Customer Reviews

Southern Comfort [VHS]

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This tautly-told tale of the explosive mix of subcultures under extreme conditions is a gem seldom discussed in movie circles, but is indeed a near-cult favorite of Vietnam vets who recognize the allegorical message of its gritty and ironic twists of plot associated with the casual and almost nonchalant attitudes of several Louisiana National Guard reservists off on a weekend military exercise during the early 1970s in the foreboding and eerie bayou country. Famed action director Walter Hill wastes little time in setting the dilemma into motion, and by disobeying orders and "improvising" a way across a large river by "borrowing" some Cajun moon-shiners' boats, the squad soon finds itself engaged in escalating misunderstanding and quite plausible sequences of violence, murder, and mayhem.

For anyone ever in the military of that era, it is a profoundly accurate depiction of just how easily disorganized, untrained, and undisciplined troops who are poorly indoctrinated and even more poorly led can find itself disastrously out of control under circumstances they can no longer positively influence. Moreover, left to their own devices,and slowly decimated through casualties inflicted by their erstwile opponents, they unnecessarily and fatefully add to their own predicament by taking action that makes their predicament much worse. They also find, to their horror, that relatively untrained civilians with guns and attitude can be formidable opponents. The stealth, familiarity with the terrain, and downright viciousness employed by the local Cajun moon-shiners makes this a captivating study in how slender are the threads that binds us together in a large and pluralistic society such as ours. Speaking of terrain, the way in which Hill uses the topography and atmosphere of the swamps and savannas of the bayou make it an essential and unpredictable aspect to their efforts to extricate themselves from this background of madness.

In what is perhaps the best-delivered performance of his many-faceted career, Powers Boothe provides a rational coda to the irrational aggression swirling around him as Hardin, a white collared and college educated trooper who has only recently joined the unit, and whose efforts to corral the others that he characterizes as rednecks, into a more cohesive fighting force finally work to their advantage. Fred Ward is also excellent here, as is Keith Carradine, Peter Coyote, and Alan Autry, who later gained fame as the resident stud-muffin southern boy featured in the TV series version of "Heat Of The Night". Also an essential ingredient in delivering a movie with a knockout punch is Ry Cooder's haunting score, which provides a wonderful mix of southern twang and Cajun chords in accompanying this extremely well told tale. For anyone interested in an allegorical approach to our Vietnam troubles told interestingly and provocatively, I can highly recommend the movie, and am glad it is finally out in DVD. Enjoy!

Director Walter Hill's 1981 action drama has a horror movie mentality. When a group of weekend service members of the Louisiana National Guard venture into bayou country on training maneuvers, a misunderstanding leads to them being stalked and methodically hunted down by local Cajuns. However the screenplay which Hill co-wrote with Michael Kane and the producer David Giler, provides more depth and character interplay than something like Scream where the killings are all there is. Another definite plus is the soundtrack, where silence is employed during the attacks. This is both a superior aesthetic choice and a contextual one since the main locale is the lonely mythic swampland, stark in it's beauty and primordial terror. The fact that the attacks take place in daylight is another subversion of the horror genre, though the Cajuns function on the same level as a generic stalker, seen out of the corner of one's eye and possessing greater agility than those they hunt. Of course it helps that the swamps are the Cajun's home turf since this makes the Guardsmen more vulnerable. Hill never telegraphs the next death so that the viewer carries a constant feeling of dread. The swampland being so beautiful and the savagery of the killings also recalls the irony of the murders at Auschwitz, which was said to be gorgeous countryside. Hill perhaps overplays his Vietnam parable when he presents one man going to his death in slow motion, in an attempt to enoble someone whose leadership the others have criticised for trying to stick to the manual. But considering that the narrative is set in 1973, it is interesting to interpret the assault on the Guardsmen as anti-military, a point made when the surviving men make it to a Cajun camp, and the expected relief of civilisation turns to continued paranoia. It's not only that the Cajuns only speak French that sets them apart. Early in the film Hill overlaps a pan of the men's discussion of what to do with the vertical sight of them walking, an unusual representation of thought via editing. Sometimes these continuous discussions are disappointingly reductive, no matter how true to life they seem, but occasionally they provide a gem eg. When it is said to a black man that the Cajuns fear "niggers" as bad luck, the black man replies with "They may be right. I've been hanging around with niggers all my life and I haven't had a break yet". The line is funny, probably more so because it comes from a black man, and also prophetic. The ending is a problem. As Pauline Kael says in her review of the film in her collection Taking It All In, it brings you up short. It's too abrupt and ambiguous, but this is ultimately a trifle considering the care Hill has taken and his "dazzling competence" (Kael) we have been witness to.

