JUNGLE RATS (1987)

VHS/Holland/fullscreen/English dub/Dutch subs
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By Günter Müller
1987 was a good year for Teddy Page. He not only directed the terrific PHANTOM SOLDIERS but also made the great JUNGLE RATS. The plot is negligible. The Vietcongs attack a convoy and take an American General prisoner. Five different men, each one an expert in his field, go on a rescue mission… Among them is Romano Kristoff, the leader of the pack, who does a decent job, particularly in the spectacular finale. Another one in the group – who goes by the nickname ‘killer’ – is, you’ve guessed it, Jim Gaines. This character is an unbelievable, psychopathic asshole, probably the most unsympathetic character in the whole movie (yeah, he’s more hateful than the Vietcongs) and in Mr. Gaines career. Kudos to Jim Gaines good acting job! Mike Monty is the captured General. JUNGLE RATS fulfills what the fine cover artwork promises. It’s a great Namsploitation flick that doesn’t solely rely on action. Sure, there’s plenty of action on display… long shootouts, terrific explosions (good use of slo-mo when those huts are blown up with grenades) and a truly spectacular, explosive showdown… but Teddy Page manages to build a certain amount of tension too so the flick is rather gripping and exciting also. It might not be as great as Teddy Page’s PHANTOM SOLDIERS and Briggs Benjamin Sr.’s awesome BATTLE RATS (made the following year; there certainly are some similarities between the two movies), but it’s a damn fine flick in its own right. My three favourite moments: 1) Romano Kristoff runs around screaming and mowing down dozens of Vietcongs with his machine gun; 2) ‘Killer’ gets what he so much deserves in an underground tunnel; 3) a severly wounded soldier, surrounded by Vietcongs, blows himself to pieces with hand grenades, killing and wounding the enemies around him (great exploding guy trick!). Try to track JUNGLE RATS down. You won’t regret it!


VHS/Japan/fullscreen/English dub/Japanese subs


VHS/Germany/fullscreen/German dub/cut or uncut???
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