The Guard Post (2008): A Film review by a reservist conscript in the Lion City

Image via Wikipedia

The Film

I caught this interesting Korean film that is a military "whodunit" about a platoon of soldiers who were deployed at Guard Post 506 within the Demilitarised Zone dividing South from North Korea. The film begins with seemingly all soldiers killed in gruesome manner by the lone survivor who is promptly shot and put into the coma.

In comes Sergeant Mahor Noh who is the Korean Army CID or investigator who is given until 0600 hours the next morning to solve this mystery of what actually happened in the Guard Post that led to the deaths of most of the platoon. The plot starts to reveal what actually happened in a series of flashbacks as well as continuing incidents at the Guard Post to the current platoon of soldiers who were sent to investigate what happened to the previous platoon.

To discuss more about the film would give away its plot but suffice to say I enjoyed its unravelling mystery as well as the gore that accompanies the tale. The film is rated M18 for its gore I believe and deserves its rating.

Through the eyes of a reservist conscript in the Lion City

Being a reservist conscript who is happily in Mindef Reserve having completed 2.5 years + 10 years of reservist liability, I could identify with the soldiers who were at the Guard Post as they are Korean conscripts or national servicemen as well. South Korea also has a conscription of around 24 to 28 months service for male citizens and it is being shortened to 18 months by 2016 via the CIA Factbook reference.

While this is a film, the general turnout and bearing of Korean soldiers are rather profession in terms of their gear and uniform. Their infantry rifle is the Daewoo K2 5.56 mm assault rifle that looks like an Israeli Galil. The routine at the Guard Post reminds me of my own stints doing protection of installation duties during my reservist. While we got to go home because the place we were protecting didn't have soldiers' dormitory facilities, some of my other comrades who were based at the location where there was had the routine of duty, rest and standby.

Of course, the difference between the situation depicted in "The Guard Post" is immense. South Korea faces North Korean forces that have tried to invade them and nearly succeeded until the UN led by the Americans fought them back. Over here, we are more afraid of potential terrorist activities and not full-scale invasion by conventional forces in the region.

Having conscripts with live ammunition is serious business. While the SAF can be screwed up in many ways, I must admit it is practical enough that they take ammunition control and treating men with ammunition much better than they treat them in barracks. Your mental state becomes much more important when you have a 30 round magazine filled with even 1 round and the ability to load that magazine, chamber that round and squeeze the trigger to someone who you are pissed off enough to shoot should all moral restraints come off.

I remember how my platoon was especially careful during live firing or range when one of the men had girlfriend problems, especially when they just broke up with their long-time girlfriend. We made sure he was looked after and that he was not alone by himself daydreaming how to end it all there and then with a 5.56mm round into his brain.

My experiences as a reservist conscript draws me to watch films with a military theme or involve guns and explosions. The more I watch them, the more I identify with citizen soldiers also portrayed in those films.

Catch "The Guard Post" if you have time and be safe in NS.

Related articles by Zemanta

• North Korea is off the terror blacklist, but little there has changed.
• NKorea Defectors Drop Anti-Kim Leaflets
• South Korea cracks down on draft-dodger advice sites