'Tunnel Rats' review by MartialHorror

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TUNNEL RATS(2008)
(Directed by Uwe Boll)

"You just got Boll'ed"- Signed by MartialHorror

Plot: In the Vietnam War, there were the ‘tunnel rats’, a group of soldiers who had to crawl in small tunnels, encountering booby traps and enemy soldiers. Also known as "1968 Tunnel Rats".

Review:

I have to admit, I had never heard of the tunnel rats before. I mean, sure, I knew that soldiers had to go into the tunnels sometimes, but I didn’t know there were actually squads that specialized in this. I had heard that Uwe Boll was doing a Vietnam war movie, but when I heard the name, I thought it would be about giant, mutated rats or something. But the idea showed promise, because I can’t think of any movie being based on these guys before. The only problem, it would seem, is that it is directed by Uwe Boll.

The film begins with a poor soldier in a tunnel. Suddenly he is stabbed from by an unseen enemy from a tunnel underneath him. We then get a slightly pretentious shot of rats crawling over him. The symbolism is a bit too clever for its own good, but at least it shows Boll is trying. Then for the next 30 minutes, we are introduced to our forgettable main characters, lead by Lt. Hollowborn(Pare). Hollowborn is kind of an *beep* as we see him execute an enemy in cold blood. Unfortunately, Uwe Boll begins to think that he’s Oliver Stone and for the first 30 minutes, it’s just these soldiers droning on about how crappy this war is and how they want to go home. Surprisingly, despite all of this character time, I don’t really remember who was who. This is what keeps “Tunnel Rats” from being a great movie. I feel for the characters and all, but only as a whole, not as individuals.

The Tunnel Rats are soldiers who must crawl through tight spaces in tunnels that can stretch up to 100 miles long. They must contend with the NVA, booby traps, animals and claustrophobia. While the majority of characters are forced to go into the tunnels after being attacked, there is also a subplot about how the enemy is assaulting the base. To be honest, I think they should’ve cut out a bit from the base attack. The low budget becomes apparent and I believe that the most successful scenes are in the tunnels.

“Tunnel Rats” is not a great movie at all. Uwe Boll’s attempt at drama comes across as mawkish, and at times, I had almost chuckled. It’s clear that Boll was a fan of “Platoon”, because he attempts to recreate many of the narrative devises. There is an evil leader, who seems to have lost all traces of morality. There are lines like “There is no black and white, only gray”, “It’s all about survival out here”, “Do you ever get scared?”(stupid question), and a character even starts ranting about his sick mother. Incidentally, Boll claims that all the dialogue was improvised and that there was no real script. This is an intriguing gimmick, and to be honest, it works better than I expected. No one talks over their co-stars(which is what I feared the most) and it probably has the best dialogue to appear in a Uwe Boll picture. But I can’t help but feel that the actors tried too hard to get in ‘dramatic’ scenes so that they can improve their repertoire. But it doesn’t really work because “Tunnel Rats” isn’t a character drama. I personally saw this as a story about madness. Boll spends some time with the NVA(North Vietnamese Army), and they are portrayed fairly sympathetically. One member hates the U.S because he witnessed 3 soldiers raping a woman. The U.S soldiers hate the NVA for everything that they do to them. Everyone seems to be going a little crazy, and putting them into those tunnels just makes it worse for both sides.

It is the tunnel sequences that turn it into a psychological horror film. You never know what’s going to happen, and Uwe Boll does a good job at keeping the tension high. Some of these traps seem elaborate, perhaps too elaborate. But this really does help you worry about these poor souls. Furthermore, I am claustrophobic, so I can completely relate to what these guys must be feeling. Just the thought of doing what these men do give me the shivers. Hell, just thinking about being an actor in this movie also gives me the shivers. So it's not even that I can relate, because I've never been put through that. But if I did......I'd pee my pants. While the film is pretty nihilistic, there is a rare sighted hope buried underneath all these tunnels. Man is just a victim of its own violent nature, as well as nature itself. Uwe Boll is known for his almost futile downer endings, and I won’t tell you that “Tunnel Rats” is any better. But you see that amidst all this terror, NVA and U.S troops are able to show compassion and help each other against a much more dangerous threat, which are the tunnels themselves. Boll shows a sentimental side that he never has before, and I look at that as growth.

So why does everyone else seem to hate “Tunnel Rats” anyway? Reviews claim that the pacing is tedious, although I never found it to be boring. Perhaps the tunnel scenes won’t do much for people who can’t relate to the fear of being in small, cramped places. I’ve also heard claims that none of the characters are sympathetic. I disagree. While they do become a bit too emotional to be taken seriously as professionals, I never found myself disliking them. It also helps that the actors turn in solid performances. The only exception is Michael Pare(Hollowborn), who is pretty one dimensional. Ironic, as he is the most famous name amongst the cast. I’ve also heard criticisms of the historical accuracy. I can understand this, but do you really think general audiences will notice that the uniforms aren’t right? I think that the real reason people hate it is because it’s a Uwe Boll movie in general. It’s as if they hate him for nostalgic purposes. After all, if they really hated him, why would they continue watching his films? They WANT to hate his movies, and even have fun hating them. To detractors, he will always be the guy who directed “House of the Dead”. I think the extreme negative reaction to “Seed”(his most effective movie to date) shows that his critics have become a bit too comfortable in attacking him. It’s a shame too, because while Boll still is far off from becoming a great director, he has improved in his craft quite a bit.

Violence: Rated R worthy. It’s pretty graphic, and I was a bit annoyed at how the violence was used for exploitation value. It wasn’t meant to be realistic.

Nudity: None.

Overall: Watch “Tunnel Rats”, expecting a low budget, claustrophobic, psychological horror film. Don’t expect an epic war film along the lines of “Apocalypse Now” or “Platoon”. While it has an awkward start, it soon becomes an edgy, gritty film that kept me on the edge of my seat. Maybe my trysts with Italian and Hong Kong exploitation garbage has dulled my tastes, but I found myself in the shoes of the tunnel rats. That to me, is what cinema is all about. Especially when it comes to horror films.

3/4 Stars



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