Riley Porter Probably the greatest strength of this film is its characters. While they can sometimes be a bit one note, the interaction of the different personalities I would say is the driving force of the film. While a couple of the guys in the main group are a little underwritten, they are at least easy to understand in their motivations and relationships with each other. I think that if this film had put too much focus on what can be considered to be the main character then the weakness of the character writing would have become a much greater issue. It's actually very enjoyable to see the difficult situation presented in the film debated by the different personalities of the main squad. I would say though, that if you find that you don't care much for the way the core cast performs, then there's not much left to really make you like this film.The visual style of this film is very hit or miss. Frankly the first five minutes or so of screen time does not make a strong impression. If anything it's a bit of a turn off. The film actually feels like a bit of a directionless void until the main cast is finally assembled and the mission is underway. After that the visuals improve to a pretty noticeable degree. The way the scenery, composed nearly entirely of swamp, is shot can sometimes give it an otherworldly feel. At a certain point it feels like the characters are drudging through a complete hellscape, driving home the feeling of desperation felt by the main squad. Of course there are still some visual hurdles which are a bit jarring. The presence of a couple of freeze frames and a bizarre faded in double image sort of undercut the tone of the scenes they're in. So in that way the flubs sort of balance out the nicer shots to make a film that's a bit visually muddled.So far as the story is concerned, it's typical military fair. It becomes obvious at a certain point the visual and narrative parallels to Vietnam war films. It's admittedly a clever way to retell a familiar sort of story, though there isn't much else which really elevates the narrative beyond the clichés of its contemporaries. Beyond that there are some logical issues with the way some of the traps, deadly obstructions of the squad, are actually executed. You'll know it when you see it.Overall, it's alright. Check it out if you think you might like it.

Fella_shibby Comparison to Deliverance is inevitable. I first saw this in the mid 80's. Well, that time i found it to be jus a survival/action movie. Saw it few months back. Found it to be more than jus a survival flick. It's more of an allegory to war. It teaches us to respect other cultures n to behave in alien territories. The acting is top notch. Excellent cinematography by Andrew Laszlo. The swamps are beautifully captured. Then there's the superb soundtrack by Ry Cooder. The whole ensemble cast is excellent. Keith Carradine, Powers Booth, Fred Ward, Peter Coyote, Sonny Landham n Brion James. The movie is well shot. Hats off to Walter Hill. The locations feel authentic, damp and eerie. Terrific atmosphere gives this movie a major boost. Terror and paranoia is captured very well especially in the town at the very end.

Comeuppance Reviews In 1973, a regiment of the Louisiana National Guard travel out to the remote bayou for a routine training mission. The men, including Spencer (Carradine), Hardin (Boothe), Reece (Ward), Poole (Coyote), and Cribbs (Carter) have differing attitudes towards life and their situation. It all seems simple enough, but when they accidentally draw the ire of some local Cajun folk, the crafty Cajuns start killing them off one by one as punishment for their perceived incursion into their territory. Not to mention their capture of a local man, simply known as Trapper (James). Now trying to survive with limited resources in a harsh and unfamiliar environment, our National Guardsmen literally have to fight their own war at home. Who will die, who will survive, and who will live to find out the true meaning of SOUTHERN COMFORT? Only the genius of the great Walter Hill could take elements of the Wilderness Horror subgenre, the war movie, the Western, the suspense thriller, and the Asian-style "Heroic Bloodshed" film, and tie it all together with allegorical and metaphorical themes and undercurrents, all the while on the surface allowing it to appear to be a Deliverance/Most Dangerous Game-style survival outing. Strictly speaking, this isn't a straight-up action movie, though it certainly has those elements, but Hill's style, especially with this movie, was so imitated and duplicated in the years following this, we just had to include it here for being the benchmark that it is. Just watch any Cirio Santiago-directed jungle slog or any Italian war film shot in the Philippines (i.e. Eye of the Eagle III or Dogtags, respectively) and you'll see what we mean. The influence of Southern Comfort reverberated throughout the video store era of the 80's/early 90's and beyond, and it's easy to see why. There's a certain disturbing quality to it, especially in the final third. And as much as we enjoyed Hunter's Blood (1986), that film can't really compete with the staying power of Southern Comfort, because there's so much more depth here, despite the surface similarities. Or perhaps it's the presence of Joey Travolta. One or the other.The cast is killer, the Louisiana locations are both picturesque and unsettling (captured gorgeously by cinematographer Andrew Laszlo), and the Ry Cooder score is the icing on the cake. The cumulative effect of the clever writing, brilliant direction, the great cast, strange yet pretty locations and the top-notch score is powerfully effective. You can't ask for much more. If we have one minor quibble, it's that the 105-minute running time might have been able to be trimmed down a tad. But everything else is in the "win" column for this fine film.In high school English class, we learned about the four main drivers of narrative conflict. These are: Man against man, man against society, man against nature and man against self. Southern Comfort is one of the few movies that articulately expresses ALL of the four conflicts. But one of the other themes - and a constant in the work of Walter Hill - particularly stood out: the nature of masculinity. What does it mean to be "a man"? Is there a type of man that is "best"? One that is more effective? Does losing at a certain conflict make you "less of a man"? All these questions and many more are lurking just beneath the surface.Hill also shows that not all the Vietnam-era action happened in Vietnam. This provides a point of difference that is worth noting. There's some un-PC dialogue we all love and enjoy, and much like The Thing (1982), there are almost no women in the entire movie. The Shout Factory DVD/Blu-Ray combo is the package to buy - the movie looks brilliant and there is an insightful documentary included as well.Southern Comfort is much more than a "man's movie" - it cleverly explores themes that are damn near primordial in mankind. But it never loses its power to entertain, which is what good storytelling is all about. We strongly recommend it.

george_the_jack What could have been a great story for a good thriller is ruined by the remarkably sub-par acting.Except from ''Harding'' the rest of the actors do seem like street actors or amateurs and this fact subsequently results in the role development of the film. Even Carradine is not good here.A shame really as the story and the idea behind it could have made a great movie.I wouldn't say I've spent my best 75 minutes of my life watching ''Southern Comfort''. Sorry to say.If you want to judge by yourselves, give this a shot but frankly don't expect too much.