mesmerizing

Rating: 8/10 (1 October 2001)

Just when you thought you'd had enough of Vietnam movies, comes Tigerland, a refreshingly poignant coming-of-age film that follows a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears Army recruits in the days before they're to be shipped off to war.
Joel Schumacher recovers nicely from the car wreck otherwise known as Batman & Robin, invoking subtle performances from a cast of unknowns, led by the magnetic Colin Farrell as Private Bozz, a ne'er-do-well whose motives become clear as the movie unfolds. Matthew Davis is nearly as impressive as Bozz' thoughtful foil, a college boy who's in over his head as he & the other troops progress in their training. And he's not the only one - the mental unravelling of many of the grunts is both moving & mesmerizing. Though it would be easy for the story to tread familiar water & implement stereotypical plot development (soldiers going crazy, racial infighting, horny hookers, etc.), none of it becomes obtrusive. The cast is uniformly fine, tho most of the officers at boot camp are paper-thin cruel thugs. Nick Searcy, as a sly commanding officer & Cole Hauser, as the soldiers' no-nonsense instructor at Tigerland, stand out.
But the real star here is Farrell, who can do no wrong here. Recalling a young Mel Gibson (no coincidence he's Australian), Farrell shows why he's a superstar in the making & why we should look forward to seeing more of him in the future. 8 out of 10.