R-Point (2004)
7/10
Ethereal, sometimes confusing, but with some genuine chills...
13 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I really enjoyed R-Point, actually. The Korean War really worked as a setting for a horror film and the locations were just the right side of spooky, even in full sunlight.

I won't go into too much detail, but there are some moments that did unnerve me a little. I don't spook easily, but when the lagging soldier takes the wrong fork in the trail and comes up behind 'his' platoon, I was far more chilled by the lack of anything really happening than some hackneyed 'boo' moment. Like Ringu, The Eye or several other Eastern horror films, R-Point relied more on creating an atmosphere than on gore or 'jumpy' bits.

Acting was very good, and each soldier was believable in their own right - no stupid caricatures here, as are found in many films that place a bunch of squaddies somewhere they don't want to be (often aping, yet never bettering the 'Predator' lineup).

The last section of the film was a little muddled, although there were plenty of things I did like there too. The Americans, for example (again, I won't spoil it).

Really, the only reason this film doesn't score an 8 or a 9 from me is the culture clash prevalent in many Far East films when watched by a Western viewer; some of the plotting/exposition made little sense to me, not having been immersed in the culture at any point in reality.

Well worth a watch, particularly if you like films with atmosphere and a healthy 'creep-factor'.
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