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The Bunker(2001 / R)
This movie was somewhat of a pleasent surprise for me. One of those rare direct to DVD movies that doesn't suck. You know what I'm talking about right? Just go into any video store these days and on the new release wall are dozens of new movies that you've never heard of before. Why? Cuz they are low-budget b-films... No theatrical release, not even a trailer on TV. And they always have really intriguing bad-ass covers, and the story description on the back sound really friggin' interesting... They sure as hell do a good job of marketing these films.... they reel you in with the packaging... and then you get the movie home and watch it and discover that it's utter crap! The Bunker however does not fall into that category.
The Bunker takes place near the end of WWII along the Belgium border (bordering what? I don't know and I'm too lazy to look it up!). Anyways these 7 German soldiers are retreating from the Allied advance and they come across this German bunker and take cover inside. The bunker it turns out is only currently only manned by a teenage boy, and s senior citizen. They are told by their command that no reinforcements are available and that they are to take cover inside. So they sit inside the bunker, and they wait.
Well, it turns out that there is an extensive tunnel system beneath the bunker that may lead to an alternate exit...should they need to escape. The old-man however says this tunnel system (built by forced-labor) is haunted! Of course they think the old man is crazy! Hell, the teenager says he goes down into the tunnels on occasion to "talk" to the ghosts. Freakin' old people! So of course the soldiers eventually head down into the tunnel system, and of course they encounter "something"... and "stuff" happens down there... and yes... people die. I'm not gonna get too much into what happens in the tunnels cuz that'd spoil the movie for ya.
I really genuinely liked the atmosphere set in the film. I enjoyed the opening shots of the bunker set within a clearing in a vast forest...with smoke on the horizon where the battle raged on the front-lines. The mood is often times eerie, and there really isn't too much "bad" acting. All the German soldiers have British accents, but I have a feeling the producers just didn't care too much about this, as it's not like the actors are even trying to speak w/ German accents. The middle of the movie moves a bit slow, but the beginning and end do well enough to hold the movie together.
This is a fear flick people. If ya like fear flicks with lots of atmosphere, and you can live w/out tons of action, I recommend this film. It's a quality middle of the road movie, and if there were a seperate grading scale for direct to DVD films, this would get a higher ranking.... but there ain't...
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