Gamma Squad
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| Gamma Squad | |
|---|---|
 Gamma Squad movie cover |
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| Directed by | Nathaniel Barker and Eliot Lash |
| Produced by | Catman Do Films |
| Written by | Nathaniel Barker and Eliot Lash |
| Starring | Benjamin Kahn Alex Morgan Tyler Nelson Christopher Curran Garrett Somers Joshua Wolf Nathaniel Barker Eliot Lash Robert Muller Johnathan Kurniawan Arkadiy Tetelman |
| Music by | Ludwig Von Beethoven |
| Distributed by | Catman Do Films |
| Release date(s) | June 14, 2004 |
| Running time | 7 mins. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $300(US) |
Gamma Squad (later re-named Expendable for its premier on June 14th of 2004) was a film by Catman Do Films and was directed by Nathaniel Barker and Eliot Lash; it is an independent film.
There has been much public controversy as to whether or not this was a great film or a terrible film (the considerably limited public of interest did not claim much middle ground in this dispute, but was largely polarized by the issue). While the directors and many of the film's fans claim that the movie was the best of those made by Catman Do Films, others perceived it as Catman Do Films's worst production yet. Echoing some of the negative sentiment surrounding the feature, Joshua Wolf claimed that the movie's combination of "bad acting, directing, and props, as well as its low budget and terrible working conditions" all led to the film's poor quality.
Despite the "controversy," Mr. Barker and Mr. Lash, along with both fans and detractors maintain that, considering the scope, budget, and inexperience of the film makers involved, the film, as stated by Eliot Lash, was "pretty decent" and some believe it rivals the vast majority of films made by students with similar breadths of experience.
[edit] Trivia
-The film/filmmakers' motto was, "We don't need technology to turn shit into pancakes!"
-The film was essentially shot twice. The first version featured the actor Gabe Alloy, who, although replaced by Johnathan Kurniawan in the second shooting, still has his namesake as Johnathan's character.
-A re-edit of the film was made by Tomas Seidita.
-The cast and crew had a run in with the police after the filming of the second scene.
[edit] Plot summary
The movie Gamma Squad tells the story of an elite squad of soldiers in the U.S. army called, incidentally, "Gamma Squad". After discovering that two vital outposts have been taken by the enemy (who is never specified), General Somers tells General Conner that he is going to send in a rescue mission for the men still alive at the outposts, but that he cannot risk his best men for the mission (presumably squadrons Alpha and Beta, though only Alpha is referenced during the film). He thus decides to send in Gamma Squad. General Conner says to Somers in protest that it is a suicide mission, to which General Somers replies that he is aware. He reasons that by going in, "they'll be dubbed heroes. More heroes means more support; more support, more recruits." He also comments that by the time they arrive, there'll be no one left to rescue. Upon hearing this, Conner calls Somers crazy, and says to him, "You're fuckin' nuts!" Somers then slaps Conner, and tells him that if he again questions Somers' orders, he'll be sent out to fight. In the end, Conner issues the order for Gamma Squad's deployment.
The final scene opens with what is assumed to be Gamma Squad, a five person team, comprised of Alloy, Muller, Barker, Lash, and their commander, Wolf, hiking through a creak bed. While walking through the forest, they are ambushed by the enemy and Alloy is killed by enemy fire. Muller and Wolf scatter off to one side, and Barker and Lash both move to forward positions.
Wolf orders Muller to move ahead, who complies and in doing so steps on a landmine, dying instantly. Barker takes a shot, quipping "Poor bastard should have had a better hiding place like mine!" and is killed by a gunshot to the head immediately thereafter. Lash rushes to Barker to briefly consider the implications of his comrade's death. Finally, Wolf runs up toward Lash but is shot on the way. The gunfire stops, and Lash is the only one left alive. In a final act of desperation and mourning, he draws his pistol to his head. The screen goes black and Lash's fate is left unresolved.
