GP506

Maybe some of you would say that this movie is good and appalling.

Yes, they make the prosthetic faces disgusting enough for some of you. But, just that nothing more. With addition a little bit of action, many talks and talks again, and there even no a slightest humor in there: make this 2 hour long movie seems so boring.

And for the plot, there so many obscurities about that: the origin of viruses, how they spread, etc etc.

For us to know, that this film is a horror genre, there is no use to make the quasi-dramtical int there. The film should scare us in the context of amusement, instead of that, this film just makes me irritated. They makes the horror movie halfheartedly.

And 2 hours seems like forever.

A grisly yet derivative horror flick set on a border post between North and South Korea. THE GUARD POST turns out to be a very familiar journey in its depictions of the terrors, both real and imagined, that befall a group of soldiers living in an ultra-remote and dangerous locale. The film it most resembles is R-POINT, another Korean movie with a very similar background, and if it isn't quite as good as that film then at least it makes the effort.

THE GUARD POST offers a neat blend of psychological fear and in-your-face graphic horror. It opens with a massacre (wisely kept off-screen) and we subsequently follow the fortunes of a group of soldiers sent to investigate what happened. What exactly did happen won't really surprise anyone – the theme is extremely familiar these days in plenty of horror films – but it's handled in an efficient way that maximises the various scare scenes to strong effect. There's physical horror present in the film too, but rather than dwelling on it, it's presented in brief, jarring visions which add to the viewer's disorientation.

One flaw prevents THE GUARD POST from being a great film: the disjointed editing. The decision was made to tell both the back-story leading up to the massacre and the present, investigative story at the same time, with rapid-fire editing between the two time frames. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult for the viewer to tell whether what's going on is happening at present, or in the past. It doesn't help that only a few of the main characters are given any kind of depth, and trying to distinguish one huddle of soldiers from the next is a difficult process. If it wasn't for this, then THE GUARD POST could have been a truly great viewing experience; as it stands, it's something I enjoyed but wouldn't bother with a second time.

I went in expecting one of these soldiers facing something supernatural that turns them on each other using their hidden secret/fears kind of story. However the South Korean made feature 'G.P. 506 aka The Guard Post' virtually keeps the same get-up, but takes on a refreshing angle using a different kind of threat and for the majority of the time it's an effective gimmick.

An army investigator is put in charge of a soldier unit to find out what happened at G.P. 506 (and to possibly cover it up), which saw the original team brutally massacred by one of its own (well that's what it seems?) and what this second team uncovers is something terrifyingly devastating.

It's an unusual, but immensely unpredictable military horror/mystery story covering its bases in an interestingly progressive non-linear narrative that constantly moves between present time and flashbacks in a very muddled fashion. At times it was confusing adjusting to which period was which, as they replay scenes over and over again of the lead up to eventful bloody massacre of the original team of G.P. 506 where they would try to reach the correct conclusion. A sense of deja vu really seems to creep in with the actions of the newly appointed team with there investigation. Even then the jadedly slow-grinding and over-long plot leaves you questioning some story devices and knotty developments, but this extremely cold and dread-fill atmospheric tale manages to pull you in as it constructs a threatening environment from its dourly tight bunker quarters, confronting paranoid friction and grippingly suspenseful exchanges that mostly ignited in graphic slabs of twisted violence. There's authentically poignant make-up FX brought across. Su-chang Kong's sleek direction is visually crisp, while maintaining a stark punch and the camera-work fluidly covers many angles. The music is emotionally stirring in its arrangement by adding to the creepy air and the sound effects have that chilling imprint. The starch performances by all are reliably solid and convincing.

A fine addition to the growing military/horror fodder.

I really dig this 'Genre' of Horror films where there is a military 'Outpost' or 'Bunker' somewhere, and something is amiss...

Immediately I was frigg'n blown away by just the sheer look of the film. The Blu-ray was SO damn sharp and dimensional, that I fully expected the soldiers to walk right out into my living room at any time! It was absolutely LOVELY to look at. And the Dark Blue tones and lighting were done very well.

One thing though... and you will likely be able to tell this by some of the other reviewers' Summaries here. This is a VERY SLOW-building, suspenseful Horror film. Those who prefer a lot of fast action or continuous mayhem will likely find it pretty slow and boring. BUT... if you don't mind, or like me, actually really enjoy the slow-burn type of Horror films, you will probably like it.

Another real strong element in this film is that it is such a DAMN Mystery. There were several places along the story where I'm thinking, 'What the hell just happened?' Or, there are places where you almost swear that they show multiple flash-backs, but the same scenes are somehow different, GREATLY adding to the sense of Mystery and Suspense. Without giving anything away, I THINK that at the end the audience pretty much knows WHAT the primary 'Cause' of everything was. But, to me it was a little confusing at times as to exactly WHO was doing WHAT? Especially with the multiple flashbacks.

Ultimately, I felt that the film was paced very well, with a nice, slow-burn building of Suspense and Terror as to what the hell was going on. The primary actor was very good too, and I think that 'Through' his eyes, the audience really feels and experiences what is going on in a more visceral way.

I won't give away what it is that is behind what's happening, but I will say that it was a little bit different of an approach than many of the other similar films of it's type. I personally probably prefer the 'Other' approach more so, just for my preference and taste, but even though this one came from another angle, I still felt that there was a good, strong sense of Mystery, particularly, and I felt that the director and actors did an excellent job!

I would say that if you are familiar with movies like this, and IF you don't mind a bit of a slow-burn to your Horror films, then you likely will find this well made, Dark and Mysterious Korean Horror movie entertaining...

Thankfully Covid 19 (the Corona virus) does not make people crazy. Can you imagine being Quarantined and going mad? Wait - that is actually happening to some all over the world? Ah well ... all kidding aside and 2020 references aside (which may or may not get old fast), this movie is quite the monster when it comes to being stuck.

It is also a bluepring on how to interweb two timelines. How to do the now and what happened here a while ago. Technically more than sound (top notch actually), this has many merits. The pacing may seem off to some (going for 2 hours), but it needs time to develop. If I had a criticism, it is about not delving into all the characters more. Something that the movie could have done. Unfortunately there isn't time .. even in a long movie like that. Also the characters that are important get shined on. Not much, this is horror overall so ... this is quite niche and will not appeal to too many people, but those who like these types of movies should like it to say the least