Very different, very beautiful

Rating: 8/10 (4 October 2004)

Colin Farrell delivers perhaps the best performance of his career as the trouble making but ultimately good willed Bozz, in what turns out to be one of the most different anti-war movies available. Beneath its incessant swearing and violence, it is a story about the struggle of one man who wants to stay in touch with his humanity. Coupled with a haunting and poignant drum beat in the background, Tigerland pushes its message against war by showing the dehumanising of soldiers and what is required of them, using Vietnam very effectively being perhaps the most morally problematic war of the last century.
In every other war movie, the soldiers themselves must be almost superhuman - life and death of themself and the men around them depend on it. They must think without morals, without remorse, about the actions they must take. Tigerland makes this point most blatantly with the declaration about guard duty by SFC Ezra Landers (Afemo Omilami) - "You keep shooting till whatever made the noise is dead. I don't care if it is a woman, child or little Johnny next door". Bozz is the draftee who tries to remain human by rebelling against the training and practically everything about the army, so try and get himself kicked out, because as he said himself, "I'm not ready to go kill women and children."
Tigerland clearly states it cause against war, showing graphically the violence both the officers and the soldiers inflict on each other. Portrayed directly and extremely opposite to Bozz's character is that of Private Wilson, who tries to epitomise in himself the 'soldiering' the army is trying to drill into the men - to kill without morals of remorse. However the story leads to a point where Wilson tries to kill because of his attempts are constantly undermined and scorned by the platoon, led by Bozz. Wilson is used clearly to show the mental instability of the way of the 'soldier' way of thinking, and the end of the movie, though perhaps slightly predictable, will leave a lot for people to think about.
Very poignant and beautifully filmed, the camera work and visuals of the film give a gritty and war-like feeling we've come to expect, and with great feeling Tigerland states simply and openly its intriguing cinematic look at war.