DVD Review: COMBAT SHOCK

Released in 1986, COMBAT SHOCK was a gritty, disturbing indi film about a day in a the life of a Vietnam vet named Frankie trying to survive life back home in the city. Surrounded by his junkie friends, nagging wife, and their deformed baby, Frankie begins his journey on a downward spiral into madness. Broke, hungry, and being evicted from their apartment, Frankie has nothing to loose but his mind and sanity. Flashbacks from the war are spliced throughout the film and are the basis for most all the gore effects in the film. The acting is not bad by most everyone in the film (except for one of the tough "gangsters" that seems to be reading his lines off of cue cards!), and the use of unknown actors adds to the realism. As we see Frankie's day go from bad to worse, the entire movie is a build up to the last 10 minutes of the film when he decided to end his family's suffering the only way he knows how. The results are horrific and will definitely stick with you long after viewing the film. While not a great film by any means, it does succeed in doing what the filmmakers wanted it to do, which is to show you things that would truly shock you. While not as shocking to audiences today as it probably was over 20 years ago, it is still shocking enough to leave a lasting impression.

Troma Films has recently released COMBAT SHOCK in a 2-Disc, Uncut, 25th anniversary edition DVD. The 2nd disc contains tons of special features, most notable being a new documentary about the film and numerous short films from Director Buddy Giovinazzo's early career.

Click HERE to watch the trailer for COMBAT SHOCK