odd angry shot

The most memorable war movies are those that use the military conflict as nothing more than a backdrop. Apocalypse Now, Paths of Glory, The Bridge on the River Kwai; all war movies by definition but with more subtext than actual armed combat. Australian director Tom Jeffrey’s The Odd Angry Shot (1979) intentionally avoids most of the controversy around his country’s participation in Vietnam. It’s not a protest film, it’s not political film and – oddly enough – it’s not an angry film. It’s a coming-of-age story not unlike Oliver Stone’s Platoon, but with half the angst and twice the beer.

Bill (John Jarratt) is a naïve kid shipped off into a M.A.S.H.-style barracks on the edge of the jungle, partnered up with a hodge-podge of semi-professional soldiers and newbies like himself. The film’s plot is as standard-issue as a pair of boots: some dangerous missions, a little R & R, some colorful camp hijinks and the eventual trauma of losing a friend. A little patience goes a long way toward appreciating the character work (some nice turns by character actor Graham Kennedy and a pre-Cocktail Bryan Brown) that eventually leads to an emotional connection with these blue-collar Aussies more interested in chugging a few Foster’s than talking politics.

The Odd Angry Shot is a bit middling to be called a lost classic. In a nice twist, there’s more humor and camaraderie on display than blood and guts, although the filmmakers had enough cooperation from the military to stage some convincing firefights and rescues. The slice-of-life screenplay just doesn’t dig deep enough to generate anything more than pleasant affection. There’s no good guys or bad guys. And while that might have been Jeffrey’s point, it makes for a mostly undramatic war movie.

While not a true piece of Ozploitation, fans of the genre are probably those most likely to embrace what the film has to offer. And Synapse Films presents it in fine fashion, accompanying a pretty much flawless hi-def transfer with an info-packed commentary track, stunts featurette and trailer.