Beast of War, on DVD/BluRay

The sinking of the HMAS Armidale was a lot like the tragedy of the U.S.S.Indianapolis. It was bad enough when both were sunk by the Imperial Japanese. Yet, for the survivors, fending off sharks in the water was even more horrifying. Everyone knows Quint’s monologue about the Indianapolis in Jaws. This is Armidale’s story, with a few dramatic liberties taken, in director-screenwriter Kiah Roache-Turner’s Beast of War, which releases tomorrow on DVD/BluRay.

Will seems ill-prepared for war, but he makes a good mate in Leo, an Aboriginal recruit who is probably the fittest for service, assuming he survives some of the racists also going through boot camp. Unfortunately, they will see little of the “proper” war, because they ship out on the Armidale, which is way too lightly armed and armored for the enemy-infested waters it set out to traverse. Their ill-fate led to a thorough review of such procedures, but that would mean little to Leo and Will as they watch a giant female great white circle their makeshift raft.

Of course, they are also stranded with Des Kelly, the worst racist of their unit, along Thompson, whose grave head wound makes his judgement dangerously unsound. It will be uncomfortably tight on that life-raft, but having a comrade to rely on, unconditionally, like Leo and Will, makes a big difference in their odds for survival. Indeed, that truly is the film’s takeaway.

Roache-Turner stays true to his genre roots by conceiving Beast of War as essentially a historically based sharksploitation horror movie. That is somewhat risky, considering many brave Australian servicemen died aboard the Armidale. It also shortchanges some of the heroes who fought and died valiantly, but it also forces viewers to confront the terrors they endured. Frankly, this is the sort of film that makes Quint look reasonable and justified.

Mark Coles Smith is also terrific as Leo. He seethes with anger, but also conveys a passion for life. Will is a much quieter, more passive character, but Joel Nankervis develops convincing and compelling comradery with Smith’s Leo, so viewers will enthusiastically root for them both to survive.

In contrast, Sam Delich and Sam Parsonson quickly drain Kelly and Thompson of any potential sympathy. Frankly, they are so successful in this regard, it creates credibility issues, because basic training usually instills precisely the kind of unit cohesion that should kick in amid a crisis like this.

Still, by the standards of most recent sharksploitation, Roache-Turner’s underwater predatory scenes (shot by cinematographer Mark Wareham) look pretty good. He skillfully builds the tension and then really unleashes bedlam with his wild climax. Viewers will really feel for the Armidale survivors, because the shark just keeps coming, while all their other problems get worse and worse. Recommended for shark movie fans and those who appreciate the true WWII Pacific Theater history behind it, Beast of War releases tomorrow (12/9) on DVD and BluRay.