Southern Comfort

Plot synopsis:
The film begins in the spring and documents Eads' life through the following winter. Eads falls in love with Lola, a transgender woman. He spends those remaining warm days in the company of his "chosen family": Maxwell, Cas, and "the rest". That summer, his mother and father drive ten hours to visit Robert, who is still their daughter in their eyes. Later that year, Eads makes his last appearance at the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, a prominent transgender gathering. Already feeling ill, he addresses a crowd of 500 and takes Lola to what is for them a prom that never was. Shortly after the conference, Eads dies in a nursing home with his chosen family.
After Eads' death, his ashes were spread across the family farm around a lone Christmas tree which was to symbolize Robert's many changes and blossomings in life.
Eads' friends, Tom and Debbie King, also appear in the film. They saved Eads' life when he collapsed in a pool of his own blood while staying with them. They initially sought treatment for Eads but were unable to locate a doctor willing to treat a transgender man.
Robert's lifelong struggle to have his outer appearance match his inner self is a salient theme in the movie. All persons portrayed in the movie wrestle with themes of rejection from others, rejection of self, feeling ostracized from humanity and ultimately crafting their own lives and personal support systems.

Tags: tragedy, violence, humor

Review:
I have been an enthusiastic fan of Walter Hill's 1981 film, Southern Comfort, since childhood, and I believe that it is one of the most perfect movies of that decade in terms of its ability to maintain intensity to a nail-biting conclusion.
Unlike contemporary survival horror movies where one never gets the impression that the characters are actually outdoors at any point in the film, Southern Comfort is rugged to an extreme, with the actors constantly wading ankle-deep through swamp lands in the middle of winter, since filmmakers quickly determined that the filming location would be too hazardous during the summer season.
A National Guard squad gets stranded in Cajun country swamps, and are victim to attacks from the locals who consider that it's their land, and the film predictably proceeds in having the soldiers killed one at a time while they also destroy each-other because of their increasing paranoia.The score and cinematography are great, as is the acting.
A bizarre yet excellent paranoia thriller that takes place in a swamp in the Louisana where eight National Guard members who are on a routine reconnaissance excerise, unwillingly and intentionally start an exhausting battle of wills and survival with some Cajuns who know the swamps like if their own backyard.Director Walter Hill ("48 Hours", "Undisputed") and his screen-writers (David Giler and Michael Kane) have unveiled an expected surprise that surpasses even my expectations of a top-notch thriller.
The look, the feel, and especially - the music fit the atmosphere like it should be and I was satisfied with that.Plus, the movie ads for "Southern Comfort" don't lie here and what happens in the film shows very clearly why..
Most of them are just a cheap excuse to make fun of stereotypical rednecks and depict gratuitous violence, but some are truly great films that come damn near to the quality level of "Deliverance" itself, like Walter Hill's "Southern Comfort".
A group of National Guardsmen led by Hardin(Powers Boothe)and Spencer(Keith Carradine)get on the bad side of swamp-dwelling Cajuns while conducting maneuvers in the bayou.Bloodshed ensues.Hardin and Spencer must then go on the run through the Louisiana swamps if they're to survive.This violent and exciting survival thriller owes a lot to John Boorman's fantastic "Deliverance".Walter Hill does a fine job of showing how an area as large as a bayou can be claustrophobic and the ultra-intense finale shows some top-notch editing.The acting is great and the script raises some serious questions about the behaviour of man."Southern Comfort" can also be seen as an allegorical treatment of the Vietnam conflict.8 out of 10.A must-see!.
This little gem is a moral story about how things can go wrong, very badly, when someone for a lark opens fire with blanks - those you shoot at have no chance to know that and thus rightfully shoot back, which starts a killing spree from both sides.One side is a troop out of the Loisiana National Guard on exercise in the swamps, the other is the locals, who enjoy their French culture and life out in the swamp.None is more evil than the other, none is more mad than the other, but the soldiers are far from home, and out of their element.Walter Hill, the director and co-writer of Southern Comfort, does a very good job in this tale clearly inspired by the events in Viet Nam. Hill is maybe more known for such diverse films as 48 hours, Brewster's millions and Last Man Standing, and as the producer of Alien and Tales from the Crypt,.Andrew Laszlo, for many known as the cinematographer of films like Rambo: First Blood and the TV-series Shogun, does a fantastic job here - very poetic photography in this grim setting.Many of the actors have never been better, before, or after.
