Tigerland (Blu-ray)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Year: 2000
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 101 minutes
Rating: R
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish; DTS 5.1 French, others
Subtitles: SDH, French, Spanish, others
Region: A
MSRP: $ 29.99
Release Date: May 24, 2011
Review Date: May 23, 2011
The Film
4.5/5
It’s pretty amazing that a mere three years after directing the outrageously campy and risible Batman & Robin, Joel Schumacher was turning out an incisive, engrossing film like Tigerland. The two films couldn’t be more different with one relying on huge stars and enormous production values costing megamillions and the other featuring no big stars (at the time) and boasting a truly meager production budget telling a story that defies one not to become invested in its narrative. Now more than a decade after the film’s production, it can still stand tall: a violent and unpredictable war film that ironically takes place during basic training rather than during actual combat.
Private Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell) is part of a platoon of new draftees stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana, undergoing eight weeks of basic training before being sent for a week in Tigerland, the Army’s simulated Vietnam facility readying men to face the rigors of combat in Southeast Asia. But Bozz won’t get with the program: he actively finds ways to flout Army regulations and commands knowing that the military is so desperate for recruits that they won’t discharge a physically and mentally fit man. As he gets to know members of his company, he easily sizes up whether they have the stuff for combat of not, finding ways to help both the weak (Clifton Collins, Jr., Thomas Guiry) and those (Matthew Davis, Russell Richardson) more capable of withstanding the intense training. Along the way there are crazies to contend with, too, those men (Shea Whigham among them) who get so caught up in rules and regulations that they become dangers to themselves and others. How many of the original company will actually still be around to ship off to Vietnam once their nine week training course is completed?
Early on, Bozz comments to one of his sergeants, “I’m not quitting; I’m just not playing,” and the beautifully crafted Ross Klavan-Michael McGruther screenplay focuses on just how Bozz refuses to play Army games but instead pursues an earnest implementation of his own agenda. It’s less farcically anarchical than Catch-22 and never as funny as that movie but always as involving with the constant frustration swelling in the command ranks about how to deal with this not-so-subtle insubordinate. Joel Schumacher puts us right into the midst of the grunts so we seem to taste dirt when they do and feel exhaustion after being up for twenty-three hours (the jerky, hand-held camerawork keeps nerves on edge and that feeling of hyper-reality prescient). The collected visceral emotions that flit around the frame like fireflies keep the viewer constantly off-balance and never with a sense of calm, especially as we see several men begin to crack under the pressure of the training or their aggravation of trying to deal with someone who simply won’t play according to the rules. Schumacher never directed a finer scene than a climactic one during their Tigerland-set ambush when one of the deranged soldiers has live ammo in his rifle and some scores to settle with grunts he feels have disrespected his uniform and his country.
The young actors who make up the company were all unknowns at the time of the filming. Colin Farrell, of course, has gone on to have a major film star career after his mesmerizing turn in this movie. Truth be told, the Irish-brogued Farrell has one of the finest mid-Atlantic American accents in the business, but here, he’s essaying a Texas accent, and it comes and goes throughout the movie. That takes nothing away from his inarguable charisma before the camera; it’s very believable that so many of the soldiers fall in line behind his brand of soldiering. As a stand-in for novelist Ross Klavan, Matthew Davis as Jim Paxton makes a bright-eyed and innocent young man caught up in the draft and unequipped to handle its pressures. As young recruits without the mental of physical requirements for the job at hand, Clifton Collins Jr. as Miter and Thomas Guiry as Cantwell both excel in emotionally charged sequences where their true natures come to light. Shea Whigham has the crazy down to a “t” as the driven and unbalanced Wilson. Russell Richardson does well as the conscience of the squad, Johnson. As the most experienced and yet most understanding of the commanders, Cole Hauser makes an interesting and intelligent poster boy for the military leaders of the time.
Video Quality
3.5/5
The film has been framed at its theatrical 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. Filmed with a handheld 16mm camera and desaturated to within an inch of its life, the film’s gritty textures really burst forth in many scenes that achieve a true feeling of in-the-moment reality. There is plenty of detail to be seen in close-ups, but medium and especially long shots achieve a real softness (edging on blurriness) that clashes jarringly with the parts of the movie that are sharp and crisply intricate. With color drained out of the movie deliberately, any discussions of saturation levels or flesh tones seem superfluous. Black levels are definitely not great. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix betrays the film’s meager budget by a lack of intense surround channel implementation with the ambient effects. Yes, Nathan Larsen’s spare score does resonate through the soundstage (with some excellent use of the LFE channel’s bass beating in times of tension and stress), but one wishes more had been given to the odd sounds of the jungle in the split surrounds to add even more ambiance. Dialogue has been generally well recorded and resides in the center channel though one may find the need to rewind several scenes to catch the overlapping dialogue.
Special Features
4/5
The audio commentary by Joel Schumacher is a very typical one for him with heady praise for all of his hardworking cast and crew and some astute comments as he reminisces about the production experience. He sometimes describes what we’re seeing on screen with too much unnecessary detail, but those comments generally lead to more off-the-cuff remarks that are worth the wait.
“The Real Tigerland” relates experiences from several Vietnam veterans (including screenwriter Ross Klavan) and drill instructors remembering their times training at Fort Polk and in Tigerland. This runs 21 ¾ minutes in 1080p.
“Joel Schumacher: Journey to Tigerland” finds the director describing facets of his earlier career and then discussing aspects of the movie including the casting of unknowns, production problems, the concept for the film, and its eventual reception. This runs 10 ¼ minutes in 1080p.
“Ross Klavan: Ode to Tigerland” is an 11-minute interview with the writer who discusses the origins of the story and the aspects of his own story which can be found in the fictional narrative. It’s also in 1080p.
A puffy, EPK featurette on the movie features brief interviews with the director and star of the film discussing its making. It runs 4 ¼ minutes in 480i.
“Casting Session with Colin Farrell” features four sections (three scenes) of Farrell playing his part (with a broader accent than he uses in the movie) while an off-screen female voice feeds him his cues. The sections may be played individually or shown together for 6 ½ minutes. They’re in 480i.
There are a theatrical trailer and two TV spots. The trailer runs 2 ½ minutes while each spot ad is ½ minute. All are in 480i.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Gritty and genuinely involving, Tigerland is a war movie for those who like the anxiety and tension of war without the gory aftermath. Some interesting bonus material mixes with the masterful film to make a Blu-ray package that is an easy recommendation.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
