1968 Tunnel Rats (2008)

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.

Director:

Uwe Boll

Writers:

Dan Clarke (story) (as Daniel Clarke), Uwe Boll

Stars:

Michael Paré, Wilson Bethel, Mitch Eakins

2 wins.

Cast

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

Storyline

During the Vietnam War the U.S. Army brass decides to create a special unit called the Tunnel Rats. Their main mission is to clean-up the Viet-Cong network of tunnels found in the Cu-Chi district outside the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon.The tunnels have become a major nuisance for the U.S. Forces stationed around and inside Saigon. From these tunnels the Viet-Cong can launch devastating and unexpected attacks on any nearby American base as well as on Saigon itself. After the attacks the Viet-Cong forces disappear into the extensive network of tunnels as fast as they appeared, leaving the pursuing Americans empty-handed. The first Tunnel Rats units arrive in the Cu-Chi district in 1968 and they are special-trained to fight hand-to-hand combats underground. They can only rely on a flashlight, a knife and a pistol to try to flush the enemy out. The tunnels, varying in size and length, are booby-trapped with mines and grenades, punji sticks, tripwires, poisonous snakes and enemy ...

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Plot Keywords:

vietnam | tunnel | jungle | no survivors | death of protagonist | 

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Taglines:

Hell Is For Heroes

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong war violence and language

Details

Country:

Canada Germany

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

13 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

1968 Tunnel Rats

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Boll, Horst Hermann Medienproduktion, Tunnel Rats Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Won a Golden Raspberry Award despite being released in only one theatre in the United States: Worst Director for Uwe Boll (also for Schwerter des Königs - Dungeon Siege (2007) and Postal (2007)).

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Goofs

According to the 1968 year depicted in the movie, soldiers should be wearing slant pocket jackets and pants.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Far Cry (2009)

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Soundtracks

In the Year 2525
Written by Rick Evans
Performed by Zager & Evans

User Reviews

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.