Combat Shock (1984)

Combat Shock: Directed by Buddy Giovinazzo. With Rick Giovinazzo, Veronica Stork, Mitch Maglio, Asaph Livni. A dangerously disturbed Vietnam veteran struggles with life 15 years after his return home, and slowly falls into insanity from his gritty urban lifestyle.

“u0026quot;Combat Shocku0026#39; differs from most Troma releases it that it is not u0026quot;intentionallyu0026quot; cheap and idiotic (a la u0026quot;A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hellu0026quot; to name but one, of many). Filmed amidst the squalor of inner city slums, and admittedly mounted with an ultra-low budget, this initial film of Director Buddy Giovinazzo is a stark portrait of urban poverty and hopelessness that is both repellent and somehow, captivating, despite the amateurish thesping u0026amp; technical execution.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDefinitely not a film for everyone, this picture paints a bleak portrait of a veteran GI and former POW, Frankie Dunlan (played by Rick Giovinazzo, brother of the Director), whose memories of his experiences in Viet-Nam have left him functionally deficient upon his return to civilian life. Incapable of holding a job, but saddled with the responsibilities of supporting a wife and deformed child ( a side effect of his Agent-Orange exposure), Frankie awakens each day to a dead-end future, with no perceivable way out. He eventually comes to grips with his hopeless situation in a stark and shocking climax.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film will never win any acting awards, but the overall milieu is realistically captured and the final effect is powerful, albeit depressing in the extreme.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWorth viewing (particularly via the Troma DVD, released in u0026#39;98), despite the production drawbacks. And kudos to Troma for being the (only) apparent distribution firm willing to release this film. Troma also recently rescued Dario Argentou0026#39;s u0026quot;The Stendahl Syndromeu0026quot; from distribution limbo, so despite Lloyd Kaufmanu0026#39;s (Troma topliner and tacit u0026quot;officialu0026quot; spokesman)outright pandering to the video marketu0026#39;s lowest (and I mean lowest) common denominator, he proves that, at least once in a while, he has some genuine u0026quot;Tasteu0026quot;.”