The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
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.
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Sorry, this movie sucks
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
One of many tight budgeted, well acted films with a good cast and script produced by Australia back in the 70's and 80's and so absent today.This film shows the difference between Australian and US forces in Vietnam is mirrored in film production differences between the two countries. There are no huge explosions, flotillas of helicopters or A grade actors rather; characters that are believable and whose pain is felt when their comrades are killed.This is no fairytale either as only two of the main characters survive unscathed. All the others are either killed or (Bryan Brown) maimed beyond recognition.
ignore all the reviews saying this is a good film, personally i found it to be nothing like what was portrayed in full metal jacket, platoon or any of the other Vietnam films in fact it felt like an old dads army film complete with bad jokes and terrible music. All the jokes made in the film were really lame and staged and no effort was made to give any of the characters in the film any character, i didn't even know any of their names. The movie had no plot and to top it off the music at the end is absolutely shocking i had to turn it down and watch it in silence before actually turning it off early and cursing having wasted an hour and a half of my life on it. I then apologised to my friends for putting through such a lame movie and we all laughed and agreed it was the biggest load of crap we had all ever watched. VERY FRUSTRATING
I have seen this movie many times and never tire of it. Knowing people that were involved in the conflict I believe that this is how they acted. Graham Kennedy is excellent as Harry as are the other actors. It is a no holds barred account of the soldiers time in the jungles of Vietnam. Showing the soldiers personal side to the story only makes this film better.This movie is also now available on DVD. It is well worth obtaining a copy as this movie is well worth keeping in any persons DVD library. This is one the better made Australian movies and future generations will also enjoy watching an account of a turbulent time in world history.
Terribly underrated, and generally unknown in the US. Although the film deals with Australian troops in Viet Nam, this could very easily have been any of the US units. Any of us who served on the ground there will recognize these men as buddies we knew. The combat sequences in this film are among the best ever filmed, and until "Platoon" came along, it was one of the few films that portrayed the combat experience in Viet Nam as it really was. Like "84 Charlie MoPic", it's a small film that tells a large story without beating you over the head with its message. When people ask me which are the best films about that endless mess in Viet Nam, this is one of the first films I refer them to (along with "MoPic"). My VHS copy is just about worn out; I never tire of its grim humor and honest story. (USMC, Viet Nam 67-69)