Ambush

Don't know who they hired as military advisor on this movie or if they even had one. Uniforms were wrong, ranks were wrong, military courtesies were wrong, weapons were wrong for the time period. Acting was bad which I did not expect with actors like Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Thomas Janes in the cast. I know it's a movie and for entertainment but as a retired Marine with over twenty three years of active service as well as a history buff I was greatly disappointed in the film it had just too many errors to be enjoyed. I can't believe that I paid $15 for this movie that I will probably never watch again.

It's a shame three things spoilt what could have been a reasonably good film. Firstly, Aaron Eckhart is a great actor so I hope they paid him well for the day it took to shoot his scenes on a the one set. He was shoehorned into the movie so they could use his name. Secondly, who builds a camp in hostile territory with no walls or lookouts? An open playground would have had more protection from the rain of enemy bullets. And lastly, the dog. Let's not forget the dog. For a tracker dog that is supposed to lead the way while straining on it's leash, the damn thing had to be dragged everywhere. Where did the production company get it? The local pound? The actors were good, the concept was good, the cinematography was good. Just a damn shame the production was lacking.

Why was Lt Col Miller showing the rank of a full bird col? Why were they calling a corporal Sir & how did he get command of a firebase? It was a shocking movie . Terrible script & pretty bad acting. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone .. rating 0 star. I myself am a Vietnam Veteran Australian army 1971 - 72 & found the movie bland & unmatchable. I'm finding it hard to submit the required number of characters so I can submit this review. All I can say is don't waste your time watching this movie. I can't see how anyone could submit the required characters .. my main question is the Lt Col showing rank full bird Col?

When I sat down to watch "Ambush", I figured that chances were that it would prove a good movie since it had the likes of Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aaron Eckhart on the cast list.

However, prior to sitting down and watching this movie from director Mark Burman, I hadn't even heard about it. So I wasn't sure what I was in for here, aside from it being a Vietnam War movie of sorts.

Writers Mark Burman, Johnny Lozano, Michael McClung and Dillon Slack put together a fair enough script for the storyline here. And while "Ambush" certainly was interesting enough, the movie was ultimately sort of nondistinctive, and it sort of feels like a movie that snuck in under the radar and will just as quietly fade into oblivion. The movie didn't leave a particularly lasting impression with me. While "Ambush" was watchable, it should be noted that there are far, far better Vietnam War-based movies out there.

The acting in the movie was good, but I feel a little bit cheated out of something, as neither Jonathan Rhys Meyers or Aaron Eckhart weren't playing all that big roles in the movie. Meyers did, however, have a bit more on-screen time than Eckhart, but they weren't leading performers. I guess they were top billed solely to lure in the audience.

"Ambush" was filmed in a good manner, because it felt like the audience were right there alongside the US soldiers as they ventured into unknown territory as they realized that the Viet Cong troops were using subterranean tunnels in their warfare. There was a particular sense of intense tension and claustrophobia throughout the course of the 104 minutes that the movie ran for, and that definitely helped carry the movie.

For a war movie then director Mark Burman delivered a watchable movie, albeit not a particularly outstanding movie. This is the type of movie that you watch once, then shelf it and forget about it.

My rating of "Ambush" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The film begins in the middle of the action and the events building up to it are narrated to the audience over the course of a single dialogue exchange between the general and the captain. 10-15min invested on that through visuals would have definitely helped.

Though the core plot of tunnel warfare is nothing new, the story nonetheless is not gripping. The screenplay is also equally lacking and at places especially toward the end, it falls apart failing to keep viewers on the edge. Even the editing at the end becomes wayward with unnecessary cuts that's immediately obvious. Acting is decent and its only the likes of Eckhart that impede this movie from becoming another forgettable B-Grade school project.