This film came out just as I was finishing a six-year stint with the Louisiana National Guard, so I eagerly went to see it soon after its release. I enjoyed it so much then that I bought a copy on DVD when reminded of it after I bought "Deliverance".
Though there are surface similarities, Southern Comfort is not Deliverance Louisiana-style, though it may have attracted much the same viewers.
I won't rehash the story to a great extent, but I want to point out a few errors in the film before singing its hosannahs. First of all, if the Guard unit started its exercise in the Catahoula swamp and was supposed to pass through the Great Dismal Swamp (they called it the Great Primordial Swamp in the film) to a rendezvous with another unit, there would have been precious few Cajuns as those swamps are north of the Red River. Most Cajuns live south of that river and west of the Mississippi. Secondly, the interstate which "Casper" kept referring to would have been Interstate 20, 100 miles to the north and they'd have crossed many other roads before that. The type of swamp the unit was in would be far more likely south of Interstate 10, 100 miles to the south of where the movie placed them. Finally, there would probably have been at least a couple of the troops who could speak Cajun French. My unit, based at Pineville LA, had a good mix of North Louisiana "rednecks" as Cajuns referred to them and South Louisiana "coon-asses" as the Cajuns called themselves. A lot of the Cajun guys were fluent in Cajun French. As for the troopers themselves, we did have one guy in our unit reminiscent of the wild-eyed punk in the film who got the real trouble started by firing blanks at the Cajun trappers, but beyond that they were a decent bunch of men and women.
With that straightened out, lets talk about the movie. This is a great story about men under stress, how they interact and how they respond to fear. Some keep their heads, some snivel and whine, while others go berserk. You have prototypes of all three in this film. Texas Guard transferee Powers Boothe is the most level-headed of the group, you somehow know that he is going to make it.
The Cajuns themselves are shown as pretty one-dimensional characters until the end, but that's because these particular Cajuns live life in the shadows and are involved in many activities of questionable legality. Only at the end, when Boothe and Carradine seemingly have saved themselves and find themselves in the middle of a real Mardi Gras, is the fun-loving devil may care side of the Cajun soul bared.
That one-armed Cajun trapper who was captured and tortured by the guardsmen spared Boothe and Carradine near the end and gave them directions out of the swamp, but probably only because Boothe had saved him from further torture and he recognised that both guardsmen were essentially decent men. But, as the trapper warns them, the others are not as nice as he is.
Apart from the unlikely storyline itself, you will be transfixed by this Southern-Fried Film Noir. You have people from the outside world pitted against an insular and seemingly peculiar minority. You have the unrelenting gloom of the setting, whether it be in the swamp and all its clues of impending doom, or at the bayou-side Mardi Gras with all sinister symbolism that keeps up the suspense and the viewer on edge. The dark and gloomy atmosphere is sustained by the brooding and mysterious soundtrack by Ry Cooder.
I heartily recommend Southern Comfort to anyone who enjoys dark action films, to those for whom the swamps of Louisiana stir a mixture of curiosity and dread, and for anyone who has not been to backwoods Louisiana who might like to see what a real Cajun party sans tourists may be like.