He has never been better since, Keith Carradine (who some of us remember from 'Hair' on Braodway, or 'Nashville' - which earned him an Oscar for a song!) is the intellectual, Fred Ward (Escape from Alcatraz, Short Cuts) is the cool killer type, Peter Coyote ('Keys' in E.T.) is the staff sergeant lost in the woods, Alan Autry ('Bubba' in 'In the heat of the night') freaks out, completely, Brion James (Bladerunner) excellently plays a one-armed Cajun trapper whose life take a turn for the bad when he is blamed for the first death, and Les Lannon (Silkwood, in which Fred Ward also appeared) is the sergeant that is totally out of his league in the swamp.
Upon first viewing this film seems to just be another above average entry to the bayou sub-genre.Added to the likes of Deliverance and the first Rambo.However look closely and this tale of unexperienced guardsmen fighting off psychotic cajuns takes on another meaning.
So what at first sight seems an action packed thriller is also a gritty metaphor for one of the horrors of the last century.The film is well directed and paced.Right from the start the pace doesn't flag.The fact that the cast are mostly unknowns only adds to the tension,the audience not knowing who will bite it next.All in all an exciting thriller and well worth watching..
An unit of National Guardsmen commanded by officer(Peter Coyote) and various soldiers(Boothe, Carradine,Fred Ward,TK Carter,Carlos Brown among others)find on weekend exercises in the swamps of Louisiana.
Southern Comfort's best feature is its casting because there are no superstars in this film, just good, solid actors like Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe who get your sympathy as the men-in-peril right to the end.
Taking some moored canoes to cross a river, leaving a note of explanation, they find that within a short space of time they are in a fight for their lives against a Cajun foe whose territory they are now completely at the mercy of.The comparisons to Deliverance are obvious and fair, the metaphor for Vietnam, too, is rightly associated to Walter Hill's movie, but it's a good enough picture across the board to stand proudly on its own two feet.
Narratively as well the film is always strong, where the group dynamic of uniformed men trying to survive in a hostile environment, is tossed about like a rag doll amongst the swampy bayous of Louisiana.As evidenced by much of his CV, Hill is a master of action choreography, and Southern Comfort finds him on top form.
A pleasant surprise it was when I saw that Powers Boothe actually was cool as hell in SOUTHERN COMFORT, giving a dead-serious performance and acting really tough when it's called for.Now, compared to DELIVERANCE, the main characters in SOUTHERN COMFORT have a little less background, so it's a bit harder to like them.
But when a redneck prank goes horribly wrong these soldiers will learn what it's truly like to be hunted.Walter Hill (48 Hrs / The Warriors / Streets of Fire) directs this solid action thriller that moves a bit slow at times but never gets boring.
The constant failure of intelligent choices is a large part of what makes the movie scary.In Southern Comfort you have a group of National Guardsmen, a few of whom seem to have a pretty good grip on things, and five or so who are flat out stupid.
Watch it for the setting, action, and some Cajun slice of life scenes at the end, and maybe watch it to see Walter Hill playing with some ideas he'd make work better in his 80s movies, but don't expect Southern Comfort to thrill you..
"Southern Comfort," a story about National Guardsmen who tick off some Cajuns and are then picked off one by one, creates great tension by balancing the themes of "stranger in a strange land" and "who can you trust?"  It's not until the final frame of the film that you find out how things turn out for the two protagonists, well played by Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine..
Southern Comfort Is an excellent drama, suspense about a rag- tag group of National Guardsman who are out in the Louisiana bayous practicing maneuvers in the swamps, which is inhabited by Cajun's, All is routine Until the guardsman display their macho side to the locals, The locals Don't take too kindly to these redneck outsider's when they Appropriate some of the local's canoes, unfortunately one of the men Stupidly makes the mistake of firing 'blanks at the Cajun's Who naturally return fire, killing their Captain, The guardsman find Themselves at odds in this strange visceral, almost Vietnam like environment with their pursuers Who are relentless in stalking The 8 men who are all ill equipped, are put to the ultimate test with Their survival skills, Southern Comfort boasts a superb ensemble cast, And an equally superb Ry Cooder score which makes good use of Cajun instruments..
The tensions are not always up high and the very ending is trivial; its preceding events in a Cajun village could have been entirely avoided.The cast is evenly strong (leading with Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward), but it seems that their characters were not very versatile to be performed.
Further, the Cajun village festival near the film's end is pleasantly unorthodox and quaint, in a cultural sort of way.But the problem with "Southern Comfort" is the script's characters, plot, and dialogue.
This is one of Walter Hill's best films,one of my favorite movies and in my opinion an Underrated classic.Set in the Louisiana Bayou Swamps in 1973,Southern Comfort tells the story about a squad of Army National Guardsmen who are planning a weekend adventure.
