Popcorn Movie Director Has A Go At Realism

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2004)

I think I'm going off "Vietnam"-movies for good. They just seem to have become (or -- probably -- always have been) a vehicle for hunky young actors to allow them to pose in macho garb (t-shirts, camo fatigues and dog-tags -- you know the score) and to toy around with guns and explosives. Tigerland at least uses a fairly innovative setting (a training camp in the US rather than the actual war theatre -- which had the nice side effect of making it a fairly inexpensive movie to make, and which spared me the usual "Argh! Oh no, Johnny! You bastards!!! Takatakataka"-battle scenes), but any attempts to deliver new insights are stunted by director Joel Schumacher who instead prefers to go for a visual celebration of hunkiness coupled with wobbly hand-camera / digital video visuals.
One particular scene that stuck to my mind, if only for it's unabashed campness, is when the film's lead buddies hang out together after they have just had sex with two nightclub floozies (like in all Vietnam movies, when the soldiers are not being yelled at by sadistic drill sergeants or engaging in battle scenes with more fireworks than July 4.th, they're instantly having sex with whorish women). They seem to be so into each other, and so completely disinterested in the girls, that I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them had broken out the baby oil ("Here, let me soothe you -- do you work out?" "Oh, it feels so good..."), thereby earning this scene a cult following in the gay community.
The only thing that can be said for Colin Farrell is that he disguises his Irish brogue effectively and that he has poster-boy looks. If you fancy him then this movie probably is a must-see for you. You even get a glance of his naked butt.