84c Mopic - 84 Charlie Mopic

This is one of the best combat movies I’ve seen. Ebert agreed. This copy was clearly made off a well-used VHS, so it’s pretty bad. Also SDTV format and not pan and scan, just cropped. Too bad there’s not an HD transfer out there someplace.

This is one of those movies you find purely by accident. Usually a comment in a discussion forum or a throwaway comment heard elsewhere. When found though, this movie will deliver an hour and a half well worth your time.84 Charlie Mopic is the operational call sign of the Motion picture unit assigned to a reconnaissance patrol in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Mopic unit is making an Army documentary whilst tagging along with the patrol.The movie is filmed purely through the lens of the camera following the small group of men as they are air lifted in to their mission and finally out again. Along the way a wonderful story unfolds.Fortunately the camera is relatively steady and is absolutely NOT "Shakey cam" as, personally, that would have me switch off early. The group is made up of individual personalities that span the breadth of those you might find in a war situation. The joker guy, the super serious guy, the new guy, the grunt type guy, the nervous guy etc.... Their personalities all meld to make a cohesive unit that was probably typical. Each has a story that is relayed to us via group and individual interviews.There are some operational flaws as pointed out in other reviews, noise discipline seems to be the biggest one, a few tactical flaws too but, those aside the movie gets grittier as it moves along. The characters play their roles with an "honesty" you can feel and that comes across as very believable which helps the viewer immerse quickly into the movie.By the end of the movie you're absolutely rooting for the guys, you just can't help it as you've been in their group for the whole mission and come to know each one of them. The up close and personal feel of the movie is relayed extremely well.These units operated under overwhelming odds and once compromised, decisions had to be made that to those not exposed to combat would call barbaric. The decisions made, had the benefit of the mission and the majority of the group in mind. So was the nature of the Vietnam war and that element is captured in the movie.Great movie that starts right at the beginning and holds us to the end. It's up there with "The boys in Company C" as an underexposed gem.

If you're in the market for a big budget Hollywood war film; theres plenty of options to choose from. This film was one of the last 80s Vietnam war films to come out of the movie industry and was likely over looked by the likes of Platoon, Hamburger Hill and Casualties of war to name a few.84 Charlie Mopic didn't have the budget to deliver the usual visual effects heavy film. Rather, it relies on indie film ingenuity to push a character driven story within the confines of a realistic setting of a long range recon patrol. Shot from a found footage perspective, it gives the audience, myself included, a glimpse into what the Vientnam war was like. I served 4 years in the infantry, and while LRRPs are no longer used nowadays, there is so many details done right with this film on the soldiers eye level of the war. They way they converse with each other, the field hacks they demonstrate all add to the authenticity of the film. I never felt like I was watching a packaged product, instead I felt like i was viewing real war footage dug out from the archives. I cant recommend it enough.

The acting's great and the action continuous but, reality wise, take it with a grain of salt. A LRP wouldn't ever betray their position by doing a quick ambush on a superior force. It's touching though, well-filmed and well directed.

The film is one of the best. For those who did not live that era; those that served in the Army usually were draftees or were "forced" to join in lieu of fines or incarceration for minor offenses. That said, from that mix came those who volunteered-many like the men in the film. Those that served in the many recon units to include the 82nd, 173rd, 25th and the 101st.The men depicted in this film were from the recon unit of the 173rd ABN ("The Herd") and historically the only unit to make a combat jump in Vietnam as a unit.The battle of Wanat in the northeastern region of Afghanistan several months ago was the worse single death(s) since the Vietnam War-in this case, troopers of the 173rd were in an observation post and overrun, whereas nine (9) were killed. Several were killed attempting to run the ammo re-supply gauntlet under intense AK and RPG fire.Like the men depicted in 84 Charlie MoPic, the men of the 173rd killed that day at Wanat, Afghanistan were society where college was not a viable option, were from normally small towns throughout American with few real opportunities.In closing, 1969 in the jungles of Vietnam or the hills of Afghanistan and Pakistan, US American soldiers are "out there" doing what soldiers do under incredible circumstances that the "average' American could not nor cannot comprehend.And to the producers..thank you!We will miss them all-RVN/1969-Afghanistan/2003;Iraq/2006

This is not a flawless film but it's impressive nevertheless. Essentially filmed in little more than a back garden it was funded by Sundance. It focuses on such a small group and yet remains about war itself rather than those specific personalities. Subtle and almost claustrophobic, it won't be for everyone. But as an example of an imaginative treatment of a depressing subject, it's been sadly overlooked by too many.

Der vermutlich erste richtige Spielfilm, der das Geschehen aus Sicht einer im Film verwendeten Videokamera zeigt und daher einen gewissen Novitätsbonus besitzt.Gezeigt werden die Missionserlebnisse einer US-Aufklärungspatrouille in Vietnam, die von einem der Mitglieder der Einheit per besagter Kamera laufend festgehalten werden. Was sich innerhalb dieser Auftrags abspielt, sei an dieser Stelle natürlich nicht verraten. Dennoch bleibt festzuhalten, dass der Film (vermutlich auch aufgrund seines niedrigen Budgets) sein eigentlich riesiges Potenzial an ungeahnten Handlungs- und Aktionsmöglichen nur unbefriedigend respektive lediglich ansatzweise ausnutzt. Auch sieht man den gewählten Locations deutlich an, dass der Film keineswegs an Originalschauplätzen, sondern wahrscheinlich irgendwo in den USA gedreht wurde. Betrachtet man den Film jedoch weniger streng, muss man fairerweise sagen, dass er seinem Anspruch, ein Anti-Kriegsfilm zu sein, durchaus gerecht wird, und dass das, was gezeigt wird, einen recht realistischen und intensiven Charakter hat. Der Film besitzt für mich trotz seines Alters und seiner augenscheinlichen Schwächen einen gewissen Charme, was natürlich auch an der unverwechselbaren Synchronsprecherstimme von Manfred Lehmann liegen kann, der den charakterstarken Sergeant "OD" spricht... ;)

Film molto particolare ed insolito, molto bello per tutti gli appassionati del conflitto del Vietnam

Es ist kein Film wie andere. Und erst recht nichts für Actionjunkies, die nur "Action", Ballern und Krieg sehen wollen. Diese Klientel wird dem Film nur einen Stern geben. Ich gebe ihm 4 Sterne, fast 5. Warum? Der Film wird erzählt durch den Sucher eines Kameramannes. Die Kriegsberichtereinheit heißt 84 Charlie Mopic. Der Zuschauer begleitet einen Trupp Fernspäher auf einer Aufklärungstour in der Nähe des Ho-Chi-Minh-Pfades, dem Netz von Versorgungswegen im Dschungel, das für die Kommunisten so wichtig ist. Die Ausstattung ist sehr passend, die einzelnen Soldaten werden vom Kamerateam vorgestellt, gefragt, verfolgt. Sicher ist es nicht der wirkliche Krieg, aber durch die besondere Darstellungsform ist man in der Handlung mittendrin. Tolle Idee. Toller Film. Sollte man sich ansehen. Wie viele andere Filme, die abseits von Saving Private Ryan und Platoon liegen wird dieser Film leider nur ein Nischendasein fristen können.

Sehr Gut Danke