Boot Camp (2008)

Simply A Masterpiece

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Fantastic!

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I can't claim that reading the synopsis on the back of this DVD cover did much to spur any interest. But what did catch my interest was Peter Stomare and Mila Kunis.That being said, then this is a very campy and predictable movie. The story is about a correctional youth camp located in the remote Fiji islands, where parents send troublesome kids in order to get their kids back on the right track. The Island is run by Normal Hail (played by Peter Stomare). As the troublesome youngsters progress through the program they earn a new colored shirt indicating where they are on the ladder to recovery. But just what is going on at the correctional boot camp?The storyline itself was entertaining enough for what it was. Just don't expect anything extraordinary, and prepare yourself for a very predictable ride.It was Peter Stomare who singlehandedly carried this movie, and everyone else were just riding along in his wake."Boot Camp" is a less than mediocre experience. And it is difficult to come up with anything to recommend why you should sit down and watch this movie.

It's amusing to see that I've seen movies like Boot Camp before, from the hippie "Punishment Park" in the 70's to the Olivia Hussey "Turkey Shoot" which blended this genre, amusingly, with "The Most Dangerous Game" this type of material is not exactly original. (And actually, if you want to take it further, movies like "Battle Royale" and of course "The Hunger Games" owe a lot to this as well). Obnoxious, misunderstood kids are taken forcefully away from their home and onto an island, where they try to learn some manners! Fortunately Mila Kunis and Gregory Smith disagree with the whole setup, and try to find a way to escape. Comparing it with other films of the same genre, it's a bit more hard to take, because it takes itself way too seriously for it's own good.

A group of troubled teenagers who include the brash and sarcastic Sophie (an excellent and appealing performance by Mila Kunis) are abducted and sent to the harsh Camp Serenity rehab program on Figi. While there the teens are subjected to solitary confinement, physical violence, and psychological torture by the camp ruthless administrators led by the strict, arrogant, and domineering Dr. Norman Hail (a commanding and convincing portrayal by Peter Stormare) in an attempt to break and subsequently "fix" them. Director Christian Duguay, working from an original and absorbing script by John Cox and Agatha Dominik, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, maintains a hard-hitting gritty tone throughout, and wisely avoids lurid sensationalism despite the potentially exploitative subject matter. The potent, disturbing, and provocative central theme about the "tough love" treatment, the abuse of power, and the dangers of playing god not only makes a spot-on significant point that torture and brutality quite simply aren't an effective and acceptable means to an end for rehabilitation, but also gives this picture an extra strong dramatic and emotional punch. The fine acting from the bang-up cast rates as another substantial asset, with especially praiseworthy work from Gregory Smith as Sophie's concerned boyfriend Ben, Regine Nehy as the fragile Trina, Alejandro Rae as belligerent cokehead Jack, Christopher Jacot as the paranoid Danny, Tygh Runyan as sleazy and sadistic security chief Logan, and Colleen Rennison as the spiteful Ellen. Duguay's sharp cinematography provides an appropriately gloomy look. Normand Corbeil's spare moody score does the trick in a subtle and unobtrusive way. Based on true events, this movie possesses a certain harrowing plausibility to it that packs quite a forceful wallop to the gut. Powerful stuff.

As someone who was in places similar to what this movie portrays, it was an excellent film. It did an excellent job of showing how places like that are run. How people can be staff members and think they are really doing good. How easily kids can turn on one another if given the slightest idea of freedom. And the fact the director of the place was just as twisted as the idea of the camp.. It all still makes me sick. The film absolutely hit home a lot of times. I thought they did an excellent job showing this. They may not have showed all that happens at these places, but they showed what needed to be showed and I am glad to know people are a little more knowledgeable now that they have seen this film.