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New Guinea, 1942, Allied Australia is at war with Japan. A small platoon of reservist Australian soldiers have been sent as an advanced patrol up the Kokoda trail - a critical supply line that separates Australia from full blown invasion.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
95 of 98 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It can be difficult to explain to someone why you would want to watch a war movie. Everyone is all too aware of the suffering, and WWII in particular has surely been covered from all angles several times over by now. So why would you want to watch people going through hell? What is to be taken from that? Some people are merely looking for a historical version of Star Wars, black and white - good vs evil. Others, a peculiar bunch, are obsessed by weaponary, military doctrine and accuracy, and delight in seeing this portrayed on screen. You may want to learn about a hitherto unknown conflict, or you may struggle to fathom just how normal, every day people are able to plough on in the face of utter chaos and survive. I fall into the last two categories, and this movie does an excellent job of covering a conflict that is not well known in this country, and in showing how a small cadre of Australian reservist troops survived in unyielding, grim environmental, tropical conditions on Papua New Guinea. I was not aware that Japan had come so close to launching an invasion of Australia, and that a thin line of inexperienced and poorly equipped troops played such a part in holding them back. The Japanese are barely shown in this film, bar some barbarous torture, and you do not see their faces and there are few scenes of actual combat. So the focus is on the Australians and how they cope with sickness, lack of food or sleep, and the terrible weather. The film succeeds admirably in both telling a story of the bravery of the Australian troops in general, and in how a small group of men overcame the horrendous conditions to survive. I found it a moving portrayal and would recommend it to anyone interested in how people cope with war.
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
An impressive war movie from Australia. This is the same movie as Kokoda, that has until now only been available in Australia and therefore not available for all DVD players due to Region constraints.
World War 2 in the minds of most Europeans is the war in Europe and we forget that it was fought in the Pacific as well. Kokoda is set in the desperate struggle to keep the Japanese from capturing south Papua New Guinea. The name comes from the village Kokoda that is situated on the Kokoda trail, on overland mountain track that saw a series of battles between the Japanese and Austrailian forces. The movie is about a small group of Australian soldiers in that conflict.
The movie captures well the horrors of jungle fighting, malaria, dysentery (a brave thing to do graphically in a movie) and exhaustion. The soldiers wait in their muddy trenches and when things can't get much worse it starts to rain. The movie is well shot and realistic. And who else but Aussies would use the word mateship :) This is a war movie, there are no love interests or sideline stories for a wider audience. Some scenes are very brutal and strong, but this adds to the movie and the storyline. I should also add that the movie is 90 minutes long, a quality many of our overly long movies overlook these days. Courage Endurance Mateship Sacrifice are written on the memorial to this conflict.
The story itself is fiction but with strong ties to real events, so what we have is a story of a small forward squad that gets cut off from their main lines and must get back. The horrors of the jungle, maladies and brutallity of the Japanese are all well represented. These are all based on documented facts, however unbelieveble they may seem. The soldiers are also reservists without the support and training of regluar troops, that had been fighting in North Africa. All told the story is true to life and very well done, there are no silly heroics but all through the movie is down to earth, at least after the first opening scene (which is a dream). WW2 War Movie Enthusiasts and those with attention to detail will also like that the Bren gun gets well represented.
A good solid story, a well cast movie with strong scenes and attention to detail. Recommended.
World War 2 in the minds of most Europeans is the war in Europe and we forget that it was fought in the Pacific as well. Kokoda is set in the desperate struggle to keep the Japanese from capturing south Papua New Guinea. The name comes from the village Kokoda that is situated on the Kokoda trail, on overland mountain track that saw a series of battles between the Japanese and Austrailian forces. The movie is about a small group of Australian soldiers in that conflict.
The movie captures well the horrors of jungle fighting, malaria, dysentery (a brave thing to do graphically in a movie) and exhaustion. The soldiers wait in their muddy trenches and when things can't get much worse it starts to rain. The movie is well shot and realistic. And who else but Aussies would use the word mateship :) This is a war movie, there are no love interests or sideline stories for a wider audience. Some scenes are very brutal and strong, but this adds to the movie and the storyline. I should also add that the movie is 90 minutes long, a quality many of our overly long movies overlook these days. Courage Endurance Mateship Sacrifice are written on the memorial to this conflict.
The story itself is fiction but with strong ties to real events, so what we have is a story of a small forward squad that gets cut off from their main lines and must get back. The horrors of the jungle, maladies and brutallity of the Japanese are all well represented. These are all based on documented facts, however unbelieveble they may seem. The soldiers are also reservists without the support and training of regluar troops, that had been fighting in North Africa. All told the story is true to life and very well done, there are no silly heroics but all through the movie is down to earth, at least after the first opening scene (which is a dream). WW2 War Movie Enthusiasts and those with attention to detail will also like that the Bren gun gets well represented.
A good solid story, a well cast movie with strong scenes and attention to detail. Recommended.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a cracking Australian Film set in PNG in the early days of the Pacific War. All that stands between Australia and the Japanese Army are a group of under-trained and under-equiped mates who were dock workers or rubber tappers. Based on true events but a fictional account "Kokoda" is one of the few films I have seen that give a real impression of the terrible jungle conditions and the cruel nature of the Imperial Japanese Army. Not every war film shows what its like to have Dysentery and still have to fight.
This film is not for the squemish and if you're expecting a "Ryan" type picture, its not.
But I liked it and what it tried to say. I think this will rank along side Peter Weir's Gallipoli as an iconic Aussie War movie.
This film is not for the squemish and if you're expecting a "Ryan" type picture, its not.
But I liked it and what it tried to say. I think this will rank along side Peter Weir's Gallipoli as an iconic Aussie War movie.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
one hell of a film
I dont quite know what to say. Very believable, incredible acting - this film is about real soldiers at their limts. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tim
War
I was disappointed with this movie. The acting left a lot to be desired and in parts the dialog was very amateur. The real story could have been told in a better fashion.
Published 4 months ago by James D. Farmer
A fantastic film
Having been shocked to find this film has only a 3.5 average rating I'm moved to write my first ever review here on Amazon. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Chris
Cracking film
Bought his one for my war collection due to my son nicking my original copy for his collection. A film giving another insight into other people's wars. Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. D. OCONNOR
excellent
this is a budget movie that does the most with its money. a small cast take on the Japanese on the kokoda trail new guinea and you feel about as surrounded and claustrophobic as... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Pj Williams
39th Battalion (Kokoda)
Quite a good Australian film of their problems with the japs in the war. The 39th Battalion have to stop the japs from getting through the main supply route to Australia, the odds... Read more
Published 17 months ago by L. bowen
Good but Could have been Great
I really dont want to be too critical of the Film because it isnt a film that relies on American money or involvment. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Peter Thomas
Well Made, intense, raw, and good value
This is not a film I recommend viewing before bed - you'll have nightmares ! If I was allowed one word to describe it, it would be "grim". Two words - "very grim"!. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. Ross Maynard
Gritty, realistic, desperate...
This is a film about the desperate rear-guard actions fought by The Australians in Papau New Guinea as the Japanese Army cleared the path for an invasion of mainland Australia. Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. S. Edwards
War Is Hell etc...
I had a lot of high hopes for this film, but whilst it publicizes a little known facet of WWII it also falls head first into the trap the majority of modern war films succumb to -... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Grev
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