Tigerland

Rating:
Summary: The war before the war...welcome to Tigerland.
Review: This is not just another Vietnam movie!

Tigerland is the last stop before 'Nam, where Fort Polk recruits spend their final week of infantry training. And if Vietnam is Hell, then Tigerland is Purgatory.

Very good acting in this movie, especially by Farrell, who plays a reluctant soldier and natural leader of men. The actors successfully portray the raw fear and anxiety felt by young men preparing to be sent to war, possibly to die.

The horrors of war started for these men here in the States, in training, where they were physically and emotionally brutalized in an attempt to toughen them into soldiers. I found this to be a new perspective on the Vietnam experience, setting this movie apart from movies like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket.

Definitely recommended!

Rating:
Summary: The Right Stuff in The Wrong Movie
Review: Tigerland is a good cimenatic experience. Colin Farrell sasses his way through Roland Bozz, an impudent wisecracker. His performance is gripping, but not masterful. We don't totally comprehend the cause for his actions. He seems split between irresponsibility and caring for his friends. The sex scene where writer buddy Matthew Davis as Paxton and Bozz bond while sharing a room with two girls from a bar sets the course as a buddy movie. Shea Wigham as the violent Wilson who holds a grudge makes an impression. Cole Hauser who is son of actor Wings Hauser also makes an impression as the obnoxious Sergeant Cota who enjoys rubbing the soldiers noses in the dirt as he sends them off to likely be killed in Vietnam. The film seems to meander a bit with the supporting roles tending to blur rather than be real distinct. The strength of the film is to explore the conflict of getting soldiers ready while the anti-war sentiments take a toll on the morale. The screen test of Colin Farrell is an interesting addition to the DVD. While not perfect, this is an interesting film which holds the attention. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Farrell shines- and shows skin....
Review: Alert- this is a well acted film- no question I liked the story, the acting , the setting, the pacing the filming- but I feel compelled to share this is your chance to get some nice full rear shots of young Farrell and his co-star as well as a fleeting full frontal walk by of Farrell.

R rating is for nudity, language , aforementioned racist and homophobic attitudes. The gratuitous nude scenes with the guys in the showers is a nice change from too many flicks that show women naked just for the hell of it!

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Summary: Tiger, tiger, burning bright...
Review: Tigerland is a Vietnam war film with a difference. It doesn't have a particular political message regarding Vietnam; it is more of a critique on the culture of warfare in general, where it is difficult to tell the sane from the insane, the true believers from the patriots, and those who simply want to remain alive.

At various points in the film, the commanders in charge of training announce to the platoon that has just made another snafu that they are all dead. 'I'm still alive,' the upstart Bozz (played by Colin Farrell in one of his earliest roles) will almost always announce. At one time, a sergeant tells Bozz that men can't just quit the Army. 'I'm not quitting, I'm just not playing any more,' Bozz calmly announces.

The plot revolves around a platoon at training during the early 1970s, when the horrors of the Vietnam war had been played out on television for the greater part of a decade, and no one really wanted to go as a lowly grunt private. The ultimate in training was Tigerland, a Louisiana swamp area converted into Vietnam-like terrain, for realistic training. Recruit Bozz is almost like a zen master, taking nothing in the training very seriously other than the potential deadening effects it might have on his (and the others' souls). Bozz is a troublemaker to the lock-step training mentality; like many troublemakers, he is in fact a diamond-in-the-rough for leadership, as men naturally follow his lead, and he eventually gets rewarded (or so one might think) with responsibility. However, his primary, self-chosen responsibility seems to be to save people from the Army if they don't warrant being there -- to this end, he helps arrange in ambiguous fashion various types of hardship and disability discharges for others in the platoon, but fails to escape the fate of going to Vietnam himself.

Colin Farrell is the only big 'name' in the film, and when it was filmed, he wasn't yet as well known as he is in the post Recruit/SWAT days. Director Joel Schumacher, known for big-budget blockbusters such as Batman & Robin, filmed this in grainy, shorter film, with no steady cams and harsh cinematography, reflecting the harshness of the training and the unsteady nature of the reality of war. For a Vietnam war film, this film is unique in that it never actually goes to Vietnam; everything is a home-grown re-creation -- perhaps this is another statement on the reality of war?

The roles of Paxton (Matthew Davis) and others recruits in the platoon are played with honesty and integrity; the officers and trainers are bit less realistic at times it seems, but then such officials must needs put on a persona when in such roles, so perhaps this is reflected in the actors' performances as actors in a very different engagement.

