Tigerland (2000)

This is, again, a film I have seen before, and, again, I got a lot more out of it second time around. I have to blame my good buddy Mr. The Aus Man for pointing me in the direction of this one this week. Otherwise I may have watched one from 'The (now famous) List'. But I digress; I will give you my thoughts on this one after a brief summary (summary haters and those that don't wish to know anything about the plot please "GIVE ME TEN SOLDIER!" while I write the next paragraph).It is 1971 and at the U.S. Army Training camp at Fort Polk, Louisiana, the new recruits are getting ready for their eight weeks' training. This will culminate in a visit to the infamous 'Tigerland', an area made to look and feel like Viet Nam. One soldier, Pvt. Roland Bozz, doesn't want to be there and he tries everything he can to get himself discharged, but the Army won't budge. He's a humanitarian who does not want to fight. He is befriended by Pvt. Jim Paxton, an aspiring writer. Bozz is very good at getting people out of the army who have a legitimate reason, and he gains a bit of a reputation for this. The brass doesn't know what to do with him, but he eventually shows leadership qualities and is made platoon Sergeant. This does not go down well with the psychopathic Pvt. Wilson, who takes it personally when Bozz has him removed from the platoon. Eventually they reach the stage where they have to go to Tigerland, and Bozz has a surprise waiting for him there. I've probably said too much, but I'll leave it there so as not to make the Spoiler Police too upset.At first I thought this film is trying so hard to be Kubrick's 1987 classic, Full Metal Jacket, but I was proved wrong. Although it's not quite as good as that, it's still pretty good. Good performances all round, particularly from; Colin Farrell as Bozz, Matthew Davis as Paxton, Clifton Collins Jr. as Miter, Tom Guiry as Cantwell and Shea Whigham as Wilson.As I said at the beginning, I have seen this film before, but I really couldn't remember much about it. On a second viewing, I can see I missed a pretty good film, maybe not brilliant, but certainly a good effort. The picture has kind of a news report feel about it, with slightly washed out colours and quite a bit of hand-held photography. Over all, a pretty enjoyable film that keeps the audience interested and has a few interesting plot twists… Recommended.My score: 7.3/10

It is certainly interesting to write a review about a film that took place where I actually resided for two months. In September of 1971 when this film is set, your's truly was doing his basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. I did get to the North Fort at one point in my training where the infamous Tigerland was located. In fact Tigerland was a nickname given to the whole northern part of the army base.I was doing the basic training to be a weekend warrior and avoid Vietnam. But I saw so many of the kids who were just like the ones portrayed in the film it was actually a rather nerve wrecking old home week. In 1971 everyone except the policy makers in Washington knew that this was going to end when as Senator George Aiken declared, we said we won and then went home. And of course the South Vietnamese government we were protecting would fold like a napkin.By that time the army was scraping the bottom for soldier material and you can see it in the company of men that are in Tigerland. This is where more soldiers shipped for Vietnam than any other place in the nation. The Louisiana swamps best approximated the climate conditions of Vietnam.This particular company has a real odd ball in it with Colin Farrell. He's doing his best to get out of the army, but the army just won't oblige him. So he's waging his own war against them by becoming a 'barracks lawyer' and getting others out. And he's driving the officers and NCOs quite nuts doing it.I would rate Tigerland a lot higher because there is much I liked about the film. It was not shot at Fort Polk, but in places that gave you feel of the place. What I remember best about it was rain and mud. In that summer of 1971 it rained nearly every single day I was there. But the rain and sometimes it would come a few times a day. Would be a sudden downpour, maybe at most 20 minutes then it would cool off and then resume being muggy. And the ground couldn't absorb it fast enough so it was always muddy. You did your best work in that brief period after rain stopped it was then actually decent enough for normal activities.What I couldn't quite grasp was Colin Farrell's motivations for what he was doing. I blame that on the writer and also the director.As for the other players the best in the cast was Thomas Guiry playing this poor sad sack kid from the Louisiana bayous. I met a few just like him, he stopped his formal education at the 6th grade. It was a touching performance on Guiry's part.So here's to Fort Polk, not a place I recommend, but sometimes a place which is needed to train our soldiers. It got a good film, but not a great one in its honor.

"Just released from the base stockade, recruit Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell) joins a platoon of young soldiers preparing to ship out to Vietnam. Bozz's independence and outright defiance draws fire from his own men as well as commanding officers. But when the platoon is sent to Tigerland, a hellish training ground that is the last stop before Vietnam, Bozz's leadership and loyalty brings his men together - triggering extraordinary consequences," according to the film's official synopsis.Mr. Farrell won a "Best Actor" award from the Boston Film Critics; and, the film's characterizations are a strength. Clifton Collins Jr. (as Miter) should have been considered for a "Supporting Actor" award, but, really, everyone is good. The film's main problem is the shaky, hand-held camera, which is sometimes so bad it may make you dizzy. This is intentional, and a favorite way to make films more "realistic" (like a documentary). As for the story, the "Vietnam angst" doesn't get any better than watching Michael Vincent's face as he gets his haircut in "Tribes" (1970) - but "Tigerland" has more sex, swearing, and skivvies. The cast and crew should make it worth your while.******* Tigerland (9/13/00) Joel Schumacher ~ Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr.

Really touching story of a recruitment camp in America, where young men are prepared for the Vietnam war. The human study always appealed to me when it comes to war movies, because it translates personal, subjective opinions on war, opposed war action movies where action, and technical data are being analyzed to the prejudice of the human factor. The movie manages to put a new spin on an already ancient subject, and manages to distance itself from usual war movies, especially by focusing on an anti-hero from the view-point of traditional standard. The movie focuses on the tragic character of Bozz, who smartly avoids being sucked in by the dehumanizing war machine, and refuses to give up control over his destiny and fight for something he doesn't believe in, spends his energy in searching ways to avoid being sent overseas, both for himself and comrades and ironically ends up finding his own just reason for finally going to war. Perfect irony.The acting is truly exceptional, and the documentary-style shooting almost makes you feel transposed into the movie. Also the movie will provide food for thought for those exhilarated by the action in usual war movies or war-games enthusiasts, hopefully awakening some minds of a generation which luckily escaped the terror of being drafted.