Rating: 
Summary: Smart, Hilarious Black Comedy.
Review: In 1989, Ray Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) is a supply clerk stationed to a U.S. Army base in West Germany who makes money on the side by selling Army requisitions on the black market. His unit gets a new Top Sergeant (Scott Glenn) at the same time Elwood and his partners have an opportunity to sell some arms for enough money to retire on. Sergeant Lee is bent on crushing their operation and Elwood's swagger. The arms sale is complicating their lives. And Elwood has fallen for his enemy's daughter (Anna Paquin)."Buffalo Soldiers" is a hilarious black comedy based on the book of the same name by Robert O'Conner and directed by Gregor Jordan. The film has been widely admonished for presenting an unflattering picture of U.S. military personnel. "Buffalo Soldiers" doesn't comment much on officers, except to say that some are blind to what goes on under their noses. The film is about enlisted men stationed to West Germany during the last years of the Cold War "with nothing to kill except time." These soldiers are overwhelmingly idiots, sociopaths and junkies. But they sure are funny. I spent the summer of 1983 near a U.S. Army base in West Germany, and I can attest to the strangeness of base life and the feeling that the enlisted men are purposeless. I also had an acquaintance who was stationed to West Germany in the early 1990s. He was a lot like the soldiers in the movie. In fact, of five people I have known who enlisted in the Army or Navy, four resemble characters in this film. So however unflattering "Buffalo Soldiers" may be, I am inclined to believe that it is a realistic portrait of base life at a specific time and place. The cast of the film is just wonderful. Joaquin Phoenix and Scott Glenn are perfect in every way. The supporting cast delivers equally impressive and thoroughly enjoyable performances. It's nice to see Ed Harris in a comic role. His talent is not wasted here as Elwood's earnest but naive commanding officer. "Buffalo Soldiers" is one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. It has smart darkly comic writing, good construction, and gutsy performances that never fail to entertain. It's one of the most enjoyable films in recent memory. But it's a very dark comedy that dabbles in tragedy as well. And it's unflattering to at least some U.S. military personnel. If that doesn't bother you, don't miss this film! I give "Buffalo Soldiers" my highest recommendation. The DVD: Bonus features include a short "making of" documentary, an "Anatomy of a Scene" featurette that concentrates on the scenes surrounding Elwood's acquisition of the weapons, and an audio commentary by director Gregor Jordan. The bonus features aren't terribly exciting, but I think the audio commentary is more worth your time than the other stuff. Dubbing is available in French. Subtitles available in English only.
Rating:
Summary: Soldiering on.
Review: It is always the indie flicks that end up in your DVD collection because, goddamn, for once we have an interesting film. With the advent of 9/11 this film did have to wait, but with the current animosity towards ol' Dubya Bush, this film couldn't be more pertinent. What we have to remember is the hidden talent of Joaquin Phoenix, he has many a film under his belt, [Return to Paradise, Signs, Parenthood] and this is another career milestone. Watch this movie and ENJOY, you wont find another like it. It also helps if you've had family in the forces during the eighties. Faulklands...what a waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: multi-layered characterizations combined with an evolving story involves the viewer in the movies action. Unpredictable and surprising. Kind of like being stationed overseas.
Rating: 
Summary: Some pretty good extras...
Review: Nothing really wonderful but a commentary by the director which covers the bases (without going once into its troubled production and post-production history) and a couple of documentaries (one the electronic press kit and the other produced by the Sundance Channel) which aren't bad. If you're already into this type of film, it's probably worth the outlay.
Rating:
Summary: BUFFALO SOLDIERS
Review: Thank god for a film that satarises the army, not in a Sgt Bilko way either. I hope it rattles middle America and the current occupants of the oval office.
Joaqin Phoneix is a great anti hero and the always brillant Ed Harris is great as an inept general.
