Ruthlessly funny, gleefully anarchic black comedy.
Buffalo Soldiers (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:110
Fresh:78
Rotten:32
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: Overall, this caustic comedy hits more of its targets than it misses.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Joaquin Phoenix stars in this dark service comedy as Ray Elwood, an Army clerk stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Part of a company made up almost entirely... Joaquin Phoenix stars in this dark service comedy as Ray Elwood, an Army clerk stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Part of a company made up almost entirely of ex-convicts and high school dropouts, Elwood takes advantage of his daft commanding officer, Col. Berman (Ed Harris), by selling heroin and stolen Army supplies wholesale. However, when a member of the company dies and an autopsy reveals a remarkable amount of drugs in his bloodstream, far more intense scrutiny is brought down on the base in the form of Sgt. Lee (Scott Glenn), a tough and savvy Vietnam veteran who immediately surmises that Elwood is the brains behind the base's black market operations. Unfortunately, Elwood has just happened upon the biggest score of his tour and now must unload two trucks full of arms and 30 kilos of heroin just as Sgt. Lee has begun to orchestrate his downfall. Based on Robert O'Connor's novel, BUFFALO SOLDIERS is cynical but not irreverent; it doesn't treat its characters irresponsible and often idiotic behavior lightly nor does it judge them. Director Gregor Jordan has done an excellent job of adapting the tone of the original novel to the screen, and, aided by excellent performances from Mr. Phoenix and Mr. Glenn, makes BUFFALO SOLDIERS a thoroughly enjoyable satire. [More]
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Anna Paquin
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Anna Paquin, Gabriel Mann, Leon Robinson, Dean Stockwell, Elizabeth McGovern
Director: Gregor Jordan
Director: Gregor Jordan
Screenwriter: Eric Axel Weiss, Nora Maccoby
Producer: Rainer Grupe, Ariane Moody
Studio: Miramax Films
Reviews for Buffalo Soldiers
There's a high-energy look, powering a tone of sorta satirical deadpan comedy, but problems arise when the director tries to mix his hip cynicism with a fully rounded story.
This full-metal blast at the military is dark, rough-hewn, often hilarious -- and a star-maker for the electric Joaquin Phoenix.
Buffalo Soldiers is like M*A*S*H for the Reagan/Bush era generation that never knew a war like Vietnam. Both films offer a slap in the face to the establishment and display irreverent, savage satire.
An enjoyably savage cautionary tale about what can happen to warlike men in a time of peace.
Falling far short of a brilliant satire like Three Kings -- but too satirical to be a goofy Army comedy like Stripes -- Buffalo Soldiers still manages enough of both to command attention.
...a dark, entertaining and thought-provoking film that could be recommended to pacifists and militarists alike.
It's an enjoyable and occasionally thought-provoking motion picture whose viewership should not be diminished by the unfortunate and inaccurate 'anti-American' label.
A darkly funny, but critical view of military renegades and the system that coddled them.
...the movie's derision lacks the focus and conviction a good socio-political military lampooning needs to make its point clear.
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