Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, really funny....
Review: ...i laughed a lot even though sometimes you kinda choke on it. this movie was released in europe early this year or last year already (i can't remember) even though its in american movie - kinda weird normally movies tend to go to europe later. it may not be what the military wants to see about its troops - the movie is set in germany in the 80s at an u.s.army installation. in the movie the "hero", a soldier, deals with everythin he can get his hands on, and most other soldiers in his barracks do the same. apart from that a drive in a tank while pretty high ends up in a gas station explosion, coz the soldiers drivin the tank get lost in the country...in short all those soldiers are fighting is being bored and being sober... ----- of course the movie is over the top and you shouldnt take everything that seriously, but - and trust me i know - many soldiers stationed abroad in friendly countries do a lot of crazy things....and this is puttin it nicely. generally i would say the movie is tryin to show that the military is not just a bunch of shiny, patriotic heroes. its true and the movie is funny, its pretty hilarious even. on second thought thats rather sad of course.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: A film with Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris from 2001...yet the majority of the population hasn't heard of it? And there are only 8 reviews on this page? That illustrates more than anything how the powers that be can suppress free speech after events like 9/11. Its a shame too, because its not just a matter of principle - this is a great film. Humorous yet disturbing, just as a black comedy should be, it is inventive and bleeds cult cool. Phoenix and Harris both do a very fine job indeed and an engaging and ironically funny picture is built up. I'm sure if this was well known there would be hundreds of disgruntled reviews from army types and people accusing the film of being unpatriotic, but it is (apologies for the cliche) an eye-opener, even if it is mostly fiction. Highly reccomended.
Rating: 
Summary: Say No to Wars!
Review: A twisted and amusing satire about the ridiculous war situations, "Buffalo Soldiers" is one of the many indie sleepers that should get more recognition.
This is an offbeat war movie, one that wisely avoid the stereotypes and cliches of bland Hollywood pictures like "Pearl Harbour" or "Black Hawk Down". Here, the perspective is cynical and heavy on dark humour, mixing a bit of drama and action. In fact, its so cynical that there`s no characters to empatise with, so between the bad guys or the terrible ones we have to choose the first group. Joaquin Phoenix plays a lazy and hypocritical soldier that becomes interested in his bosses` daughter (Anna Paquin), which leads to some contrived situations.
Director Gregor Jordan doesn`t choose sides, as he uses every chance to attack anyone that somehow gets involved in a war process. There are no innocents in "Buffalo Soldiers", everyone has their own agenda and betrayal is common here.
A witty and innovative movie, worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: uneven satire
Review: Although the opening shot of "Buffalo Soldiers" echoes the most famous image from "Dr Strangelove," the real pedigree for this military satire lies in those twin hits from 1970, "MASH" and "Catch-22." "Buffalo Soldiers" presents us with an army corps composed almost exclusively of drug users, narcotics dealers, bureaucratic bunglers and traffickers in stolen merchandise. The prime culprit is battalion secretary Ray Elwood, the opportunist supreme who knows all the angles and can make the system work to his own benefit and advantage. A criminal who was given service in the military over time in prison, Elwood has simply transferred all his illegal activities to the realm of army base life. One day, however, Elwood meets his match in the form of one Sergeant Lee (the leathery Scott Glenn), a gruff no-nonsense commander, new to this German base, who is on to Elwood's antics and is determined to make life a living hell for him. "Buffalo