All the movies released by legendary label Tartan Asia Extreme are at least average and in most cases great or even brilliant. R-Point is however one of the more ordinary releases and only qualifies as plain average movie. This Korean military drama with supernatural elements is only for the most faithful fans of Asian cinema.
The story takes places in Vietnam in the early seventies. Several people among the military personnel are preparing themselves for returning home after an arduous tour in hotsile territory. However, the South Korean base then receives a mysterious radio transmission from a platoon that disappearaed without a trace half a year ago. The high-command assigns a decorated lieutenant to lead a squad with eight soldiers to search and rescue the missing soldiers whose last transmissions came from a location described as Romeo Point. Upon arriving at the isolated location, the military personnel is ambushed by a mysterious Vietnamese woman who doesn't speak a single word. Up next, they discover an old temple with mysterious warning signs. Then, they discover a dilapidated mansion in the middle of the fog where they decide to set up camp. The military personnel is then contacted by American military personnel who also warn them and tell them that this location is haunted. While the South Koreans are still unable to find members of the missing platoon, they receive strange radio transmissions by a French soldier who is looking for his twin brother. The different events become more and more mysterious and the rescue mission soon becomes a fight for sanity and survival.
This military drama with supernatural elements convinces on a few levels. First of all, there aren't too many movies about South Korean involvement in the Vietnam War, so it's interesting to discover such an unusual perspective of that dreadful conflict. Some of the locations are quite diversified, intriguing and unique. Especially the old temple and the dilapidated mansion ooze with atmosphere. The movie includes a few interesting events that keep viewers watching until the very end. Especially the mysterious Vietnamese woman who keeps appearing around the soldiers and the gloomy meeting with the American soldiers are quite memorable in that regard.
This film however also has several downsides. First of all, the plot is quite thin and especially the outcome of this movie is underwhelming and ends the movie on an unsatisfactorily low note. Up next, the different characters are barely fleshed out. Including nine characters among the rescue mission for a movie of only one hundred seven minutes is too ambitious. It would have been a much better option to focus on five strong characters and develop significant ties between one another. Another issue is that this movie has been marketed as a horror movie. However, the film might be mysterious but certainly not scary. Yelling loud menaces with foul vocabulary doesn't make for an ominous atmosphere.
At the end of the day, R-Point is an average military drama with decent supernatural elements and a few intriguing locations but weak characters and plot as well as an absence of scary scenes. The movie is only recommended to the most faithful fans of Asian cinema but can be ignored by anyone who isn't an adamant collector of Tartan Asia Extreme releases.
The story takes places in Vietnam in the early seventies. Several people among the military personnel are preparing themselves for returning home after an arduous tour in hotsile territory. However, the South Korean base then receives a mysterious radio transmission from a platoon that disappearaed without a trace half a year ago. The high-command assigns a decorated lieutenant to lead a squad with eight soldiers to search and rescue the missing soldiers whose last transmissions came from a location described as Romeo Point. Upon arriving at the isolated location, the military personnel is ambushed by a mysterious Vietnamese woman who doesn't speak a single word. Up next, they discover an old temple with mysterious warning signs. Then, they discover a dilapidated mansion in the middle of the fog where they decide to set up camp. The military personnel is then contacted by American military personnel who also warn them and tell them that this location is haunted. While the South Koreans are still unable to find members of the missing platoon, they receive strange radio transmissions by a French soldier who is looking for his twin brother. The different events become more and more mysterious and the rescue mission soon becomes a fight for sanity and survival.
This military drama with supernatural elements convinces on a few levels. First of all, there aren't too many movies about South Korean involvement in the Vietnam War, so it's interesting to discover such an unusual perspective of that dreadful conflict. Some of the locations are quite diversified, intriguing and unique. Especially the old temple and the dilapidated mansion ooze with atmosphere. The movie includes a few interesting events that keep viewers watching until the very end. Especially the mysterious Vietnamese woman who keeps appearing around the soldiers and the gloomy meeting with the American soldiers are quite memorable in that regard.
This film however also has several downsides. First of all, the plot is quite thin and especially the outcome of this movie is underwhelming and ends the movie on an unsatisfactorily low note. Up next, the different characters are barely fleshed out. Including nine characters among the rescue mission for a movie of only one hundred seven minutes is too ambitious. It would have been a much better option to focus on five strong characters and develop significant ties between one another. Another issue is that this movie has been marketed as a horror movie. However, the film might be mysterious but certainly not scary. Yelling loud menaces with foul vocabulary doesn't make for an ominous atmosphere.
At the end of the day, R-Point is an average military drama with decent supernatural elements and a few intriguing locations but weak characters and plot as well as an absence of scary scenes. The movie is only recommended to the most faithful fans of Asian cinema but can be ignored by anyone who isn't an adamant collector of Tartan Asia Extreme releases.