Southern Comfort [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of Southern Comfort [VHS]
Movie Review: Adventure in the swamp with a good final act
Summary: 3 Stars
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 great 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.
PERSONAL GRADE: C+
Movie Review: Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
Perfect shape. Will purchase from this seller again. Packed well just a little slow getting here. Movie Review: Time to: ". .take a Pirogue Down the Bayou. ."
Summary: 5 Stars
In another post-Viet Nam War statement, this is a movie that once seen, never leaves your mind. It leaves indelible impressions of a realistic horror man creates for himself. The realization of impending death that Louisiana Guard men come to--they must cooperate with each other in an attempt to survive by their wits, even though the prospect is highly repugnant to them considering their diverse backgrounds. The hanging slaugntered hog scene is nightmarish. Ry Cooders music is a perfect accompaniment for such bayou boogie-ing. Powers Booth always leaves an overpowering presence in his films and this is no different.Movie Review: Tense and atmospheric
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Southern Comfort equals tremendous waste of time
Summary: 1 Stars
The only redeeming element of SOUTHERN COMFORT is the equipment the Guardsmen are wearing/carrying, it's the real thing, right down to the patches on the uniforms. As for the rest of this film, it was a waste of electricity.
The acting is awful, there is no plot, the dialog between the actors is sophomoric. The Louisiana Army National Guard should be offended by the way their soldiers were portrayed in this film. Two of the actors, Powers Boothe and Fred Ward are former Air Force guys.
What a disappointment. Don't waste your time.