5/5 if there was a film that was grindhouse this was it
  by Justin Ahlers (rapid city s.d.)
this movie is bleak and wicked. shot in new york at the height of its crack epidemic and is reflected in this film
this film only played the most ghetto theaters in its day ,including the liberty on the forty deuce know for playing the most sick films, well worth a look.


4/5 One of the Bleakest Movies Ever
  by Thomas H. Fields (Washington, DC)
When this movie was made in the 1980s, the phrase "post-traumatic stress disorder" or PTSD, hadn't become widely used. But the main character clearly has it. So it's hard not to feel sorry for this severely traumatized Vietnam vet who can't find steady work, has a family to support, owes money, and sees that he has nowhere to turn. His pleas for help consistently fall on deaf ears.

It's a gut-wrenching experience to watch this movie. It explores the psychological aftermath of war in ways that other films don't. There's nothing upbeat in it. Who ever said that movies had to have a happy ending? No matter how tough your life is, it will make you grateful for what you have.

5/5 Hidden Gem - Essential Viewing
  by MindGrinder
I went into this knowing very little about the movie aside from other viewers comments. I didn't have high expectations due to the time period that it was shot in as well the fact that Troma was releasing it.

I have never been a Troma fan. So for those of you that are in the same camp - you are safe with this in regards to this being Tromaesque.

Gore hounds steer clear as there really is none in this.

I will start off with the one negative note which is based on my personal opinion. The music at times was 8-bit video game fluff which I found distracting at times. But for the most part the synth score remained ominous and droning.

Combat Shock is cold, gritty and depressing. The no budget adds to the realism as they worked with everything they could muster up. The cries of the baby are still ringing in my ears.

Just like Kids was important viewing for the 90's, Combat Shock tells a tale of Urban slums in the 80's through out America. It still bears relevance today.

If you want a movie that will make you pause and think of where we were, where we are and whats ahead without glitz and glammer, this is a dark trip that will leave you feeling empty yet somewhat satisfied. Not for all tastes but kudos to all involved in making an important film relevant again that otherwise would have been locked away.

2/5 Over-rated by its fans.
  by Andrew MacEwen
Who are these people kidding, comparing this movie to Taxi Driver? It's not that a low-budget exploitationer can't compare to a Scorsese film; it's merely that Combat Shock is a one-note film with an incompetent cast. Sure, it's got an effectively seedy atmosphere and some powerful and painful sequences (e.g., the coat-hanger/heroin sequence), but that's not enough to carry the film. Buy Driller Killer, instead, or Last House on the Left. Or even Nekromantik. Combat Shock is worth putting on your rental queue, but it's not worth buying. It just doesn't deserve the praise it's receiving.

5/5 Combat Shock: Unholy couplings
  by Lindsayde5a7 (New York)
If David Lynch and Abel Ferrara conceived celluloid spawn, then this would be the film that escaped the abortion table. It is unfortunate that this film is not more well known. Ironically satisfying in the fact that it is a downward spiral with no hope. Nothing will prepare you for this film, unless of course you were in Vietnam.