The Odd Angry Shot (1979)

In between drinking cans of Fosters beer, Australian soldiers tread on a few landmines, and generally experience the war in Vietnam.

Director:

Tom Jeffrey

Writers:

Tom Jeffrey (screenplay), William L. Nagle (adapted from the novel by: "The Odd Angry Shot") (as William Nagle)

Stars:

Graham Kennedy, John Hargreaves, John Jarratt

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Graham Kennedy	...	Harry
John Hargreaves	...	Bung
John Jarratt	...	Bill
Bryan Brown	...	Rogers
Graeme Blundell	...	'Dawson' / Dawson
Richard Moir	...	Medic
Ian Gilmour	...	Scott
Graham Rouse	...	The Cook
John Allen	...	Lieut. Golonka
Tony Barry	...	Black Ronnie
Brandon Burke	...	Isaacs
John Fitzgerald	...	Intelligence Corporal
Mike Harris	...	Sergent Major
Johnny Garfield	...	Padre
Ray Meagher	...	Range Corporal

Storyline

A group of Australian SAS regiment soldiers are deployed to Vietnam around 1967/8 and encounter the realities of war, from the numbing boredom of camp life and long range patrols, raids and ambushes where nothing happens, to the the terror of enduring mortar barrages from an unseen enemy. Men die and are crippled in combat by firefights and booby traps, soldiers kill and capture the enemy, gather intelligence and retake ground only to cede it again whilst battling against the bureaucracy and obstinacy of the conventional military hierarchy. In the end they return to civilization, forever changed by their experiences but glad to return to the life they once knew.

---

Plot Keywords:

pubic hair | male pubic hair | shared shower | outdoor shower | male nudity | 

---

Taglines:

In Vietnam, the name of the game is survival.

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | War

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Academia de Herois

Filming Locations:

Canungra, Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samson Productions Pty. Ltd., The Australian Film Commission, New South Wales Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, and famously, the Australian military forces who command the Canungra Army Land Warfare Center in south-east Queensland, Australia unprecedentedly and wholeheartedly gave their support to this movie to film there whilst previously and only recently, they had turned down the Apocalypse Now (1979) production from filming at the very same Canungra military region location.

---

Goofs

During the contact on the bridge scene, white painted lane lines are shown on the road, something not seen in rural Vietnam but present in Australia.

---

Quotes

Rogers: Welcome to Patrol 2-2, specialists in arson, murder and drinking!

---

Connections

Featured in 40,000 Years of Dreaming (1997)

---

Soundtracks

Who Cares, Anyway
Sung by Normie Rowe
© Leeds Music Pty Ltd

User Reviews

A "Must See" Vietnam war movie

I have seen this film 2-3 times and it haunts me still. Absolutely one of THE best Vietnam war films. It stands (in my humble opinion) right at the top of the tree above "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon". The attention to detail, the painstaking portrayal of military ops (endless preparation and all...), the loooooong periods of boredom interspersed with the short, frantic, terrifying engagements with the enemy... Perhaps most tellingly, the grim gallows humour of the men right at the sharp end, the men actually doing the job who in the midst of all the horror, manage to ease the stress by finding the funny side of it all. A film you don't see shown that often. If you get the chance, see it. I guarantee you will not forget it.