Rating:
Summary: An army of fun
Review: That is to say, darkly comic fun. Buffalo Soldiers is an account of how things go wrong when lonely, bored soldiers overseas have too much time on their hands. Joaquin Phoenix is great as Elwood, the specialist who's scamming left and right while his inept commanding officer played by Ed Harris is completely oblivious to the outrageous events taking place on his watch. I'd have to agree with one reviewer in that Scott Glenn is a scene-stealer in his portrayal of a sadistic sergeant out to bust Elwood. The movie may not sit well with some in today's political climate, but it is a must-own for fans of twisted comedy.
Rating: 
Summary: refreshing
Review: The coolest movie would be a documentary on how a script like this made it to production. It is so cynical and downbeat that I really can't believe the story got anywhere near money. Just when you're about to believe that nothing but the safest kind of crap (I thought "Narc" was totally safe) gets made anymore, a movie like "Buffalo Soldiers" gets released--albeit three years after completion--to give you some hope that all is not lost in movie land...maybe. Having been a popular novel always helps and-- the promise of a good cast--I'm just guessing here... but STILL! Alas, nobody'll rent it but the hip and the flip and some teenybopper fans of whats-his-face with the lip scar who won't make it through the whole film and will whip out "Gladiator" instead and get their rocks off to the ubiquitoous family values theme barely concealed therin (I shall see my family again!) (yawn). Four stars for falling back on slapstick drug humour and for having the relationship "work out" (yawn again).
Rating:
Summary: this is actually a very interesting and good enough movie
Review: the whole storyline is very interesting and sometimes funny. i also found out this is the first time that ed harris played a moronic army officer who's so stupidly manipulated by elwood, the black market guy. great performances. ridiculed but very factual army corruptions inside out. just don't know why america still sending out so many soldiers to every corner of the world, wasting taxpayers' $$$$ like crazy. why not keep the money domestically, remodels the whole america that now 65% of it just look and no better than a run-down 3rd world county. this is what i felt after watching this quite good movie.
Rating:
Summary: CYNICAL YET AMUSING ANTI-WAR SATIRE
Review: This is no Catch 22 in terms of a caustic anti-war satire, or a No Man's Land in the moving political undertones, but it's an entertaining indie nevertheless. It's interesting to consider what it must be like for the US military for the number of years between major wars (e.g., between Vietnam and the first Gulf war.) Aside from the minor skirmish here and there, fully trained and fully armed soldiers have a lot of time on their hands, idle hands with unbridled access to weapons and drugs. Surely makes for a funny predicament for a film! Among the actors, Phoenix has a remarkable way of playing negative characters, and yet making the audience care about his characters (e.g., in Gladiator.) He is at his charming best as the anti-hero. It seems almost that the director did NOT want this to be a comedy, and therein lie the most hilarious moments -- e.g., when Ed Harris plays against as the bumbling Colonel Berman. Overall, a pretty watchable movie and hence a worthy rental with a pithy topical theme. Just don't expect it to establish any sort of a rooting interest.
Rating:
Summary: It's accurate
Review: Well, patriotic is not exactly the word to discribe this little anti-esablishment film. This movie is about a Army specialist Ray Elwood, who joined to beat a jail term. He now passes his time stationed in Germany (my old stomping ground) selling drugs, guns, and Mop-N-Glow black market. His new First Sargeant is a crusty old Vietnam war herio who's cracking down hard on Elwood. Elwood retaliates by dating the 1SG's daughter. I knew all of these types of people while I served; the privates with a scam, the NCOs who love to abuse their power, and the higher ranking officers who just didn't have a clue. This is an extream example, but believe me, it isn't wrong. I have been focusing the attitude of the film, and I think it's important to explain my point of view. Joaquin Phoenix is the heart of the movie, or at least the protaganist. He is alright. Ed Harris plays against all types as the clueless base CO, not his best performance. Anna Paquin plays the love interest who dosn't mind being played against her father. It is Scott Glenn who steals the show as the sadistic 1SG who has a huge grudge against Elwood. He is mean and brutal and chews scenery like no mans buisness. After September 11th, this movie may not be to everyones taste, but it is good, if bleak.
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