It’s 1942, and the world is once again at war. A troop of young soldiers are going through training in the muddy jungles of Australia. As the soldiers head out for a long, grueling run, their Sergeant (Steve Le Marquand) orders them to leave no man behind. However, the only person who seems to heed that order is Private Leo Bennett (Mark Coles Smith, Last Cab to Darwin), who is the only one who helps struggling Private Will O’Conner (Joel Nankervis, Dark Aradia). Leo had a traumatic experience when he was younger, watching his friend Archie (Aswan Reid) get taken by a shark in the middle of the ocean. So any time he can help someone in trouble, he does so, as a way to atone for not being able to save Archie. However, one of the other soldiers, Private Des Kelly (Sam Delich, Christmas Bloody Christmas), is the complete opposite—he is only out for himself. He’s constantly picking fights with Leo, and calling him derogatory names, because he is the only non-white soldier in the group.

Once their training is complete, the soldiers are loaded onto a ship to be deployed into battle. However as they are crossing the sea from Darwin to Timor, there is an enemy air raid, and the ship takes heavy fire. The surviving soldiers collect some pieces of the wreckage debris and assemble a makeshift raft, but they only have minimal supplies, no fresh water, a heavy fog prevents any potential rescue effort from finding them, and the current is taking them in the wrong direction. Their only hope of making it back to Darwin is a motor boat that sits among the wreckage a ways away. But they soon discover that patrolling the water is a 25-foot great white shark, which appears to be listening and waiting for a reason to attack. With several of the soldiers injured and bleeding, it’s only matter of time before the shark finds a snack.

The Australian film Beast of War was Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Kiah Roache-Turner, and is inspired by the actual events of the sinking of the HMAS Armidale. I had enjoyed Roache-Turner’s previous movie, Sting, which was more of a horror/monster movie with some interesting character drama, and humor to cut the tension. This film has a similar tone, but concentrates less on the monster movie and more of the character-driven drama and psychological horror. It follows the struggle of these soldiers as they try to maintain their wits and put aside their differences as they try to survive the elements and a hungry shark. However, even in this stressful situation, there are still some moments of humor. And much like Sting, the filmmaker makes use of practical effects, to help make the bloody and brutal shark attacks feel more shocking and realistic.

The first 20-or-so minutes of the film allows the viewer to get to know these soldiers and their dynamic before they are thrust into this survival situation. They are hungry and thirsty, and this is preventing them from thinking straight. They will need to work together and keep from fighting among themselves if they are going to have any chance of surviving. Out of 200 soldiers who were on the ship, only 7 of them appear to have survived. In addition to Leo, Will and Kelly, there’s also Teddy (Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe), Thompson (Sam Parsonson, Hacksaw Ridge), Stan (Maximillian Johnson, Fear Below) and Bobby (Tristan McKinnon, It Will Find You). The film gives each of these characters somewhat of an arc (though some last much shorter than others) as they put aside differences and resolve personal issues. Providing some of the tension-releasing comic relief is Thompson, who has a bad head wound and is like Dory the fish, unable to remember things he is told a few minutes later. Overall, I found it to be quite an engaging movie, with some nice tension-building. While the shark poses a constant threat, the soldiers also face the elements, a lack of supplies, and some other surprises as they try to stay alive while hoping for a rescue. Whenever the young men start to doze off or let their guard down, you just know that something bad is going to happen.

The one aspect of the film that didn’t quite work for me were the constant dream-like sequences with Leo flashing back to when he and Archie were swimming and Archie was taken by the shark. It’s never really explained who Archie is, whether a relative or a friend. I don’t think it was necessary to keep going back to this well, after is was clearly established early on that this event affected Leo and is ultimately what led him to become a soldier.

Well Go has released Beast of War on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. We were sent a copy of the Blu-ray release for review. The Blu-ray presentation looks great, with a clean picture and solid level of detail, even during some of the film’s darker sequences. The audio track is also well done, providing an immersive ambiance throughout, and excellent use of the surround sound during the air raid, or when the raft is in the middle of rain storm.

Unfortunately the Blu-ray release is barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go releases for bonus material. The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t contain a digital copy. Our review copy did include a cardboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:27:25)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH, French

Extras:

• Trailer (1:53)
• Previews
  • Prisoner of War (1:59)
  • Shaman (2:07)
  • Affinity (1:44)

Final Thoughts:

Beast of War isn’t your typical shark attack monster movie. While it does have some bloody and gory chomping scenes, it is more of a character-driven thriller about a group of young men trying to survive and get back home. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but doesn’t include any bonus material. The release is still worth a look, especially for fans of the cast or of the writer/director, who is able to inject humor to help offset some of the darkness and tension.