Reel Retro: Combat Shock

Combat Shock, released in 1986 and distributed by Troma, is a film about Frankie, a disturbed Vietnam veteran that is struggling with the harshness of the world he returns to fifteen years after been rescued from a POW camp. Combat Shock has always received divided opinions, being depicted as the most devastatingly harsh movie ever made or a truly honest account of inner city life in the 1980s.

Being that it is a Troma release, you would expect it to be of a certain moral flexibility however, it takes itself very seriously and never really seems gratuitous. The shocking imagery fits with the disturbing subject matter and never feels like fantasy. The film was widely criticized as being sickening and low grade but by others hailed as one of the most important movies in American cinema. Originally titled American Nightmares it is clear to see the message that the film was trying to convey; the battlefield has changed but the war is not over.

Looking past the quality of the picture, Combat Shock is pretty well made for a budget of only $40,000; the story is raw and fascinating. The first scene being the war itself and then the second act being the war he fights everyday with himself and the environment he tries to survive in. Frankie tries his best to pull himself out of this cesspool of poverty he has fallen into only to fall into the arms of drug dealers and pimps and into the bad habits of addicts and scumbags.  His begging turns into desperation as he tries to do the right thing by his loveless marriage and infant son. He strives not to let the memories of his horrible experience in Vietnam seep into his waking life. He ponders, “I am a hero, god help me”.

There have been a few movies about the horrors of the Vietnam War but this movie is more of a depiction of the environment they return to and not the individual. Granted that Frankie isn’t treated any better or worse than anyone else in his area, he also carries the burden of a deep-seated sorrow in what he chose to sacrifice. The low budget only adds to the gritty look of the film and drenches it in poverty to make it seem so much more real, more real than you want it to be.

Frankie is played by Ricky Giovinazzo, the brother of the director and also the composer of the score to the movie. He does a fantastic job in acting despondent and making the viewer at times feel sorry for him and others afraid of him. Combat shock was fantastically directed, mostly well acted and extremely underrated. If it had a higher budget I’m sure it would be up there with Taxi Driver as one of the most important films in American cinema history. Combat Shock is only recommended for those with strong constitutions.

I give Combat Shock 3 (and a half) Stars.