Author Michael Herr (Dispatches) calls the Vietnam War "the ultimate blood sport." One veteran, who appears to be suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome, recounts his experiences as a "tunnel rat" who descended into the maze of Vietcong tunnels in search of the enemy (declaring "you can smell a gook," he recalls harvesting one ear from each dead enemy soldier). Eddie Adams, who took the famous photo of the street execution of a Vietcong soldier during the '68 Tet Offensive, admits that he felt nothing after taking the picture, casually going to lunch afterwards. According to filmmaker Coco Schrijber's First Kill, Vietnam was an adrenaline rush, an attraction to curious, adventure seeking soldiers who entered the heart of darkness where few rules of civilization applied. Reviving old footage showing GIs inserting "death cards" into the mouths of dead Communist soldiers, the film contrasts these grisly scenes of war with those of happy tourists visiting battle sites as if it were some sort of Disneyland, even entering Vietcong tunnels and firing automatic weapons. Although this award-winning film apparently wants to make high-minded statements about how war makes us lose our moral compass, the whole enterprise smacks a bit of exploitation (the camera lingers on the tunnel rat's trembling hands, while he confesses he fears he is doomed to hell); too, in its fashionably anti-American take, no mention is made of the many young men and women who not only served honorably during this hellish conflict, but also held onto some vestige of their humanity and integrity. Addressing topics that were better handled in feature films such as Apocalypse Now or Full Metal Jacket (both of which, incidentally, Herr worked on), First Kill is not recommended for most libraries. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
First Kill
(2001) 52 min. $390. First Run/Icarus Films. PPR. Color cover. Volume 18, Issue 3
First Kill
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