The DVD has a few extras, including Colin Farrell's screen test. A fascinating film, enigmatic in its ending and the overall meaning, save to say that perhaps all of war, and most of life generally, is absurd.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies of 2000!
Review: I had really low expectations for this film. There are many reasons why, especially when you consider it came out at a time when the growing trend of boot camp specials for naughty teenagers on talk shows started to die down as quickly as they spread. I got sick of when we got to the point where our beloved drill sergeants were fallible to the point of just being embarrassing. But this movie hit right at home for me and all I can say is that the first time I saw this I was engaged from the very beginning.

Joel Schumacher's commentary track is very insightful and worth listening to, rather eye opening when you consider the only memory for this man is the dreadful "Batman & Robin." But for those that have seen this movie more than once and know what's going to happen, it gives new perspective to some of the heartbreaking scenes and the ones of unspeakable tension.

Surprisingly, the movie doesn't object to the war. Most of the action occurs in Advanced Infantry, so some of the characters' views are only natural. But whether the movie is truthful to the real Tigerland experience I cannot say, because most of the negative comments are by Tigerland graduates of the late 60s, not 1971.

Anyway, this movie helped me rediscover why I loved old fashion military @ss kicking so much. I've moved on, but there's an old love for it that I cannot erase. It's quite refreshing actually. Then depressing. Then refreshing again. "Tigerland" was more brutal than "Full Metal Jacket" but as fresh as "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "Taps." However, unlike "Full Metal Jacket," it isn't slow paced and they take us directly to A.I.T. and skips basic. I noticed that some of the sergeants were portrayed as sadistic and recluse @sshloes with sticks up their @sses (I kid you not!), but that's forgivable-to an extent. They also abandoned some traditional Hollywood machines like the dolly in favor of 16mm handheld steady cams. My only complaint is not too many people decided to see it, and critics complained for silly reasons. Shame.

Rating:
Summary: Uncharacteristic Schumacher film
Review: The director of Tigerland, Joel Schumacher, is best known for big budget action hokum, such as The Lost Boys, Flatliners, and Batman and Robin. Tigerland is the antithesis of these movies. It is not slick, opting for a docudrama style that focuses on characters and story. The plot concerns an American training camp for soldiers who will be shipping off to Vietnam. We've seen this type of story before (e.g., Full Metal Jacket) - young soldiers are broken down by the army and then built back up as killing machines, but Tigerland remains fresh, largely due to the talented cast.

Tigerland stars Irishman Colin Farrel in his first large role, and he gives a star making performance. His character (Roland Boz) is anti-army and anti-authority, and he does not see the sense in having people fight wars who are emotionally not equipped to handle it. He invariably clashes with his superiors as well as his peers (they are punished for his misbehavior). However, ironically, he ends up helping several of them, particularly Miter, outstandingly played by Clifton Collins Jr. (who also excelled in 2000 as the gay drug dealer Frankie Flowers in "Traffic"). Tigerland asks many big questions regarding war and bravery, but it wisely does not provide easy answers.

The DVD includes a commentary track by Joel Schumacher. This track is extremely interesting, as Schumacher describes how he had a small budget and how he managed to do what he needed to do for the film. The DVD also includes Colin Farrel's screen tests, which are fascinating. Farrel is a compelling actor who currently has a number of high profile films in the can, including "Hart's War" with Bruce Willis and the Steven Speilberg/Tom Cruise film, "Minority Report." Expect great things from him.

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Summary: War games
Review: Could you imagine ever hearing the words "Dogma 95" and "Joel Schumacher" together in a serious sentence? But this is Schumacher's Dogma 95 film - unofficial, of course - and the stripped-down production give a disturbing sense of immediacy to an otherwise fairly conventional story about boys being prepared for war.

In accordance with Dogma's bare-bones aesthetic (which Schumacher encountered while promoting 8MM in Europe), the film was shot on location in 28 days, using 16-mm stock; it relies heavily on hand-held cinematography, available lighting and direct sound. The result is a riot of swimming grain and blown-out images - it really does look like a guerrilla documentary, particularly since the talented cast is composed almost entirely of unknown faces. Set in 1971 - the year co-screenwriter Ross Klavan served in the Army Reserves - it follows a batch of recruits as they finish infantry training, which culminates in a week of simulated battles in "Tigerland," an artificial war zone in the Louisiana swamps.

