The film is a mock documentary of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol mission during the Vietnam War. The point of view is from a cameraman following a LRRP team on a five-day patrol deep in "Indian Country". The cameraman is nicknamed "MoPic" by the team, because of his alphanumeric military occupational specialty, 84C20, Motion Picture Specialist. The supposedly routine mission, however, goes wrong and eventually turns into a struggle for survival. At first the squad seems in control. Their leader, the black sergeant “OD” detects booby traps, and the squad lays some booby traps of their own. They evade detection by an NVA patrol, and press deep behind enemy lines. One night, over the radio, they hear a whole army company being overrun by an NVA unit. They catch an NVA regiment in the open, and order an artillery strike, taking out much of the enemy. However, aware that the NVA knows there are Americans nearby, they avoid any gunfire and make their escape in the thick brush as silently as possible. OD catches a 6 man NVA patrol on their tail, only 50 meters away. The squad takes them out, and carry a wounded NVA soldier with them. Their position is exposed by the noise, and a sniper takes out Pretty Boy. The sniper repeatedly shoots him in the limbs, torturing him, in an attempt to lure other squad members out into the open. Unable to rescue him, OD mercy kills him. He then demands the LT kill the NVA soldier with a knife to avoid any more noise. He sadistically makes the LT look at pictures of the NVA soldier’s family before LT kills the soldier. The squad continues their escape, but encounter VC troops which wound OD, and kill Cracker. With OD barely able to walk, Hammer, a less experienced squad member, takes point. He triggers a booby trap almost immediately, killing him. With half the squad killed, the survivors make their way to their evacuation point. After a final firefight, MOPIC is killed. OD, LT, and Easy escape in the chopper as the film ends.
Cast
Jonathan Emerson as LT
Nicholas Cascone as Easy
Jason Tomlins as Pretty Boy
Christopher Burgard as Hammer
Glenn Morshower as Cracker
Richard Brooks as OD
Byron Thames as MoPic
Production
84C MoPic was filmed on a low budget in Southern California. The film is one of the earlier examples of found footage, a style famously implemented by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.
Reception
84 Charlie MoPic has an 83% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews. Roger Ebert, awarding the film three stars out of four, wrote: The film received three nominations:
