R-POINT

TARTAN

RELEASED 16 September 2005

Vietnam. The war America lost. Subject of classics such as ‘Platoon’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’. And now the background for a South Korean ghost story.

It’s 1972, and a bunch of Korean soldiers are sent onto an jungle island to find a missing platoon of nine, presumed dead. Oddly, radio messages are still being received, apparently from the missing men. ‘Come in Butterfly. Donkey Three, come in Butterfly. We’re dying out here!’ On their way in, they pass an ominous sign reading, ‘If you have blood on your hands, you can't go back.’

I must admit, I didn’t know the (then) Republic of Korea sent the second largest amount of troops into the Vietnam war. 250,000 troops apparently, with North Korea supporting the Vietnamese, with jet fighters no less. The ‘R-Point’ (Romeo Point) of the title refers to a once strategically important region 150km south of Ho Chi Minh City.

The story starts off well, capturing the coarse banter between the soldiers, and setting up the mysterious jungle atmosphere with some nice cinematography. Proceedings have an edgy feel, with the soldiers nerves becoming increasingly fraught. Things seem to be moving around them in the bush, and the swath of green uniforms and green foliage certainly don’t help. There’s very little gore, leaving things mainly to the imagination. Unfortunately, the plot doesn’t really develop further than the basic premise. The mystery remains a mystery, a spooky woman wanders around, and the soldiers vanish into the jungle. What starts as a promising chiller rumbles along to a vague and unsatisfying end.

TWO OUT OF FIVE