Whatver I say about this film, I can't admit to being objective about it because I adore it so much. At this point, I have probably watched it about 15 times over the years so I feel something of an expert on it.

Since others have written some very well written reviews of "Southern Comfort" I don't want to repeat what they say however a few points require clarification.

First, what this film is about. It is not, in my opinion, merely about the traditional urban/rural divide. That divide exists in the film as it does in real life. But that is not the point of the film. Nor is it an anti-white or anti-Southern screed. Although it takes place in the South it could take place just about anywhere when one realizes what the film is really about. Also both the "survivors" and the "villains" in the film are white Southerners. The "survivors" being two Lousiana National Guardsman - Spencer (Kieth Carradine) and Hardin (Powers Boothe). The "villains" being Cajun fisherman/hunters out in the swamps of Lousiana.

No, what "Southern Comfort" is really about is what happens when arrogant fools invade another people's land and start indulging in violent and hostile acts, including destroying the livelihood of the indigeneous native people (e.g. cutting their fishing nets and stealing their boats), shooting at, seizing, and taking prisoner innocent locals, blowing up their homes, abusing and torturing them (sounds all to familiar), and then wondering why they are hated so much and why the native people attack them. The message is really that simple.

It was captured in a short dialogue after the "survivors" are shown to be the last two left among the guardsmen. When they are confronted by a shotgun toting one armed Cajun (who was previously their prisoner) brilliantly played by the late Brion James, Hardin asks the Cajun, "Do you mind telling us what this [the war with the guardsmen] is all about?" The Cajun responds, "It's real simple. This is our land. We live back here and no one f***s with us here." For that reason the advertising slogan for the film - "The Land of Hospitality...unless you don't belong" - is wrong. It should have read "The Land of Hospitality...unless you misbehave and start mistreating and abusing the locals!"

If the guardsman hadn't behaved badly then they would not have had much trouble with the locals in the first place. Also, the Cajuns in the small town at the end of the film came across as quite normal and hospitable to me. Only the "swamp rat" Cajuns come across as threatening and THEY were only fighting back against violent intruders. So I have to disagree with the assessment by some that the film is anti-Cajun, anti-white, or anti-Southern. On the contrary, one of the "heroes" (i.e., survivors) is a white Southerner from Baton Rouge (Spencer played by Keith Carradine). As for the Cajuns shown in the small town, they were not actors. They were real people that were shown honestly and fairly - enjoying good food, good company, good music, and dancing.

To sum up, "Southern Comfort" is an outstanding and extraordinary film in its own right. The acting is persuasive and very convincing, especially from Fred Ward who plays a very menancing type and, of course, the much underrated and underappreciated Powers Boothe who plays the "outsider" from El Paso, Texas. The direction by Walter Hill is superb. The cinematography from the first frame to the last by Andrew Laszlo is lush, rich, and luxuriant. (It makes me want to visit the Lousiana bayou to see it for myself.) And last, but not least, the music composed and arranged (and played) by Ry Cooder is both mysterious and seductive. Few films have ever enjoyed such a perfect marriage between image and music as "Southern Comfort." The only other film that has this quality that immediately comes to mind is Carol Reed's "The Third Man" which featured the hypnotically beautiful zither music by Anton Karas. Karas and Cooder both share an indescribable special quality that is evident in both films.

The DVD transfer is outstanding. The only disappointment is the lack of any meaningful extras. Other than the original trailer there is nothing else. Okay, this is a budget priced DVD but still this film deserves better. I hope that MGM will see the light and re-release "Southern Comfort" with some useful extras like filmographies/biographies, behind the scenes photos, a "making of" documentary, and especially an expert commentary. This film definitely deserves it. Halliwell's Film Guide gives it four stars and if you know anything about Halliwell's you know how difficult it is for any film to get four stars.

So on a scale of one to five stars, I give the film five stars but the DVD four stars. Nevertheless because I love this film so much and wish it had a larger audience I will rate it five stars for Amazon.

