Review of Buffalo Soldiers (2002) by Hugh W — 27 Apr 2009

Buffalo Soldiers premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on 9 September 2001. The events that happened two days later killed the film's distribution in the US - which is a pity because the film was funny. However, the low key distribution was more a means to limit the success of such an obvious piss-take of the US army, which I suppose was not 'adapated' to 9/11 period.

Buffalo Soldiers was finally released in 2003 and subsequently had a better life in DVD. The timing was unfortunate. However, after having seen it, I'd argue that it is not an anti-war or anti-American film. It is more a dark comedy that looks at the reality of army life during peacetime. The soldiers (here a batallion based in West Germany in 1989) are bored and the lack of action has got to their heads.

One of the opening scenes depicts this. A bunch of soldiers decide to play American football in the mess and one guy gets tackled and bangs his head on the sharp corner of a table. He dies and nobody pays attention until Phoenix's character, Ray Elwood, calls out to say so. They then chuck the dead body out of the window and then Elwood pretends he had an accident when reporting to his nice but inept superior (Ed Harris).

Elwood is a company clerk for the base and dupes the system to make some money by drug dealing and by doing some small time black market. However, the situation becomes more intense for him as he comes across some heavy weaponry, which will bring him lots more money but also a lot more trouble. In tandem with this, a new model-soldier sergeant (played by Scott Glenn) finds out what Elwood's tricks are and gives him a hard life.

Elwood, despite all this is really likeable, and Phoenix was a good choice for the part. The film had a quick pace and good dialogue served with some good dark humour and irony. In the latter stages of the film, for example, Scott Glenn's Sergeant Lee is beating up Elwood, whilst his soldiers are in a shootout with Elwood's drug buddies. At the same time we get to see some news footage on a tv which is on its side and on the floor. The footage shows the people of Berlin climbing the wall and others trying to chip into it. It goes to show that whilst some are claiming their peace and liberty, others need war as an occupation.

Elwood says this in voiceover at the beginning: "When there is peace, the warlike man attacks himself" - that's Nietzsche, and his point is that there really is no peace. There's always some war, somewhere, with someone. And there are no winners or losers either... just those who are still around to fight another day".