|
Buffalo Soldiers review
:. Director: Gregor Jordan
:. Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris
:. Running Time: 1:38
:. Year: 2001
:. Country: UK/ Germany
|
An updated adaptation of Robert O' Connor's bleak novel, which is based on several American soldiers' reports and depicts the shady exaction of US military staff in post-Cold War Germany, Buffalo Soldiers is centered around Ray Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix), the colorful mastermind behind smuggling on an army base.
Having transformed his quarters into a luxurious lounge and driving a sports car, Elwood is like a smart but carefree kid for whom contraband is just a fun way to fight boredom. Wrongfully entrusted by naïve Colonel Berman (Ed Harris), whom he takes advantage of, he becomes the target of the tough Sgt. Lee (Scott Glenn) with whom he engages in an open war by dating his daughter Robyn (Anna Paquin).
There has been several movies involving schemes by US soldiers—the latest and probably most incisive effort remaining Three Kings (David O. Russel; 1999)—and often humor has been used to tackle that theme, from a full frontal approach à la Mash (Robert Altman; 1970) to a blend of action and satire such as Kelly's Heroes (Brian G. Hutton; 1970). These films, mostly anti-war, were a reaction to their era: in the 70's they were used as a metaphor against the Vietnam conflict while Three Kings took a stand against the Gulf War. Wrapped a few years ago, in a time of peace, Buffalo Soldiers, which has been postponed several times following 9/11 and the recent Iraqi "campaign", comes in more topical than ever, as it strangely echoes the current events; of course in real life there is no such thing as stealing in the military—now things that disappear only get "liberated"!
While Buffalo Soldiers will undoubtedly be compared to Three Kings (a political piece using the military as a background), the film is actually closer to Kelly's Heroes, in its characterization and use of various—and sometimes incompatible—tones.
As a crooked but somewhat likable antihero, Elwood is cut in the same cloth as Clint Eastwood's character in Kelly's Heroes. A much lighter version of the original persona—in the novel he was a cruel drug addict involved in some murders—Elwood is a contrasted being, presumptuous but vulnerable, deceitful but honest in love. He is afraid of heights, somewhat an allegory for his fear of a normal life, and his girlfriend shows him how to confront all his fears. The issue here is that by toning down the original Elwood to make the controversial film more appealing and audience-friendly, the screenwriter and filmmaker have considerably diminished his credibility. Phoenix plays his fragility so well that it's difficult to believe that the same character who's dealing with the local crime boss in one scene is the same one crying in another. The actor, who has already mastered the art of creepiness many times over isn't at fault here, but Elwood should have been drawn with both vulnerability and toughness, in the vein of Eastwood's roles.
Just like Hutton's movie switched between satire and action, Buffalo Soldiers flirts with several genres without ever fully embracing any of them: the film starts with slapstick comedy—a tank going on a rampage in a German town—and then keeps alternating between dark drama, social commentary, crime film, love story and humor. The changes in tone are abrupt and confusing enough to soften the weight of the satire; a difficult exercise that lacks the subtlety and self-control of Russel's picture.
This is a work too ambitious for its own good at a cinematographic level, but the picture nevertheless succeeds at bringing to light some events that have been kept discreet until now. It's neither the first degree portrait of the military—vanity and imbecility have been covered many times—nor the love story that matter here but rather the unglamorous and "propaganda-free" description of life on a camp, with its gangs, its racism, its abuse, its corruption and its involvement in the local economy. Buffalo Soldiers is like a bastard child of Oliver Stone and the Coen Brothers, pretty flawed but opinionated and defiant. Supported by a solid cast that enjoys itself, the film ends up winning you over, especially as it avoids falling in the trap of ending on a moralizing note. While time passes, things don't seem to change but Buffalo Soldiers never judges its protagonists, rather focusing on offering us a very different view of real life.
Fred Thom
 Movie Reviews: 1998 - 2011
Movie Reviews: 2012 - present
|
|
