Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Theo Robertson It has become very fashionable amongst uninformed opinion to mock the French military heritage . John A Nagi's best selling book Learning To Eat Soup With A Knife is a modern day bible of counter-insurgency warfare and chronicles the differences between America's failed conflict in Vietnam and Britain's spectacularly successful conflict against communist terrorists in Malaya in the 1950s . One of the major keys to British success was developing a French strategy learned in the Indo-China war of the ink spot strategy , a military counter-insurgency technique America dismissively ignored in Vietnam . That said there's different factors in winning and losing wars and when the British tried the Ink Spot strategy in Helmand province Afghanistan it was next to useless . Likewise the final outcome of the French Indo-China war was defeat for the colonial French after the pitched battle of Dien Bien Phu . But let it never be said that a bloody defeat requires less courage than a bloody victory and 317TH PLATOON tells of a bloody French defeat I came in to this film knowing absolutely nothing about it except was directed and written by Pierre Schoendoerffer who was present at the battle of Dien Bien Phu as a cameraman and in 1992 made the epic war film featuring the battle . In short what Schoenddoerffer doesn't know about the French Indo-China war isn't worth knowing and expected him to translate this to screen I was not disappointed . I've never seen a war but do know about the hot humid hell of monsoon in Asia and the director translates this very well to the audience where cloths are never dry and no matter how much liquid is consumed a thirst is never satisfied . Leeches and insects are always a problem and if a man suffers a small wound infection leading to gangrene is a threat . In this part of the world it's not only the enemy a White European has to fight but also the environment itself This helps to give a very real sense of time and place to the story that plotwise is very familiar to war film aficionados . The story itself is very simple of a platoon stuck behind enemy lines and having to fight their way to sanctuary . It does contain a very European film making style , one of cinema verite , of naturalistic light and sound recording and of choppy editing giving the audience a slightly disorientated feel but this in keeping with the film . If you're expecting the expressionistic nightmare of APOCAYLPSE NOW or the emotional roller-coaster of PLATOON then you'll be disappointed because that's not what 317TH PLATOON is trying to be but in its own way it's as effective as any Hollywood 'Nam epicA couple of things don't work . One is the audience might have to know the background of the conflict in order to understand why the platoon seemingly become stuck 150kilometres behind enemy lines . Another plot point is why the platoon have to open fire and give away their position to a passing Vietminh battalion when they could have laid low and bypassed it but these are minor flaws in a film that deserves to be better known about a counter-insurgency conflict that is totally forgotten . With Afghanistan being in the headlines for twelve years it might be a good idea to remember the quote from Marx that " History repeats itself first as tragedy , secondly as farce "

drystyx This has the disjointed look of soldiers trying to videotape their own war.This has been done a few times before, and usually you get a muddled mess like Hamburger Hill, where it only confuses the viewer, because usually these movies are told from the point of view of one mindless junkie.This, however, has a very intelligent approach. We get most points of view here, which isn't easy to do.It is about a platoon in Viet Nam, trying to get out of trouble. Hostile forces are closing in. We see some of the mechanics of war, particularly how wounded men in the field usually become dead men in the field. In ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, we have Wrold War I casualties who almost always wind up dead just from the slightest wounds and cuts.In the field, it is unrealistic to make it cleanly and quickly to medical facilities.That's just one example of the mechanics shown here. Like I said, the film does a very good job of showing this. It isn't a complete muddled mess.It does have some disjointed bits, particularly at the beginning. A film should always let the audience know what it going on. The audience knows that a character doesn't always know. That's why it is a movie The "disoriented" approach is a mistake made by poor film makers, because the poor film maker says "I want the audience to know it is chaos". Well, the audience knows it is chaos. The audience wants to see the events as they happen.To this film's credit, it mildly blends the disorientation with the good film making. Of the "disjointed" look movies, this is easily the best, because it still gives us information. It is a very well directed film. I still would rather see the action from the "explanation" point of view, but for a well done piece like this, I will relent.Not an entertaining movie, but one that makes you feel you learn something you wanted to know.