Given Klavan's real-life experiences, the script is surprisingly conventional, populated by characters who could have been lifted from a Hollywood WWII epic: The idealistic writer (Hottie Matthew Davis), the country bumpkin (Thomas Guiry), the small-town boy trying to prove his manhood (Clifton Collins, Jr.), the natural-born killer(Shea Whigham), and the decent guy (Russell Richardson) who just wants to come home alive. Even charismatic Bozz (Super Hottie Colin Farrell), the disenchanted rebel who rejects the rules, rituals and gung-ho flagwaving, is a familiar figure; he just gets to rebel more openly, given the receptive ears of his fellow Vietnam-era soldiers - even raw recruits know of the My Lai massacre. But that doesn't negate the movie's impact, nor does the fact that other movies (including FULL METAL JACKET, APOCALYPSE NOW and STREAMERS) cover much of the same ground.

Rating:
Summary: SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A WAR
Review: Set in 1971, TIGERLAND is a harsh, gritty, ultimately tragic look at the agonies of training to go to war. Director Joel Schumacher who must like working with Colin Farrell (Phone Booth, Veronica Guerin) uses a documentary style to enhance the realism of this brutal movie. Farrell burst onto the scene in his fierce portrayal of Boz, a flippant anti-war, anti-authority figure who ultimately turns out to be a fierce and strong leader. Matthew Davis (Below, Urban Legends) gives an equally impressive performance as Boz' friend, Paxton, an idealistic college grad, who wants to write a book about the war. Along with these two leading roles, the supporting cast is equally superb: Thomas Guiry as the misguided Cantwell; James McDonald as the sadistic Sergeant; Clifton Collins Jr. as the emotionally drained Miter, and Cole Hauser as the troops' leader at Tigerland. The sparse musical score is likewise laudable.
Not an "uplifting" movie---it's hard to forget the Vietnam "war", and knowing that many of these characters would probably die in vain is discouraging.
Excellent, mainly for the superb ensemble acting.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty, Real, Poignant, Innovative
Review: As far as war movies go, "Tigerland" certainly suceeds as being one of the most interesting ones of the last years. Instead of relying in trite action scenes and countless shoot outs, it tries to present a different approach and offers an intriguing character study worth watching.

Colin Farrell (in one of his best roles) plays Bozz, the anti-hero tough soldier that tries to resist against the imploding madness that surrounds him, as he sees the war coming closer.

Although we never get to watch proper war scenes, we get a glimpse at the life of american soldiers in a training camp whose function is to get them prepared for the upcoming events. This is an interesting approach, and director Joel Schumacher ("Phone Booth", "Falling Down", "Batman & Robin") knows how to develop a peculiar vision and scope, presenting a well-crafted drama and a tense atmosphere.

The directing options are adequate, like the gritty and realistic photography and the Dogma-movement style techniques. This makes for a credible and convincing mood, delivering a powerful and suspenseful sense of danger.

In a way, Bozz is already fighting in a war against the system before he enters the Vietnam. It`s remarkable to notice that these soldiers are complex, flawed and ambiguous, far from the innocent, good-hearted and bland charicatures that are presented in so many Hollywood war flicks ("Pearl Harbour", "Black Hawk Down", "We Were Soldiers", anyone?). The movie also avoids predictable melodramatic fluff, going for a subtle, moving and somber perspective and approaching a wider range of depth and emotion.

"Tigerland" is surely one of the best Schumacher`s films, a relevant and compelling effort about choice, friendship, trust, ideals and power.
A thought-provoking and meaningful cinematic experience.

Rating:
Summary: The most unsympathetic Vietnam movie of all time
Review: Forget about the debate whether Vietnam is a just cause. This movie presupposes that it was all a sham and all of the Army recruits (all draftees no doubt) recognize it as such.

Bozz is the ultra defiant protagonist who is looking to ditch the Army ASAP. He breaks all the rules and attracts the most heat of anybody in his platoon in order to get discharged. The Army is portrayed as supremely disfunctional, rudderless, overtly racist, cruel, ammoral and an all around farce.

Bozz shows the greatest leadership skills, despite his contradictory attrocious Army service record, in his ability to get his fellow recruits with hardships discharged. He is an antihero.

I like the basic concept of this movie (reject outsider shows great leadership and moral skills in an ammoral system) but recognize that it is Hollywood. Many great service people died in Vietnam nobly and this movie makes an sarcastic joke of the entire Army during that time.