Theme Song: There’s a considerable synth soundtrack that’s basically blaring non-stop from beginning to end. Music is credited to Marc Donahue.
Here’s a jam that plays over the closing credits. It’s a little more sentimental than the other foreboding songs during the main action.
Interesting Dated References: Given this movie features a strong female lead and the plot pivots on a sexual assault, it’s worth noting the script was written by a female under a male pseudonym.
Social Context: According to this movie there’s a thing in the made-up ‘80s military where if you want to “qualify” for certain things, you’re forced to undergo rigorous training exercises. Some of these training exercises involve significant amounts of mock combat situations. I have no idea if this was ever a real thing and don’t care to research, so we’ll take this at face value.
Summary: Aging soldier Logan (Tom Skerrit, Fighting Back) is attempting to “qualify” by participating in a mock combat situation against an “opposing force” on a remote island.
There are a bunch of fellow soldiers on this trip who are also equally concerned with “qualifying,” but none more important than Casey (Lisa Eichorn), whom Logan immediately pairs up with as they attempt to overpower the “opposing force” on the remote island, which at times looks like the Philippines and at others could just be an overgrown field in California.
After Logan and Casey check each other for leeches, they are captured and subjected to endless torture (along with the rest of the group) at the hands of Stafford and his boss Becker (Richard Roundtree and Anthony Zerbe, respectively).
The torture is unflinchingly endless. Forced nude bathing, delousing, full-on filmed water-boarding (in 1986!). It goes on and on as the captives conspire about escape, whether the whole thing is a “qualifying” test or if it’s an actual leader-gone-rogue situation a la Apocalypse Now.
But then things pivot fairly quickly when Becker rapes Casey. The captives, led by Logan, decide to revolt. After chases and killing, Casey is the only survivor and, during voiceover, clarifies that she was told she “qualified.”
Worth Mentioning:
– The problem with Opposing Force is that it doesn’t go far enough into the female experience. Skerrit’s character seems written to take some heat off what could be female-driven scenes: Logan gets upset about the assault and starts the overthrow, going full-on Rambo in the jungle by killing a bunch of the opposing force. Casey could have handled all this, making for a much stronger movie.
Poster and Box Art: Originally released (possibly in theater?) as Hell Camp, that poster has a much heavier female-focus.
It’s quite good. No complaints.
The home video release under Opposing Force is terrible, with weirdly-cut character photos and a shouting Zerbe making it unappealing.