R-Point (2004)

War is hell. One of the world's most brutal truisms that ranks up there with "the only two things certain in the world are death and taxes." That being said, you'd think that any war as a backdrop for a horror movie would work quite well, especially the usual yōkai films we've seen flooding North American shores.

After all, if yōkai films convey anything it is that there are some fates that are worse than death. In such a film with any war as the setting, those that died would probably be the fortunate ones.

R-Point is a Korean film that tells the story of an ill-fated Korean commando unit during the tail end of the Vietnam War. Hardened vet Lt. Choi Tae-in (Gam Wu-seong) leads his platoon leads his troops to an area 150 kilometers south of Saigon in search of another platoon that patrolled the area six months prior to the events of this movie.

Naturally, the first platoon never made it back but Choi's platoon is hand picked to investigate a cryptic radio message from the first platoon that was presumed to be killed in action.

In all respects, this movie out Blair Witches the rather unscary Blair Witch Project, as it succeeds where Blair Witch failed. R-Point effectively conveys just how fragile the human will really is when subjected to a dual assault from the forces of nature and the realm of the supernatural.

R-Point teaches us that war is not hell, because war is not eternal. There are some things that are indeed worse than death.

If your taste for A-Horror is wearing thing these days, go pick this up.