GP506 (2008)

GP506 (2008). 2h 1m

“A grisly yet derivative horror flick set on a border post between North and South Korea. THE GUARD POST turns out to be a very familiar journey in its depictions of the terrors, both real and imagined, that befall a group of soldiers living in an ultra-remote and dangerous locale. The film it most resembles is R-POINT, another Korean movie with a very similar background, and if it isnu0026#39;t quite as good as that film then at least it makes the effort.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTHE GUARD POST offers a neat blend of psychological fear and in-your-face graphic horror. It opens with a massacre (wisely kept off-screen) and we subsequently follow the fortunes of a group of soldiers sent to investigate what happened. What exactly did happen wonu0026#39;t really surprise anyone – the theme is extremely familiar these days in plenty of horror films – but itu0026#39;s handled in an efficient way that maximises the various scare scenes to strong effect. Thereu0026#39;s physical horror present in the film too, but rather than dwelling on it, itu0026#39;s presented in brief, jarring visions which add to the vieweru0026#39;s disorientation.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne flaw prevents THE GUARD POST from being a great film: the disjointed editing. The decision was made to tell both the back-story leading up to the massacre and the present, investigative story at the same time, with rapid-fire editing between the two time frames. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult for the viewer to tell whether whatu0026#39;s going on is happening at present, or in the past. It doesnu0026#39;t help that only a few of the main characters are given any kind of depth, and trying to distinguish one huddle of soldiers from the next is a difficult process. If it wasnu0026#39;t for this, then THE GUARD POST could have been a truly great viewing experience; as it stands, itu0026#39;s something I enjoyed but wouldnu0026#39;t bother with a second time.”