Kokoda
Alister Greirson
(Palace Films, M)

by Joshua Callinan

Kokoda holds a special place in Australian history.
“Kokoda” now holds a special place on the big screen.

This is the first movie based on the tale of Kokoda and in his debut feature film, Grierson has done a tremendous job in turning the famous WWII battlefield into a central character of the story he tells and not just a scene for a history lesson.

The year is 1942 and Australian soldiers are battling with Japanese soldiers deep within the Papua New Guinean jungle. The battles take place along the 96km stretch that passes over the Owen Stanley Range and is known as the Kokoda track.

“Kokoda” focuses on the journey of the 39^th Battalion, a group of volunteer soldiers (also known as Chocos), who have little training, little equipment and little choice in heading to the frontline.

Jack (Jack Finsterer) takes control of a small patrol group when their leader is killed in action. Not only does Jack have to deal with the treacherous terrain and an advancing Japanese army but also a lack of supplies, Darko (Travis McMahon) the disobedient rogue and the dilemma of deciding whether or not to leave behind his injured brother Max (Simon Stone).

Grierson cleverly concentrates on the characters and their individual moments within the extreme conditions of an extreme situation, rather than relying on the battle scenes to tell the story.

However, the battle scenes that are used, especially the final showdown at Isurava, are made all the more effective by the use of a hand held camera. The camera can be difficult to follow at times but, along with the point of view angle, is appropriate for the audience to gain insight into what the soldiers are actually facing.

There are times when you don’t want to see what the soldiers are facing as some of the images are very violent and confronting. The images aren’t all violent and humerous lines pop up unexpectantly.

Shane Bourne and William McInnes also pop up unexpectantly but the storyline is carried tremendously well by the rest of the relatively inexperienced cast.

The film doesn’t finish as strongly as it started but Grierson has successfully centred his representation of Kokoda on a memorial that is located at Isurava and reads,

“Courage. Endurance. Mateship. Sacrifice.”.

Any other movie made about Kokoda has a tough track to follow.