Soldiers" is a gutsy film in that it dares to take on a sacred cow institution and paint it in an unflattering light. It is also willing to present us with a protagonist who has few, if any, redeeming qualities as a human being (though he does radiate glimmers of decency, at times, albeit not very convincing ones). These are the film's two strongest virtues, yet they are also, paradoxically, its two greatest weaknesses. Despite Joaquin Phoenix's superb, energetic performance in the role, Elwood just does not grab the viewer's sympathy in the way that, say, Hawkeye and Yossarrian do in "MASH" and "Catch-22" respectively. Those characters could be shrewdly, cynically humorous about the flaws and hypocrisy in the military establishment, yet could still value what was good in the institution itself and the grunts who made up its ranks. The problem with Elwood is that he is seen far more as the rule rather than the exception in the world scenarists Eric Weiss, Nora Maccoby and writer/director Gregor Jordan have created. The film, though it obviously has valid points to make, feels so unbalanced in its approach that it ends up weakening its own moral case. It's true that the other two films took place in a wartime setting and "Buffalo Soldiers" is set in peacetime 1989, but it still could use a bit more equity in its portrayal. All this wouldn't matter so much if the film displayed a finer sense of humor and a firmer grasp of tone, which ranges all the way from dead seriousness to cartoon-like caricature and slapstick. There are a few deft and witty moments in the film, but they just don't come often enough to lift the comedy too far above the ordinary. Maybe "MASH" and "Catch-22" were more acceptable as satires because they weren't targeting just the military but the human propensity for war in general. With no war operating in its background, "Buffalo Soldiers" seems to exist in a sort of satirical vacuum - making it, in the long run, a cynical exercise oddly devoid of relevance and point.
Rating:
Summary: Released at last, and worth the wait!!
Review: At last this film got released in Ireland... This story just happens to have the US military involved...but it is an eye opener in the sense that they could have used *any* army in the world - it focuses on what soldiers do when they are bored and idle....not just because they are American!
I thought it was fantastic. Brilliant acting, brilliant plot and makes you think!
Rating: 
Summary: Unrelentingly bleak and dark tale - as it should be
Review: BUFFALO SOLDIERS didn't make it to the theaters for long because of the content and timing. This is one of the more anti-military moives out there and watching the inner dark workings of subrosa crime within the military is not what the studios deemed as appropriate when it was due for release around the time of 911. But now, a couple of years later, when we are hearing the stories of what happens in soldiers' minds when stressed (as in Vietnam, as in Iraq where the suicide rate is increasing) or when bored by the false security of a two year stint of isolation and that boredom encourages subterfuge, then this film noir makes sense, uncomfortably. Joaquin Phoenix makes the most of his role as the 'undercover agent' who pilfers goods for the black market on the German base of the US Army at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall 1989. Ed Harris is terrific as the disillusioned officer-on-the-way-up who loses everything, and Scott Glenn is evil personified as the Top Sargent who comes on base and wipes it clean - if dastardly deeds can be termed 'clean'. Elizabeth McGovern proves she can still vamp, and Anna Paquin is growing into a fine actress. So even if the story is a bit on the slight side we still have some fine actors to observe. There are shortcomings here, chief among them is the rather flatline of the speaking and the action. It is almost as though everyone concerned is zoned out (much like those who are cooking heroin to sell) - and that 'everyone' includes the director and camera crew. But it is not without its good moments - for a view at home.
Rating:
Summary: Restless soldiers...a good thing?
