★ 6 / 10
The Spoils of War
vtoivon2
Corruption (or what Romano Scavolini, this film's director refers to as "lacerating contradictions") is at the heart of the wars we wage, with very few…
Corruption (or what Romano Scavolini, this film's director refers to as "lacerating contradictions") is at the heart of the wars we wage, with very few exceptions, if any. Viet Nam was one such war. Romano Scavolini was a freelance photographer during that war and had opportunity to travel there to see the goings on for himself. When he learned that one of the "lacerating contradictions" of the war was the practice of "acquisitioning" valuables (jewelry, coinage, and other precious metal-based valuables) and melting them down into ingots to be flown out of the country his film was born.So, powerful people in America, for instance, were lining their pockets with the spoils of war. No surprise at this point, but it allowed Romano Scavolini the outline for the making of this film. This is a film that has languished in obscurity for decades. And while we hardly need another movie about this war, this one is a solid addition to the genre.It opens with a voice-over, which I like to avoid in my films, but once it comes to an end the rest of the film is traditionally narrative in structure. This film is divided into three acts with a brief epilogue (also with a voice-over). The three acts are - Act One: The Facts, Act Two: The Getaway, and Act Three: The Chase.The facts are a corrupt group of military leaders (led by Captain Newport - Mike Monty) and CIA types are trying to get this pile of ingots out of Nam. The Getaway has to do with a group of soldiers who are imprisoned trying to get away so that they can complete their "mission." The Chase is the final effort by the "bad guys" to acquire the boxes of "stuff" that "the mission" involves.Yes, it is a simple story told more than once. The plot is sort of reminiscent of a movie about another war in the Persian Gulf starring George Clooney released in 1999. That movie had more star power, and a much bigger budget. But this smaller budget film still has a solid cast, including the star of one of Scavolini's other films, 1981's Nightmare, Baird Stafford.The film has been lovingly and meticulously restored by Vinegar Syndrome with an uncut English language soundtrack once thought to be lost. This is a relatively quiet and intimate film, all things considered, and a good addition to the Viet Nam genre of war films.
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★ 7 / 10
Pretty grim Vietnam action thriller.
HumanoidOfFlesh
A U.S. chopper crew waiting to be air-lifted back to safety from the Viet Cong territory are ordered by their commander to recover secret papers from a drowned…
A U.S. chopper crew waiting to be air-lifted back to safety from the Viet Cong territory are ordered by their commander to recover secret papers from a drowned ARVN helicopter.The papers turn out to be gold ingot hidden in boxes.The group decides to keep 'their' gold for themselves."Dog Tags" was based on the experiences of its director,Romano Scavolini who was a freelance photographer during the Vietnam War.The film is well-acted and directed and it offers some really grim scenes.The leg amputation scene is quite gory and disgusting.The photography by John McCallum is excellent,but the editing is pretty uneven.It's nice to see Baird Stafford as one of the soldiers-he was really memorable in Scavolini's gory shocker "Nightmare"(1981)as a schizophrenic killer George Tatum."Dog Tags" is pretty obscure and hard to find,but if you get a chance watch it.7 out of 10.
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5.5/10
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HELL YEAH!!! VinSyn releases for the win! I bought my copy and it hasn't arrived yet, but it's always nice to have a digital, CLEAN and GREAT QUALITY version so I don't mess up the disc!!