Combat Shock

Movie 10 of my 2025 Halloween Movie Marathon Whenever someone starts talking to you about Taxi Driver or The Joker, point them here instead. Holy shit bro, THIS. WAS. GOOD. This movie is about Frankie Dunlan, a Vietnam vet, trying to find a job in an America that is going through an economic depression. He has a wife and a 1 year old baby, and they live in a shabby apartment that they haven't paid for in awhile, so they are on the cusp of being thrown out, adding urgency to Frankie to actually find a job. The horror of this movie comes from two things, one being the fact Frankie has to traverse Staten Island in the 80s, and secondly, the flashbacks to his experience in Vietnam. They are intense, and thanks to the accompaniment of Frankie's monologue, you get a sense of just how terrible it was. That being said, this movie is not entirely scary, because there are genuinely some funny moments here too. Everything having to do with Paco and his goons were so ridiculous it ended up being pretty humorous. Some of their bits were like something you would find on Prime Youtube, it was great. Let me go back and talk about Frankie some more though, cause it is he who is the best part of this movie. When one watches this picture, they will find no heroes, and Frankie is no exception. That being said, he is a very interesting character that is a treat to observe. He is ultimately what you get if you make Travis Bickle have a 5x worse experience in Vietnam and drop him in an even worse America, it is very fun to watch. I'm sorry if this review is a little disjointed, when I see movies I love, my reviews become a little erratic because I am thinking about all of the things I loved about this movie. In this way, one should see that through the erratic-ness of this review that I really loved this movie and that I believe that you will love it too. That being said, the ending of this movie is pretty messed up, so keep that in mind!