Review of Deathwatch (2002) by Charity P — 31 Oct 2011

This was a surprisingly impressive film. It was certainly helped by the subtlety of its concept and execution, but there are genuinely good actors here and a writer/director who obviously gave a damn about making a good movie (something even more evidenced in some of the deleted scenes).

But certainly the subtlety helps; the film largely relies on the understanding that war IS horror and war IS evil and it affects all those involved, even the land itself. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I wasn't completely happy with the film's resolution, and what few FX there were I felt would have been better had they been done with camera work or something similarly understated; it would have both fit the tone of the movie much better, and FX are one of those things that really shows when you have a low budget.

But overall just a really good movie, the kind of gem you used to be thrilled to find on the shelves of your local video store back in the eighties.