A company of semi-red neck Louisiana National Guardsmen are on weekend maneuvers in Cajun swamp land. They need to use a map to work their way out of the swamp. Leadership is weak, they bicker among themselves...and they lose the map. So they can struggle back the way they came, or steal some canoes from a Cajun fishing camp and make it easier for themselves. They make the mistake of taking the canoes. Then one of them for a joke fires blanks at a Cajun. Well, he fires back and there's one less National Guardsman.

The Cajuns, some of whom look like they might be second cousins to the backwoods guys in Deliverance, figure they'd better get them all. The National Guardsmen figure they'd better get out as fast as they can. They stick together but its pretty much every man for himself. They're in the middle of a swamp, and have to deal with quicksand, vicious dogs, bear traps, and psycho Cajuns with guns. Maybe I forgot to mention, they have almost no live ammo themselves.

Eventually only Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe make it to a small Cajun village. They think they're safe and can get help. The Cajuns are having a celebration with fiddle music and dancing and pots of gumbo. Then Carradine and Boothe notice that some of the men are among those who were after them. They make it, but barely.

This is a tight, well made movie that's engrossing. It's worth getting, with good performances by the two leads. Only thing to remember, if you've spent any time in Louisiana's small Cajun towns you'll know the people are a lot friendler than some in this movie.

Ry Cooder is down for the score. He as much as anyone was responsible for bringing the musicians of the Buena Vista Social Club to prominence and getting that movie made. Great movie, great DVD, great CD.

And for fans of Viet Nam war films, some people think this was one of the indirect anti-war movies being made around then...U.S. soldiers lost in a dangerous quagmire and being killed for misjudgements and mistakes.

At any rate, it's a good movie that's held up well. The DVD transfer is better than average.

Yes. You heard me: Greats. Let's face it. The best movies ever made are the ones where the few, little guys are running from the many, big guys. Don't believe me...."Southern Comfort" is such a movie. Awesome landscapes, acting and superb violence. Not the kind where people get shot up everywhere, but hand to hand combact, running for your life. But the movie never stops. Just when you think they made it safely to a road, guess what? They're going to a party! Seriously folks, great DVD.

...Southern Comfort is... an interesting and action-packed movie from the prolific director Walter Hill. While it shares the same "city-folk vs.backwoods dwellers" theme as Deliverance, Southern Comfort is distinctive in its overall atmosphere of menace and foreboding.

A group of National Guardsman on training manuevers in the Louisiana swamps are hunted down by [angry] Cajuns, and the worst part is, the weapons the Guardsman carry are loaded with blanks! The movie turns into a battle of wits and survival for the Guardsman, with civilization tantalizingly close by, but unknown danger standing in the way.

I saw this movie as a kid, and I still remember it years later. I recommend this movie as a fine example of Walter Hill's lean direction and his unique eye for stylized violence, along the lines of Sam Peckinpah. It's also offered at a good price, so you can't go wrong.

Nine National Guardsmen on a routine weekend training mission suddenly find themselves out of their depth when they come into conflict with a group of Cajun hunters. What begins as a misconceived practical joke (Stucky, played by character actor Lewis Smith shoots blanks at them from the boats they've "borrowed" from them to get across a flooded trail), escalates into a full blown war between the two groups. The Cajuns begin hunting the soliders who are armed only with blanks and one round of real bullets.

Walter Hill's taunt direction and script (based on Michael Kane's original script and rewritten with long time collaborator David Giler)bring this backwoods Apocalypse Now to life. While it integrates elements of Delieverence, Apocalypse Now and a number of 50's b-movie aspects into its clever script, Southern Comfort is far from derivative due to the direction, photography and strong acting.

