I recently had a free weekend of some streaming services so I DVRed some movies. I assumed “Ambush” was an old Vietnam War B-movie, like “Tunnel Rats”. I was surprised to learn it was released last year. Clearly, it made no impact at the box office. In fact, after seeing it I have a hard time understanding why it would not have gone straight to DVD. The movie (I refuse to call it a film) was directed, produced, and co-written by Mark Burman. It’s always a bad sign when you see three other writers. It is also a bad sign when your producer chooses a title that it shares with 12 other movies. And then you put out a movie that does not depict an ambush.
We are in South Vietnam in 1966. Gen. Drummond (Aaron Eckhart) is upset because a binder with all the names of intelligence agents has been stolen by the Viet Cong, but has been stolen back and needs to make its way back to safe keeping. If the enemy get it back again, all the agents will be targets. That’s right. It took four writers to decide that instead of a movie about trying to get the binder back from enemy territory, instead it has already been rescued and just needs to be returned. Apparently, they have no copy of the list, so it can not be simply destroyed. Of course. Drummond sends a Green Beret team led by an apoplectic major to get the document from the special forces team. That’s right. Instead of just sending a chopper to pick up the special forces team, he has to send another special forces team to get it. Instead of simply getting the package and flying back, the major puts it in a box in headquarters to wait till tomorrow. Would you believe that soon after that the base camp is attacked and although the attack is easily repulsed and few commies make it into the perimeter, somehow the package is gone. Luckily, the spooky Lt. Col. Miller (Jonathan Rhys Meyer) is available to get it back. There is an intricate tunnel complex nearby and the document must be down there somewhere. Miller does not use an experienced tunnel rat, instead he volunteers seven grunts led by Lt. Ackerman (Connor Paolo). He is supposed to map the tunnel complex while he is at it, so he brings a notebook.
This is a who will survive? movie. The over under set by Vegas is three. Place your bet. The tunnels are more like a cave. Ackerman and his mates are American-sized, but that is not a problem in the spacious tunnels. They can walk around instead of crawling. There are some booby traps including punji stakes that a grunt falls down a shaft to be impaled on and scorpions. They can sting you, man. No snakes, no explosives. And no enemy waiting. They do surprise some VC sitting around. This is despite their lack of noise discipline and the use of flashlights. There are several large rooms with tall ceilings. Those VC are living it up down there. Meanwhile, the intense Miller is roaming around up top mapping the tunnels from there. He does send down another team led by a stereotypical psychopath. He is setting up explosives to blow the complex in two hours. The clock is ticking. Ironic because I started looking at my watch about this time.
I have seen a lot of Vietnam War movies. At first, the war was off limits for movie makers. That eventually ended with prestige films like “The Deer Hunter” and “Platoon”. And the flood gates were opened for combat porn set in the latest American war. We got movies like “Tunnel Rats” and “Siege of Firebase Gloria”. “Ambush” is similar to both of those. It involves tunnels and it has two name actors. I was encouraged when Eckhart appeared in the first scene and then when I started shaking my head, up pops Rhys Meyers. Maybe my vibe would change. Instead, I was left embarrassed for Jonathan. The rest of the cast is low rent and much too sincere in their acting. There is a lot of scene chewing.
The set shows some effort. The base camp is simplistic, but semi-realistic. But someone decided it would be cool to have the soldiers digging a moat! And I’ve already mentioned the comfortable tunnels. I will give them credit for having a few rooms like a hospital, bunk room, and arsenal (from which Crawford gets a flamethrower!) I assume the tunnels were walkable because the movie is filmed entirely by a hand-held camera.
The plot is ridiculous and stupid because there was a possibility of a good movie here. It gets worse as it goes along and I went from smiling to laughing. At one point, Ackerman comes out of the tunnel and Miller then sends him back down again. That’s right. The movie has a half-time. It’s not even fun for combat porn addicts. There are some gruesome deaths and one G.I. has to shake off some scorpions. The electronic music adds to the horror movie vibe. In some ways, the tunnels are like a haunted house or maze. But you won’t care because none of the characters are developed. They are all stereotypes.
“Ambush” ends with a dedication to the 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam. Are you kidding me? Talk about trying to polish a turd.
GRADE = D
Great review. I hope you had as much fun writing as I had reading it.
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