War films almost always revolve around WWII or Vietnam. But
there were many other wars and one in particular that became rather vicious.
WWI offered some of the first uses of chemical warfare with mustard gas. It
also presented the blood filled soil of trench warfare where soldiers literally
climbed from the trenches only to be gunned down. So when a new movie came out
involving this war I wondered how it would turn out.
The Germans have realized that their loss is inevitable.
They also know that if certain atrocities are discovered the tribunals will
treat them harshly. One such location is a series of tunnels in which
experiments were being conducted. The intended demolition of these tunnels
failed and they are now sending back a detachment along with the crazed
scientists in charge of the facility to finish the job.
At the same time the allies are aware of the tunnels as
well, just not what was taking place inside of them. Led by a British officer a
group of US Army men accompany him to find the tunnels and take back the
discoveries they find there. As part of their group they’ve taken on Lt.
Benson, an expert on the tunnels the Germans have left behind. Benson has just
recently survived every tunneler’s nightmare: the last tunnel he was in buried
him and those he was with alive and he was forced to dig himself out.
Things move along as good as can be expected with the allies
making their way to the tunnels before the Germans arrive. As they begin to
explore they are attacked by a crazed German soldier still remaining in the
tunnels. He’s not normal though and they wonder just what they’ve stumble upon.
Searching they find maps of the tunnels showing that these were far more
extensive than they expected. A confrontation among the men takes place as they
argue whether to go deeper or return to the surface, the leader wanting to
gather all intelligence he can.
The point becomes moot when the Germans arrive and take them
prisoner. The leader of the group intends to do nothing more than blow up the
tunnels. But the scientist/officer takes his time questioning one officer after
the main one is shot. His plans involve taking the information with him before
they leave, ignoring orders to destroy it all.
The question remains though, what exactly is down here in
the tunnels? What experiments were they doing? And why are there zombie like
German soldiers still roaming the tunnels attacking any and everyone who comes
down? Will the tunnels be destroyed or will those within escape to wreak havoc
on the world?
The film is fairly low budget but for a budget this small
they still accomplish quite a bit. No doubt the sets were turned and shot from
different angles to make them appear as if they were never ending. But the
concept of being in the dark in a tunnel with little more than a small
flashlight or lantern to provide light while a marauding menace could be just
around the corner is a bit unnerving.
The acting here isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst I’ve
seen either. It falls somewhere in between with some actors doing better than
others. None will stand out in the end or likely list this film on their resume
as one to write home about. And yet they pull off enough of a performance to
make it believable.
The effects money here was spent more on explosions than
makeup of gore effects. That being said a few of the gore sequences will whet
the appetite of the horror fans who expect it.
In the end the movie isn’t all that bad. I’ve seen some
truly rip the film to shreds and after having sat through some tremendously bad
movies that were actually painful to watch this movie was heads above those. A
decent story, some acceptable effects and a few good performances make this one
an easy one to watch. Will I watch it a second time? Not likely. But if you’re
looking for something different in the horror genre then this one might do the
trick for an afternoon.
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