Powers Boothe and Fred Ward (in an early major role)virtually steal the movie from star Keith Carradine. Boothe a surpremely talented underused performer, shines in his role as Hardin the recent Texas transplant. The cast of character actors features strong performances from Peter Coyote (in a pre-E.T. performance) and Brion James (Blade Runner)as well. The interaction of these bickering weekend warriors makes the picture come to life. The setting makes this all the more believable as many males of adult age chose the National Guard to the alternative of serving in Vietnam (the film is set in 1973).

The transfer is very good. There's not a lot of analot artifacts and there's little of the compression problems that one has come to expect from budget priced DVDs. While the film is given a bare bones (it's a companion to MGM's Midnite Movie series)presentation with only foreign language tracks, subtitles and the original trailer, it is presented in its original aspect ratio. The sound is quite good as well and is true to its original stereo soundtrack.

I'd highly recommend this underrated and forgotten thriller.

Walter Hill is known as a hit and miss filmmaker. When he's good he's good ("The Warriors," "The Long Riders," "Hard Times") and when he's bad he's mediocre at best ("Wild Bill"). 1981's "Southern Comfort" mostly falls into the mediocre category but it definitely has a great ending.

THE PLOT: A group of National Guardsmen get lost in the Louisianna swamps and steal some Cajun boats to paddle out. One soldier offends the probable owners even worse by shooting blanks at them. The Guardsmen soon find themselves in a life or death struggle to get out; unfortunately most of their ammo consists of blanks.

I guess the story is supposed to be a metaphor for the Vietnam conflict, but I've always viewed it at face value as a swamp survival adventure.

Most of the Guardsmen are unlikable and the viewer can't help but feel they're getting what they deserve, but I found both Keith Caradine and Powers Boothe somewhat likable, which is good since they ultimately become the story's protagonists.

For about an hour and a half the soldiers conflict with the barely-seen Cajuns as their numbers slowly dwindle. The main problems I have with the film are found within this large chunk of the movie. Aside from the Guardsmen being a generally annoying group of people, things repeatedly happen that are unbelievable. The loon blowing up the shack is a good example. Or what about the booby trap that takes out one of the soldiers? How would the Cajuns possibly know the soldiers would walk in that precise area? Then there's the numerous falling trees. How exactly are these huge trees falling over and why do we never see the Cajuns and, again, how did the Cajuns know the soldiers would walk through that precise area (a swamp with no trails)? All these factors screamed at me that this is a movie, not reality. In other words, I wasn't able to suspend disbelief and buy into the story. The film is sometimes mentioned in the same breath as "Deliverance," but "Deliverance" stands head and shoulders over "Southern Comfort" because "Deliverance" is believable from beginning to end; hence, the horror and suspense is real to the viewer. "Southern Comfort," by contrast, is just a movie with contrived sequences.

The commendable thing about "Southern Comfort," however, is that it has a really good final Act. From the point where the protagonists encounter the one-armed Cajun at the railroad tracks the film enters into the realm of greatness. Some of the Guardsmen make their way to a small Cajun village in the swamp where a celebration is going on and they experience serious paranoia trying to figure out who's friend or foe.

Filmed on location in the swamps of Louisianna and Texas, the film runs 106 minutes.

GRADE: C

A film that was clearly inspired by Deliverance, but that quite easily merits viewing in its own right. If you replace adventurers with National Guardsmen you do have almost the same film. However don't let that put you off because this is very well done and probably has more of a brooding sense of menace to it than Deliverance does. The cast are are all good and director Walter Hill perhaps peaked with this film.

The story is slight, but effective, some National Guardsmen upset the locals whilst out on an exercise. The locals aren't happy and seek to punish the soldiers in various horrible ways. When you see this unfold you will begin to see that maybe this film was an influence on the first Rambo film and even perhaps Predator.

Again in another parallel to Deliverance this has a marvellous soundtrack, written and performed by Ry Cooder. Its mostly played on guitar, bottle-neck style, and its adds another dimension to the film.

So overall a tense, highly entertaining film that holds up to repeated viewings.