Spook

This movie is a trip. First of all, it is informative. I thought that I followed politics very closely and always believed that Canada was the peaceful haven for draft dodgers like my brother that avoided the draft not willing to kill or be killed in Vietnam. Peaceful people sought Canada as their refuge. This movie reveals a shocking truth that has never before been told. Canada was complicit in the Vietnam War In supplying weapons like Agent Orange and forty thousand willing Canadian mercenaries that assumed false identities provided by the United States Government. With The USA's ugly record in the last eight years many Americans understandably pretend to be Canadians when traveling abroad. If they only knew. Huge Kudos to the Canadian guy that had the balls to rock the boat and tell the truth. Make sure that you watch the "Making of/Behind the scenes too!

Spook is a dark thriller that takes us down the conspiracy theory highway, behind the eyes of a sketchy 'Nam Vet. It's got a bit of a love story in it too, pretty good action, and lots of dirt on Canadian companies who did a lot of 'Catch 22' type of business and made a bundle on the war in Vietnam. There's a ton of irony in the information about Canada in Vietnam, but I'm not going to snitch. Levy does a lot of stuff from the Vet's point of view that is really trippy, and there are lots a great things to say about the editing and the music. Two great songs in it too, but I'm not sure what band did them. The acting is great too. It's his directing debut and, although it's not perfect, it really stands up as a very solid first movie. If you liked 'Jacob's Ladder', 'Conspiracy Theory', and 'The Deer Hunter', then you'll rock on this.

I caught this film at a festival with no idea what I was in store for. I had not seen any trailers or read anything about the film. Being a US citizen and a bit on the young side to remember too many details of Viet Nam I had never given any thought to how the war might have played in Canada--except it was a place where people headed to if they wanted to stay out of the fight. Well, getting to see this film definitely changed all that. It's a griping and gritty story that prompted me to want to study up and find out more about Canada's involvement in the Viet Nam. Kudos to filmmaker/actor Barry Levy for undertaking such a massive and controversial story in a bold and brave way! I would imagine they could be a quite an interesting film about the making of this film.

SPOOK offers an absorbing, chilling, and suspenseful story line with powerful acting, particularly by Barry Levy but well supported by other character actors. Although filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the film used well spaced flashbacks to give the experience of the Viet Nam jungle as well as historical memories of the various characters. Interspersed with a very cryptic script, these flashbacks added to the suspenseful telling of the story and in some instances were illustrated with shocking, haunting, almost mystical visual effects. Watching this film was like watching jigsaw puzzle pieces slowly evolve into a picture that had been left off the cover of the box. I was riveted to the screen until the credits rolled. SPOOK presented new & shocking information revealing Canada's role in Viet Nam. I left with a changed opinion and a new slant on the Vietnam war. I recommend this to any conscious thinking adult with an open mind.

I went to a screening of Spook in Vancouver on April 9th at the Havana. We had seen a very appealing ad in a newspaper, showing the movie. Seeing that it has won awards and was controversial, we were interested to see it. It was a disappointment. My husband and I were not impressed. It was actually painful to sit through. We found the movie very long and very boring at times. This is something that could never be mass produced or shown in a commercial theatre. People would just not pay the money. It was drawn out and very hard to follow at times. The lighting throughout the movie was terrible. When the lights came on at the end, it was a great relief. The lead role acting was OK. I would not waste your time viewing this.