DICK STEEL The National Museum of Singapore Cinematheque continues in its provision of specially curated film programme with a special focus of Asia being seen through French cinema, with screenings and talks being organized around the theme, which you can find out more about at their website here. The 317th Platoon piqued my interest for being a war film made by filmmakers who have actually walked the talk and experiencing the conflict themselves, and you can just about trust director Pierre Schoendoerffer and renowned French cinematographer Raoul Coutard to bring about a film of cinematic quality even when dealing with what I deem as a taboo subject for French filmmakers, since the era of the French- Vietnam war in the 50s is something rarely seen put on film, with this being an exception, and a stunning one at that.And with screenings at the Cinematheque you can just about trust the programmers to hunt down the perfect version of the film to be put on screen, this being the restored film by La Cinematheque francaise and by StudioCanal in collaboration with The Franco-American Cultural Fund, cleaned up from its pops, cackles and whistles to bring about an exceptionally beautiful presentation that does justice to Coutard's cinematography, one that is restored with the assistance of the filmmakers themselves, in a process detailed at the beginning before the opening credits. Filmed in Cambodia with help extended by Prince Norodom Sihanouk, it brings about one of the best war stories ever told in the extended Vietnam War from the French point of view, which is rare in itself, and sucker punches its peers, especially those done by Hollywood, set around the same era.Told in a day by day account, we follow the titular platoon who got ordered to abandon their fortified position in order to retreat southwards, but little do they know that once out of their comfort zone, they're plunged right into warfare with the enemy Vietminh soldiers hot on their heels, turning into a cat and mouse pursuit of trying to gain the upperhand against the enemy rather than to constantly be on the run. It's the time where the winds of change in Indochina see the Viet Minh soldiers relentlessly pushing the French troops from their soil, even urging their brothers on the side of the French to mutiny and betray their Caucasian commanders, who are headed by quite the inept military commander lacking savvies of warfare.Its portrayal of war is something that only those who have gone through warfare or at least some basic military training will be able to ascertain how accurate things got portrayed, from the fullpack inspection (which uncovered a tied up piglet!) to how commanders aren't sometimes the most experienced or smart on the battlefield, with the warrant officers, specialists and men, in this case, the locals, being shown to have more courage, loyalty and all round shrewdness in fighting an non-fightable war given being grossly outnumbered to begin with. Many situations put on screen undoubtedly come from the director Pierre Schoendoerffer having witnessed how it's conducted and having their fair share of experiences on the battlefield, and this helped to translate authenticity to the movie despite having to shoot in very harsh environments.In black and white which contributed to its very stark, gritty and no nonsense imagery to war and its horrors, The 317th Platoon also takes a look at warfare itself and how it impacts the most immediate soldiers who have to partake in it, following orders to a T in order to survive as a group. Quintessential war film themes like courage and camaraderie also feature prominently, with Coutard's cinematography putting the audience into the thick of the action as if one of the troops listening to orders, and executing combat movement with the rest.If you'd think Oliver Stone's Platoon, Brian De Palma's Casualties of War and Randall Wallace's We Were Soldiers are some of the best about the Vietnam War put on film, then you surely must get your hands on this to have a go at what would be a presentation outside of Hollywood, and a Franch one at that which served as the pre-cursor of events to everything else aforementioned. Recommended!

mathieu.dalet After the Dîen Bîen Phû's defeat in may 1954, which marked the end of French sovereignty in Indochina, a small group of French soldiers in an isolated stronghold try to avoid capture by crossing the enemy's lines to join their main forces. In this journey few will survive.Former war correspondent during this conflict, Schoendoerffer filmed this movie in a so realistic way that it seems to be a document shot during the battle. But unlike many war movies, this one is not only based on the visual and sound effects. Its interest lies in the portray of the two main characters.Torrens, the young, unexperienced and idealisic lieutenant (played by Jacques Perrin) who has volunteered to serve a lost cause and die for it. He has the intelligence of letting Willsdorf lead the troops, seems lost at first in the middle of this human wreckage but shows courage and strength when needed.Willsdorf, the experienced "adjudant" (sargeant), a veteran worshipped by his men. Since WWII when he was enlisted in the German army ( he comes from Alsace, a german speaking part of France claimed by Germany), he has experienced many battlefields. He loves Viet Nam, her people and her culture but knows that everything is lost and that he'll have to abandon it soon. But in spite of that he has a mission to fullfill, save as many of his men (mostly vietnamese partisans) as possible and he intends to achieve it.In just 90 minutes we learn everything about them, their weaknesses, ideals and hidden secrets which make them simples human beings trying to survive in the middle of a mad world.Of course some will say that this movie promotes war, violence and the romantic heroes made for it (Willsdorf)while his only aim was to testify about a forgotten war and all of those who fought in it, whatever their flag.Definitely the best movie about the Indochina war.