84 Charlie MoPic

84 Charlie MoPic

Patrick Duncan’s “84 Charlie MoPic” is the first feature for a former Vietnam veteran and he actually carries a 16mm camera with him during a reconnaissance mission in an effort to get the viewpoint of an infantryman across. The underlying idea for this movie is that it depicts a documentary (mopic) about a patrol whereby all scenes within the film are simply viewed through the camcorder carried along by one of its makers attached to the unit.

This style allows us to feel like we are right there with them, as it appears unscripted; they address the camera as if it’s being carried by its operator and hence talking to us instead. This strength lies in cinema which happens before our eyes.

What has happened here is that while he does have less freedom than other directors when picking out certain shots since once he settles on one point of view then that is all there is.

In fact, few movies have tried shooting entirely from first-person perspective (Robert Montgomery had his camera be a private detective in Lady in the Lake, while Orson Welles at one time conceived filming Heart of Darkness through different points of view including those of birds), but Duncan’s approach to 84 CHARLIE MOPIC is interesting because by justifying why there was camera, he gives some kind of realism into this technique rather than using it as pure style.

The plot of “84 Charlie MoPic” is not new or intended to be so. These characters exist in almost every movie about war company leader, rookie and scared teenager however what makes this movie special is how real everything looks due to Patrick Duncan’s direction. The types themselves are very common but their development cannot be predicted, just like any sudden twists related with actual military conflict rather than invented storylines. As patrol goes deeper into Central Highlands they become more lost thus feel non-sense regarding their mission; their training bears fruit only up to certain level and then they are just within the territory of fortune, or destiny.

“MoPic” the cameraman is our eyes for all these occurrences but what makes his point of view camera believable is that he doesn’t merely record; rather, he’s attempting to make a documentary which can be used as tutorial footage for other infantrymen. These six members of the reconnaissance unit are veterans of a kind who share their experience and knowledge with this device as though it is future soldiers they’re briefing.

The film is full of tiny details like only someone who has been in the field would know about: smoking hazards, for example, when cigarettes can be smelled on the wind from half a mile away and you can instantly recognize them as American tobacco. Somehow, these kinds of little things add up to more suspense than any number of dark spots in the jungle.

Many of the flaws and strengths in “84 Charlie MoPic” are likely to be attributed to the subjective camera. Duncan knows more about war than he knows about dramatic construction, and this shows in the way he builds the various relationships in the movie.

The camera is always “overhearing” a few too many speeches which are supposed to fill us up with information that these characters would not probably give. There are conflicts and tensions within the group, and sometimes we can feel them being created and manipulated by the script. If at all the film’s genius lies in showing unit through a camera, then its failure lies on doubting that idea itself. More subtle and offhand development of conflicts and character backgrounds just as they may have been in real life should be done.

And yet, alone among Vietnam War movies, 84 Charlie MoPic stands out . It is a courageous effort to capture nothing more than what an actual day looked like during patrol by men who remember it. I have never seen such a realistic combat movie before; one that approximates closely to how soldiers learn hard lessons from their enemies in real life. The people behind this effort deserve using subjective camera for our eyes there are theirs too.

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