Tigerland - A Caminho da Guerra

This movie is done on a low budget. It looks like they used the actual government training center, and many parts were realistic. A few parts of the movie were over the top. This movie is fresh, and gritty; I like the realism of the film. The hero or anti hero is a nice guy, in wolf's skin. (I've met people like him) It shows how cruel the system can be and the merits of playing by your own rules. In the end I like this film.

"Tigerland" takes place in the autumn of 1971, when the Army was intent on turning young men into fighting units. One of the guys stationed at Fort Polk is the sensitive Paxton (Matthew Davis), who has literary aspirations. He meets a headstrong character named Bozz (Colin Farrell), who's a born rebel; Bozz has charisma to burn and genuine leadership abilities, but he's also the type to tend to shun responsibility. However, Bozz ends up becoming the guide for a troublesome platoon, and his men must rely on him to get through their rigorous training. The title location is a hellish training ground that will be their last stop before they are actually shipped off to Vietnam.

Director Joel Schumacher gets a fair amount of flak for some of his films, especially his two entries in the "Batman" franchise, but proof that he WAS a highly capable filmmaker can be shown with this arresting little drama. It boasts no big stars of the time, but does feature some top character actors, and some stars-to-be (Michael Shannon also turns up briefly, showing the men the finer points of torturing the enemy). Tension and conflict arise from the presence of the unstable Wilson (Shea Whigham), who ends up with a real chip on his shoulder when it comes to Bozz. Also among the cast are other familiar faces like Cole Hauser, Clifton Collins Jr., Tom Guiry, and Nick Searcy. But it is Farrell, unsurprisingly, who gives "Tigerland" its principal value, playing a guy who may rock the boat, yet is not without some integrity, and the willingness to help out fellow soldiers who need the assistance.

"Tigerland" showcases efficient, solid storytelling, and has some great atmosphere. It does indeed feel reasonably realistic, and it interestingly ends in a more low-key manner than viewers may expect. It features some tunes of the era on the soundtrack, but doesn't go overboard in trying to evoke the period. Nathan Larsons' score is also used sparingly.

This one is definitely worth a viewing if you haven't already seen it.

Eight out of 10.

TIGERLAND

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Digital

Louisiana, 1971: During basic training, a rebellious army conscript (Colin Farrell) causes dissension within the ranks.

Given Joel Schumacher's reputation as a schlockmeister par excellence, most critics were caught off-guard by this low-budget drama, filmed without any of the frills and fripperies normally associated with Hollywood blockbusters, and headlined by little more than obscure (but hugely experienced) character actors and talented newcomers, including Farrell, whose bravura performance launched him to international stardom. Far removed from the extravagant Vietnam-operas favored by Francis Ford Coppola and Oliver Stone, Schumacher's film examines the contradictions of war and the dehumanizing effect of combat on ordinary men through the experiences of Farrell's anti-hero, a compassionate man who despises the self-serving patriotic nonsense peddled by his superiors, and who refuses to compromise his own ideals, despite the sometimes painful repercussions of his disobedience.

Though backed by a major studio, TIGERLAND has the look and feel of a low-budget indie production, using hand-held camera-work and grainy film-stock for documentary effect, and this uncompromising 'Dogme'-like approach allows Schumacher to focus his attention on the characters and their situation rather than the pyrotechnics which usually dominate such movies. Farrell may be the star of the show, but he's matched by debut actor Matthew Davis (BLOODRAYNE) as his closest friend and fellow combatant, an aspiring writer who volunteered for duty and who favors intellect and reason over Farrell's reckless bravado. Fine supporting cast, excellent technical credits.

TIGERLAND (2000) ***1/2 Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins, Jr., Thomas Guiry, Shea Whigham, Russell Richardson, Nick Searcy, Afemo Omilani, James McDonald, Keith Ewell, Arian Ash, Haven Gaston, Cole Hauser. Filmmaker Joel Schumacher makes an audacious attempt to rekindle his directing juices in this low-budget semi-independent film about Vietnam with a cast of unknowns that works remarkably well. Set circa 1971 Louisiana in a special Army training camp for new recruits prior to shipment in the ongoing war and told in flashback by one of the survivors the film centers its bare bones plot around the able shoulders of Irish newcomer Farrell in a potential star-making turn as Private Roland Bozz (think 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' in fatigues and you get the overall impression), a feckless troublemaker of his platoon whose antics have a method to his madness: keeping yourself alive despite the odds. Raw and uncompromising are best suited to describe the film's gist and in particular its focus of Bozz leading his comrades in arms through their hellish grunt duty prior to their fated dooms. Original and smartly written by Ross Klaven and Michael McGruther giving their characters a fresh spin on an all too familiar genre with humanity at its core.

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.