Set in the Cu Chi tunnel system during the Vietnam War in 1967, the films tells the story of the men and women who fought ans died for the Viet Cong in one the major intelligence hubs for the North. The tunnel system covered over 400 square kilometers.
Unlike any Hollywood war film, TUNNELS is a view of the war and war in general in ways you've never seen. There are no soldiers but just people fighting a war. The images are low to the ground and tightly framed for the most part. We are in these places and we are claustraphobic. Its a view that is very different than any American or French film.
This is ultimately a film with a distinct point of view. Its a film that clearly shows why the West lost the fight. You watch the Americans shoot at nothing, as their targets are long gone. By the time the final shot comes, one that is nothing special until it's held and you realize what it means on every level, you know no one was ever going to win in Vietnam other than the Vietnamese.
The action sequences are atypical. Shot to look real and not like a splashy action film, there is a sense at times that the battles are matter of fact. That doesn't mean people don't die or that we aren't moved, but rather this is a film that isn't just telling a story but imparting wisdom. War is something other than movies and Tv or even news and documentary have shown us since what has gone before wants to provoke an emotion. TUNNELS wants to tell us what it it really is, coldly and dispassionately.
I was moved.
Sure it isn't perfect here and there, but emotionally it is on target and its ending had me audibly reacting.
Track a ticket or the film down.
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