heaney
Jeffrey Christopher Todd	...	Private Bob Miller
John Wynn	...	Nguyen Van Chien

Also Known As:

1968 Tunnel Rats (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong war violence and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Canada | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | UK:18 | New Zealand:R16 | USA:R (certificate #45345) | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Company:

Boll

Trivia:

Won a Golden Raspberry Award despite being released in only one theatre in the United States: Worst Director for Uwe Boll (also for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (2007) and Postal (2007)).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The small American base camp depicted is set in heavy jungle terrain without the ability to see it's own perimeters. This would be fine if this was during WWII in the Pacific, to hide from Japanese aircraft. But in Vietnam the jungle would have been cleared with "kill zones" in place for camp defenders. Outer and inner multiple barbed wire fences would be around the perimeter of the camp. This defensive construction strategy would prevent such a surprise invasion attack as portrayed in the film.

Incredibly intense

Another unfortunate film meeting "we hate the director because the internet told us to" preconceptions, 1968 Tunnel Rats is a complete success in what it sets out to do - create an overwhelming sense of fear and claustrophobia.

There are war movies, and there are horror movies. This is both. Yet, there is no Predator creature jumping around, no crazy virus, no hallucinations, no. The war is scary enough itself.

There's no patriotic propaganda here, neither is there any political anti-war message, the movie just shows us how scary life as a soldier could be. This is the kind of fear which is felt by real people, every day.

A highly recommended film if you like tension and suspense. More accessible than SEED, more mature than Alone in the Dark.