Amidst the flops and total failures, Joel Schumacher has created some memorable if not above par films. As we suffer through his product of recent years, we wait, hoping, to see another film like Falling Down, The Lost Boys, A Time to Kill, or even Flatliners. However, far and away his best film is Tigerland, a pacifist’s look at the Vietnam war told entirely during boot camp. Tigerland sees Colin Farrell give one of his best performances ever (inferior only to his role in In Bruges) with great supporting actors and a solid story about war against a military whose training philosophy is that a person must be dehumanized before they can be weaponized.
The draft dragged men kicking and screaming into military service during the Vietnam War, and while some embraced their fates and submitted to the training, other men, like Roland Bozz (Farrell), resisted every step of the way, insisting on change to the military’s training credo that a good solider is one devoid of compassion. Bozz’s mentality finds different receptions with each soldier and commanding officer he meets, with some appreciative of his efforts to help them escape a fate that doesn’t fit them and others resenting him for making their hard work within the confines of a rigid system seem silly. He advances with his troop through a variety of training programs under different instructors (allowing for a few great cameos) and finally proceeds to Tigerland, the training camp with Vietnam-like environs, where all of his actions come back to take their toll.
While not generally a fan of Farrell’s work, as I feel he too often mugs for the camera when filming, his performance as Bozz ranks among his best. He makes Bozz’s philosophy of treating soldiers as human beings and not killing machines seem like more than just a device to contrast the training camp mentality – and without which the whole film would just be another “War is Hell” allegory. Propping Farrell up is Matthew Davis as his most loyal friend, Shea Whigham as his primary antagonist, and a slew of well-chosen actors as their commanding officers like Michael Shannon, Marc Macaulay, and Cole Hauser. Also worth noting is Clifton Collins Jr. in the role that signified the launch of his time in the limelight. He gives a strong showing in Tigerland as the conflicted Private, and he hasn’t stopped doing so in every role since.
Tigerland stands as one of Schumacher’s best not just because of strong performances, but because the scripting and direction were both subtle enough to keep it going. A few glaring plotholes ultimately undermine the final conflict, due to the severity of earlier offenses and the lax punishment received with a simple write-off comment. Up until that point everything is handled with an expert standard of dialogue with characters whose independent qualities shine through despite the quest for uniformity in which they’re engaged. Schumacher employs a variety of different filters and camera styles as the film advances between combat skirmishes and more intimate moments in the barracks.
The film’s HD transfer serves the film well in showcasing the various terrains the men train upon, and the details pop when the film takes the time to get in close. The audio’s improvement isn’t too noticeable as unlike more traditional war films the volume of explosions and gunshots pales in comparison to the character-revealing dialogue.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
While hearing Joel Schumacher talk about all the mistakes he made on Batman & Robin’s audio commentary was amusing, his commentary on Tigerland is more in line with the norm and it’s an interesting listen for anyone curious about the creation of a non-war-based war film. The featurettes on the disc include pieces on the actual training camp which inspired the film, writer and director perspectives on the creation of the film and its dramatic unraveling, Colin Farrell’s casting session on video, and a trailer and two TV spots.
"Tigerland" is on sale May 24, 2011 and is rated R. Drama, War. Directed by Joel Schumacher. Written by Ross Klavan & Michael McGruther. Starring Clifton Collins Jr, Cole Hauser, Colin Farrell, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Tom Guiry, Russell Richardson, Matthew Davis, Marc Macaulay.
