Army Daze
| Army Daze | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
|
|
| Directed by | Ong Keng Sen |
| Screenplay by | Michael Chiang |
| Starring | Edward Yong Ching Tah Sheikh Haikel Kevin Mark Verghese Adrian Lim Meng Kiat Ahamed Azad |
| Distributed by | Cathay Asia Films |
|
Release date
|
1996 |
|
Running time
|
84 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Language | English, Malay, Hokkien and Mandarin |
| Budget | S$700,000 |
| Box office | S$1,600,000 |
| Army Daze (Play) | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Michael Chiang |
| Characters | Malcolm Png Kenny Pereira Teo Ah Beng Johari Salleh |
| Setting | National Service in Singapore |
Army Daze is a 1996 Singaporean comedy movie based on the 1987 theatre play (which had a rerun in March 2006 ) of the same name by Singaporean writer Michael Chiang. Distributed by Cathay Asia Films and directed by Ong Keng Sen, the film portrays a group of 18-year-old Singaporeans from different classes and cultural backgrounds as they perform their National Service and their experience within the Singapore Armed Forces. The movie is spoken in Singlish, Standard English, Malay, Hokkien and Mandarin.
The tagline of the movie, From Real Blur (Singlish reference to a mental state of confusion) to Real Men.
This is the bestselling coming-of-age novel by Michael Chiang, a semi-fictionalised autobiography and reminiscence of lost youth and boyhood.
The film shows six men of different backgrounds enlisting in their National Service. Malcolm; a nerd and "mother's boy", Johari; a large, laid-back hipster Malay man, Krishna; a heroic and loving Indian lover, Ah Beng; a gangster-like delinquent, and Kenny; the effeminate boy who is into women's lifestyle are all introduced as they make their way reporting to the manpower base before assigned to their camp. Malcolm serves as the narrator, the army life is seen through his eyes and thoughts. All six men are placed in Hotel Company Platoon 4, alongside various other males.
Prior to enlisting, Malcolm is seen interacting with a shady Mr. X at the manpower base who sells him a guidebook teaching ways of playing truant in the army while Krishna makes a heart to heart final talk with Lathi, his girlfriend. When Platoon 4 is brought to their bunks after bidding farewell to their loved ones, the six men share their thoughts on the current state of affairs, before being introduced to their drill instructor, Corporal (CPL) Ong, who is a tough-as-nails stereotyped army man. He dramatically tells them all about their upcoming life, then leads them all to their mandatory haircut. At night, the six men introduce themselves to one another, with Malcolm finding himself out of the league almost immediately.
...
Wikipedia