Review of Tigerland (2000) by Josh M — 25 Mar 2009

If nothing else, Tigerland at least gives a purpose to the execrable Batman and Robin; without its failure on every imaginable level, Schumacher wouldn't have made this, easily his best work. Stripped down of camera work and flash, Schumacher turns out to have a knack for getting good performances, and he manages to do something he's failed at in almost every other movie: tell a character-driven story that works more through subtlety and understatement than didactic and expository dialogue.

There's no doubt that some of the supporting characters in Tigerland become a bit flat, and a few really seem to work more as plot devices than people, but the film's central character, a quiet rebel played by a then-unknown Colin Farrell, really anchors the film and drives it into interesting territory.

If the supporting characters only exist to flesh out his rebellion, that's okay; the acting is solid enough that they work and are never dull, and the stylish, understated camera work provides a nice feel for the movie.

It's a decidedly unique Vietnam movie (after all, it never leaves American shores), and by and large, quite successful.