Review: Buffalo Soldiers had its first official release in Canada during the Toronto Film Festival on September 8, 2001. This was days before 9/11 when terrorists flew aircrafts into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Miramax held the film back in concern of how some might react to the anti-war message depicted in the film. Almost a year and half later during the Sundance Film Festival, a woman verbally assaulted the filmmakers by stating that they were anti-American for making the film as she threw a water bottle towards the screen that accidentally hit Anna Paquin. Having this background information prior seeing the film brings the audience to the story in a completely different light, which builds up a pre-viewing atmosphere full of notions. Buffalo Soldiers is an interesting story about Specialist Ray Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) who runs all kinds of scams on his military base in Germany during the final days of the Cold War when the Berlin Wall is about to plunge. When the new Top Sergeant Lee arrives to his base, there seems to be a new sheriff in town. Lee also happens to bring his daughter Robyn (Anna Paquin) who falls for Elwood. This is a recipe for disaster as Elwood discovers that he also has feelings for Robyn, and Robyn's father is out to get him by all means necessary. Buffalo Soldiers is a comic anti-war drama that is depicted through an atmosphere of boredom among young adults without much life experience and a lot of responsibility. This restlessness among the soldiers is captured with precise directing by Jordan and a good performance by the cast, which leaves the audience with a fine cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: "When there's peace, the war-like man attacks himself"
Review: BUFFALO SOLDIERS is a movie adaptation of Robert O'Connor's popular novel about a group of young U.S. soldiers at the Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Army Base in Stuttgart, West Germany in October 1989. Military clerk Ray Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) is the mastermind of the operation. Along with his GI pals he deals drugs, steals supplies, and has a thriving black-market business. But his schemes begin to unravel when Sergeant Lee (Scott Glenn) decides to investigate Elwood's activities. And to make matters worse, Elwood pursues Lee's daughter without his permission. While viewing this DVD I was constantly confused about the intention of this film. Is it a comedy or a drama? Did the directors want their audience to walk away with a serious impression or laugh all the way through to the credits? Unfortunately this film couldn't make up its mind. Some of the scenes contained screwball comedy elements reminiscent of classic military movies such as STRIPS (i.e., stoned soldiers causing havoc by running the tank though the town). Other scenes attempted to portray the heartfelt emotions of the characters (i.e., Ed Harris coming to grips with the end of his military career). But the two polar opposites never successfully united to create a good movie. I read all the press about this film when it was suppressed shortly after 9/11/01. But now after finally being able to watch it I can't believe that anybody had a problem with it. Clearly this is an instance of being hypersensitive. Why is this film controversial? It's surely not the first film to portray soldiers who don't follow protocol. What's more, it's set during 1989 - 15 years ago. In short, BUFFALO SOLDIERS simply didn't work for me. There were too many frayed loose ends at the end that detracted from the whole. It is surely unfortunate that wonderful actor abilities such as Ed Harris and Scott Glenn were wasted in this dismal film.
Rating:
Summary: Not great but then it has its moments
Review: Buffalo Soldiers is going to be a movie which will unsettle all living patriotic Americans. Any film like this would be hailed as a stroke of genius but then September 11th 2001 halted this movie from it's original release date. As it stands it's a fine movie about the incompetency of the American army and the boredom the soldiers have as they have nothing to do. The only problem is.......do we have any sympathy for the characters at all? I found myself thinking that it was pointless because the characters show nothing to garner any sympathy.....and perhaps that's the point of the film. In that case it's good. But the whole joke about the army generals being inept is one that's very tiring and repetitive. I think the only person in this who gets any sympathy at all is the new soldier who came in thinking that what his father said " about army guys stick together " is given a bit of a shock when he gets beaten up really badly. An important lesson for those to say that you shouldn't always believe your own romantic illusions. They tend to be nothing but a figment of your imagination. As a film, Buffalo Soldiers is an interesting film, but is it really great? The answer is no. The problem with films like these is that will always suffer under films like it and that have been done before. Dr. Strangelove and Apocalypse Now will forever be the masters of the genre. Anything else seems to be tipping their hat towards them. They do have their moments of brilliance but they cover themselves inside a shell that in the end you've got a film that you've thought you've seen before in some other form and what this leaves you with no other option If you are very patriotic to the cause of the whole war on terrorism...you would be better off staying away from this film. It's not going to leave you with a pleasant memory of what your boys ( and girls ) are doing over there ( even though it is totally different in their contexts )
Rating:
Summary: classic stuff
Review: Buffalo soldiers shoulda been in theaters but bob and harvey weinstein screwed the pooch again and sent it direct to dvd. They wussied out because of the war just starting,and didnt want to hurt the cash flow.But now the same two guys proudly bring you fahrenheit 9/11.The only people who might be offended by this great movie are the ones who think stuff like that would Never happen.DONT MISS THIS EXCELLENT GEM.
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