Non-Horror Exploitation: Combat Shock (1984)

Yes, you saw right... Troma is connected to this film but PLEASE don't bring your friends and leave the chips and beer where they are. Gone is the corny humor of Troma films like Terror Firmer, Poultrygeist and Toxic Avenger. Get ready to meet a whole other side of Troma films. 

Frankie is a war vet whose life sucks. He has no money, a nagging wife, junkie friends, and a deformed baby. This is the story of one day in his pathetic post-war life. 

Frankie Dunlan is a completely worn out and mentally destroyed Vietnam veteran who expierenced the most terrible things in Vietnam but when he returns home he finds himself in a different but equally tough battle. He lives with his wife and his (by chemicals) deformed baby son. Hungry and without any hope left they look at Frankie who himself spends most of the day strolling through the ghetto's of ruinous New York looking for a job, food and money. You thought Robert De Niro had a hard time in Taxi Driver...? AT LEAST HE HAD A FUCKING JOB AND NO ONE TO LOOK OUT FOR!

Rick Giovinazzo is absolutely great in this film. Not a moment it passed my mind that he was just acting. It all felt like he was really experiencing it. The rest of the cast is a little bit less convincing (hey, wat did you suspect with a budget of only 40,000 Dollar) but luckily they don't go over the top either so that it all stays pretty realistic. Thereby comes that director Buddy Giovinazzo makes up for it with the magnificent locations. While the Vietnam locations might not look great (actually was shot in NY) the scene's in the worn out streets of New York do. Destroyed houses, graffiti, puking junkies and bums, trash, dirty heroin needles etc. They all get showed explicitly which creates an even better atmosphere. 

He continually gets rejected by the employment agency, he has got depts with criminals, his father doesn't want to see him, he can't feed his family nor himself and right in front of his eyes he sees his buddies become ruthless junkies and 12 year old girls become street whores.  Frankie's life doesn't have any meaning anymore and he is beginning to see this slowly as well (which results in a brilliant and disturbing ending scene). 

  Taxi Driver got nominated for 4 Oscars with a budget of 1,3 Million Dollar. Combat Shock kinda stayed the ugly duckling with a budget of 40,000 Dollar. Maybe it's better that way as the low-budget feeling creates such a strong and raw film which, in my eyes, beats Taxi Driver for sure.