Tigerland

Rating:
Summary: Tigerland
Review: Introduces most of us to a new way of filming-Excellent cast of new comers-we will be surprised at who surfaces from this film,not only the leads-Excellent coverage from an angle only Joel could reach

Rating:
Summary: Movie Making 101
Review: You don't need a big budget to get a great movie. You do need an eye for talent. Joel Schumacher has it. Colin Farrell. You need a good script and a talented cast & crew. It's all here.

An interesting look at how to get out of basic training 1971.

Here to vote, not to give away the film.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad but not great either
Review: I was a little disappointed by this film. It was shot in a very interesting style reminiscent of documentary footage from the Vietnam era, the acting is good, and the story is decent but, overall, it didn't really have that much of an impact. I will say, however, that Colin Farrell seems to have real star quality and, with the right role, he could get there. He's a very good actor and has tremendous onscreen presence. I'd never guess he was from Ireland, either, with the dead-on Texas acent he has in this film.

Rating:
Summary: bang bang is the plot and 5 stars it deserves alot
Review: only words can describe this action war movie for me

seen it 8 times on my dvd player already
and every time it's more amazing then it started out as

it's:
funny
shocking
touching
moving
suprising
very insightful
driven
sophisticated
very war like in times and era

see this if you haven't
I would also recommend
Black Hawk Down
Saving Private Ryan
and
Pearl Harbor

Rating:
Summary: This was a surprise........
Review: After he ruined the Batman franchise, I wanted Joel Shumacher's head on a plate. The only reason I even purchased this movie is because I heard it was really good and it was only $5 at the local Best Buy. Well, I am VERY glad I did make that purchase. Because this is one great movie.

Tigerland really isn't a war movie. It's about soldiers dealing with the anticipation of going to war. The story never leaves the U.S. It shows the problems of putting very young men in situations where they may not be ready yet. So unlike most Vietnam war flicks, this doesn't have tons of action in it. It does have more characterization than most, however.

The story pretty much revolves around Private Bozz (Colin Farrell). He is a defiant soldier who doesn't respect his superiors. He goes AWOL, mouths off, and basiclly just acts like a 10 yr. old in math class trying to piss off the teacher. But, he does it in a way that isn't annoying or fake. He just doesn't want to go off to war and kill people. He doesn't like the fact that he was drafted, so he is gonna do it his way.

I have always liked Colin Farrell, so him being good in this movie didn't surprise me. I can see why Shumacher had so much faith to put him in the lead. This film was made with a bunch of no-name actors (at the time) and he definately stands out. The rest of the cast is very good as well.

Going into this film, I didn't know what to expect. I had heard it was a Vietnam war movie and it was very good. I never knew that the story never leaves U.S. soil. After 10 min. into the picture, you won't care. To see how these young soldiers deal with the possibility of going to war and dying for their country in a fight they didn't agree with was great. Some embraced the opporitunity. Some just went along for the ride. And some were like Private Bozz.

The thing I like best about this movie is the depth of the characters. You don't get that from most war flicks. This is just a great story mixed with great acting. Joel Schumacher shot this in a gritty & grainy way that almost makes it look like a documentary. No big budget special effects or anything. Just good movie making. It was refreshing after seeing most of the turds he had been putting out several years ago.

If you like war movies with more character than bullets, you should check this out. It's got a cast of great young actors and a great story. Colin Farrell is amazing and Schumacher manages to NOT screw this movie up. I highly recommend it. Especially at the budget price I found it for.

Special Features: Not a whole lot here. The commentary by Joel Schumacher is actually very good. He is really informative about stuff that is not happening on screen, which is good. I get sick of directors that just basically do a play-by-play of the movie for you. I don't need that. Shumacher does a good job here. The casting sessions with Colin Farrell are nice. The featurette is a bit of fluff, but it's watchable. You also get the trailer. I hope they plan on making a special edition of this movie someday. It definately deserves it.

Rating:
Summary: A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE WAR GENRE.
Review: *** 1/2 stars for "Tigerland". The director of this movie, Joel Schumacher, is one of the most irregular directors that you can find in these days. The same he makes a movie as effective as "Tigerland" or a piece of junk like "Batman & Robin", the same he makes an amusing movie like "Phone Booth" than he makes a lame movie like "Flawless".

But "Tigerland" is a welcome addition to the extensive war movies catalog. Although is not one of the top classics as "Apocalypse Now", "The Bridge On The River Kwai" or "Platoon", it's better than the average war flick. The central character of "Tigerland" is played by the up-and-coming Colin Farrell, and he does a good job as the rebel Roland Bozz.

"Tigerland" is a well done and worthy movie, one of the few times where Joel Schumacher did a good job. As a matter of fact, the tighter the budget that Schumacher has, the better the work he does.

Rating:
Summary: Tigerland Express
Review: After running the Batman film franchise into a solid brick wall, with the laughable Batman And Robin, director Joel Schumacher trades in super heroes for soldies in Tigerland. The end result is different kind of Vietnam War drama.

In 1971, America was deeply divided over the war. By the tme the film begins, thousands of U.S. soldiers have lost their lives, even as thusands more were preparing to be sent over there. Tigerland refers to a soldier training facility in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell), wants no part of the war, and makes every effort to disobey orders, hoping to get expelled from the Army. Jim Paxton (Matthew Davis) sees the chance to go to Vietnam as an opportunity to write future novels. Bozz and Paxton are put in charge of small groups of soldiers. With this newfound authority Bozz tries to stage a revolt, even as, the men begin to question their own beliefs

Schumacher gives Tigerland an interesting look. Shot in 16 millimeter, using a lot of hand held camera work, the film definately has the feel of a documentary. Even though the story never leaves the states, the tension and drama never really seems any less compelling. The conflicts between characters offers some realistic storytelling. Farrell, who also worked with Schumacher in the thriller Phone Booth, was a relative unknown whhen this was made. As Bozz, he gives a great perfomance and I even gained new respect for his talents here. As for Schumacher, he has stripped away the bloated excess of the last Batman film and truly got back to the basics of filmmaking and Tigerland is made all the better for it.

The DVD has a very solid audio commentary track from Schumacher. From his approach to the material, the casting process, to filming it's all there. You'll also see a few casting sessions with Farrell and why he won the role of Bozz. The thearical trailer, TV spots, and the trailer for Fox's Tora, Tora, Tora a World War II film, tops off the bonus material on the disc.

Tigerland is a very good "war" film that also proves that anyone who directs a bad film can always redeem themselves. Recommended

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: 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: 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!