1968 tunnel rat make a brutal statement about the horror of war and pull no punch . unlike many hollywood epic which purport to teach their lesson through clever manipulation of the heart and this be no come of age film or family drama couch in a setting of battle . writer or director uwe boll have create a film which be very simply about the futility of war and in this case and set in the jungle of vietnam . north vietnamese fighter dig tunnel and sometimes hundred of mile long and in which they hide and live and and carry out surprise mission against the american . after an ambush of several member of his squad and sergeant vic hollowborn ( michael pare ) return to the area with a ragtag group of army soldier to avenge their death . these young men and some barely out of high school and walk blindly into a world they have never know . the ensemble cast do what they need to do this be not as much of a character driven piece a other film of this genre and and the improvised dialogue isn not hollywood war movie fluff . i have never be in battle but i hope the soldier in the film be realistically depict . they certainly aren not romanticize a la apocalypse now . pare sergeant hollowborn be an effective leader and a man who make his own rule and expect his men to follow them . other standouts include nate parker a private jim lidford and who think his urban root make him tough enough to breeze through this assignment and and rocky marquette a private terence verano and the sweet baby face kid who exemplify what make this particular war so intolerable for american mother he clearly doesn not belong here ( not that anybody do ) . lidford ought to be back on the basketball court on the corner and verano ought to be back on the beach of lake michigan . among the north vietnamese enemy and watch for jane le a young mother vo mai . her heartwrenching performance will stay with you long after the credit roll . the look be stark and the action unrelenting . the lighting be subdue dark and dirty and much like the jungle landscape and tunnel themselves . open credit be accompany by the zager and evans classic in the year 2525 and which have me deceptively smile from the start . jessica de rooij score turn ominous after that and be one of the highlight of the movie . but what stand out the most for me be the camera work of mathias neumann . from the copious use of crane shot and a if we be hide up in the tree ready to pounce and to the hand hold closeup in the tunnel sequence and there be no relief . visual effect be topnotch and breathtaking . but with few exception and 1968 tunnel rat do not rely on sweeping vista and long shot of mass of soldier ready for battle . and it doesn not need to . this be about hand to hand combat and literally and and the claustrophobic setting be palpable . shot on location in south africa and boll put all the actor through a boot camp with actual mercenary prior to film . this wasn not a hollywood boot camp and refer to the usual type of training actor go through before a war movie . no and they be train by men who literally have be out kill just a few day beforehand . filmmaker and cast and and crew all take this project seriously and it show . this film may be difficult to watch but it too compel to turn away . there isn not a lot to laugh at and although the character be well developed enough that we get to know their hope and fear . it also definitely a war movie in the true sense of the genre and with heavy political undertone . but it doesn not try to be all thing to all people . 1968 tunnel rat be dark and dirty and about as serious a a film can get . if writer or director uwe boll be try send a message and it come through loud and clear .