Kokoda: 39th Battalion

Saw this today and I was quite impressed. It wasn't perfect, but I'm sure they had a very limited budget so it's hard to nit pick too much. It's good to see such an important part of Australian history as the mammoth effort to stop the Japanese advance through Papua New Guinea put on film. At the time the bulk of the Australian forces were in North Africa fighting the Germans and Italians, and the desperate defence of PNG was first handled by the very in-experienced militia troops, as featured in the film.

I think the majority of it was filmed near Canungra, which is still used as the Australian army's jungle warfare centre. The makers obviously wanted to showcase the terrible jungle conditions that the soldiers fought in. It was good also to see the famous "fuzzy wuzzy angels" as the soldiers called the native stretcher-bearers prominently featured.

ojfosterbrown, the only hyperbole here is yours. The statements you take such a dislike to accurately reflect history. The 39th were poorly trained and ill-equipped and Australians did think the Japanese were about to invade.

Ralph Honnor and his immediate superiors were screwed by Australian High Command (Blamey) and the "boys" of the 39th were later directly insulted to their faces by Blamey.

Ifra, if you think Private Ryan is an ideal to strive for, then you'd better develop a taste for that Chardonnay.

Pacific400, I'm no right-winger, but the fact is Japan has consistently refused to acknowledge its heinous crimes in WW2, why shouldn't audiences be shown what went on? Do you object to films showing Nazi crimes? Did you object to the NKVD machine-gunning Soviet grunts in Enemy at the Gates? Yes, let's not forget the great job the US did, they certainly never have, and they have no problem taking credit for others' work (U571), but how many of them know this story? How many of us know this story? Technical quibbles correct. Old .303s were standard, as were new Brens, militia definitely didn't have Thompsons and may not have had Owens, the thing only went into production in 1941 and the militia may not have had first pick of the weapons...

As for those saying the movie is missing the Big Picture, this isn't A Bridge Too Far, it shows the Kokoda campaign exactly as experienced by the 39th Bn, a series of small engagements where some cracked and some were heroes and the enemy were "faceless", "mysterious", utterly unknown by Australians, capable of astonishing cruelty and eventually forced into cannibalism.

As to those saying we don't make WW2 movies (or TV), try The Last Bullet, The Heroes, The Cowra Breakout, Attack Force Z (with Mel and Sam), Blood Oath, The Rats of Tobruk, Piece of Cake, Kokoda Front Line (academy award-winning documentary filmed where this film is set in the period immediately after - cameraman Damien Parrer died in combat on his return to New Guinea) and Death of a Soldier (even Paradise Road and Map of the Human Heart). What we don't do is make VN or Korean War movies.

This movie had its flaws, all movies do, but instead of castigating a first-time director for his lack of budget, castigate the studios for never having told this story before.

A war movie that finally showed what it's really like, "green" reservists climbing jungle-covered mountains while suffering from dysentery, malaria, not knowing where the enemy is and being in desperate need of a crap.

After years of forgettable comedies, and unmeaning stories along comes something important - Kokoda. A daring, gritty, warts and all account of the harsh jungle environment our men were thrusts into as Australia's last line of defence against the Japanese Empire.

Excellently filmed and presented Kokoda delivers on most levels and despite the budget restrictions, and some shaky dialogue it overcome's all obstacles telling a personal, in your face account of brotherhood and the adversity of war, rather then a historical portrait.

This film is not for the squeamish, it has its gore but only adds to the realism of the events. The story is well rounded and never loses its grip, the performances are good too providing a solid 90 minutes of consequential drama.

Working with such a tight budget the cast and crew have done extremely well on this outing. This is the best Australian film I have seen in years, bar none. I wish we'd stop being so safe, I wish there were more Australian films like Kokoda.

While this film is not without it's flaws, it is definitely worth seeing. I found the dialogue hard to distinguish at times, and the plot line takes a little sorting out but the visuals work to stunning effect. It is a film that evokes a visceral (not to say gut-wrenching) response; one that brings the viewer much closer to understanding the nerve-jangling, terrifying experience of war, and the fortitude required to endure it.

Grierson's starting point are the words of the Isurava Memorial. It was the 'courage, mateship, endurance and sacrifice' of the boys and men of the 39th, 2/14th and 2/16th battalions, that bound these ordinary individuals together into a force stronger than the combined effects of their circumstances and the Japanese army.

The film is graphic in its depiction of the demands that that environment makes upon you physically. Though while watching it you might not feel the strength sapping jungle humidity or smell the stench of battle and its aftermath, you're left in no doubt about the challenges placed on human bodies by dysentery and malaria.

This is no glorification of war, but its grim and gritty reality. Seeing the film will help you appreciate the efforts of those who were there.

This movie is a real eye-opener. It gives a good 1st person perspective of what it would have been like to struggle with disease, not much food, hard ground to move forward on and a strong enemy. (outnumber Aussies 10-1) Throughout the film there are great camera angles and cinematography. Even though most of the actors are basically unknown, they do a superb job of acting. Some scenes are quite graphic, so people who are not used to seeing blood spurting, probably shouldn't see this. In Australia this movie in M15+, but for Americans who are wondering what rating it will be, R is probably a good estimate. All in All a good movie, 7.3 out of ten.