Armed with just blanks and a few real bullets,the guardsmen now have to figure out how to survive and get out of swamps alive.Southern Comfort is a film that works not just as an Action-Thriller,but a tale of survival and fear.
The final 15-20 minutes of the film is one of the best endings in movie history and is so flawless and well-done and truly shows viewers how to make a suspenseful ending and is one of the things that makes Southern Comfort a classic.The whole ensemble cast is excellent.
Brion James is wonderful as the Cajun trapper the man the squad captures.Walter Hill's direction for the film is excellent,with Hill giving the film a great style and energy,showing the Bayou and Swamp in a frightening and creepy way.
I also love the Cajun music by Dewey Balfa(Parlez-nous a'Boire)which is used to great effect at the end.In final word,if you love Walter Hill,Action films,Thrillers,survival films or films like Deliverance,I truly suggest you see Southern Comfort,a great Underrated Action-Thriller you can watch again and again and is one of Walter Hill's best films.
And considering it doesn't actually take place in a 'proper' war-zone, it makes for an interesting watch that is part war movie, part horror film and part action thriller, yet never seems forced or unfocused.Set in the bayou swamps of Louisiana, the film follows a squad of National Guardsmen on a weekend training mission.
Walter Hill may best be known as director of The Warriors, but Southern Comfort is definitely the better movie.
This film introduced me to Cajun music, Ry Cooder's fabulous soundtrack and it has long been one of my cult favourites.I would recommend it to any film lover.And if anyone knows where I can buy the soundtrack, please leave a message.For me, the film is right up there with Deliverance and it's no surprise that the director's did the Warriors too, another film I can watch at least once a year.I would put this one in the don't miss category with some great performances, though I agree the script could have been tighter.Can anyone explain exactly why this film stays with you when big budget ones very often don't?.
which got him a big laugh but scared the hell out of the Cajuns.They return the gesture by shooting dead the leader (Poole - Peter Coyote) and chasing the company further and further into the depths of the Swamps.....hunting them.....scaring them......killing them!What was going to be just another boring day of National Guard tactical wargames now turns into something far more real as they live off their wits, instincts and the limited amount of skills learnt from their time with the NG.Of course many other reviewers have associated this film with Deliverence, Rambo, Predator and nodding references towards America's wars in Vietnam.
Filmed back in the early 80s when director, Walter Hill was at his prime (IMHO - must also mention 48Hours), Southern Comfort holds together very well from start to finish.But the logic of the script is a little uneven at times.
I don't think Cooder has produced a better soundtrack than this, and really sets the mood & tone for the film.The ending is perhaps a little overdone and could have been handled in a far more intelligent way, and the length of the movie is perhaps 10 minutes or so too long.But for all that I think Southern Comfort deserves a wider audience & certainly a lot more credit than when it first released back in 81/82.****/*****.
Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe,Fred Ward star as National guardsmen who find themselves hunted in the backwoods bayous, where Cajuns are hunting them, since one of the guardsmen stole their canoes and shot blanks at them, of course this leads to a suspenseful and viscous finale where the guardsmen armed with only a few bullets don't put up much of a fight against the Cajuns who know the land and have a seemingly never ending supply of bullets in this intense thriller.
Most of all a film with great tension (that includes the Ry Cooder music themes) with good characterizations (especially that of Powers Booth as the Texan guy and Keith Carradine's in his last appearance in a above average film) from an "auteur" of the American Film Industry (Walter Hill in one of his best films among with "The Warriors" and "48th Hours") about the routine exercise of National Guardsmen in a swamp and the fatal battle with the local Cajuns.
I saw this one when it was released in 81-82......I've also seen it on TV several times since----It seems that I always notice some new detail that I missed on earlier viewings---This movie works well on several different levels---I wonder how many of the people who watch it actually pick up on the Vietnam metaphor---I notice that viewers that I know either get the idea right away or not at all----which I believe is actually a credit to the clear and active pacing of the film --this could be anyone's idea of a smooth but intense action/adventure movie (albeit a rather grim and dark flick)---Not many laughs here as a group of National Guardsmen get lost in a Louisiana swamp and accidently/on purpose pick a fight with some cajun poachers----Its not clear until the very last 5 seconds of the movie that any of the Guardsman will survive this encounter---The cast here is first rate--What can you say about a movie that boasts both Powers Booth and Fred Ward in the same National Guard squad----?.
But don't let the simplistic plot fool you; this film is actually an allegory of the Vietnam War. Set during 1973, it seems all that was changed was the location from Southeast Asia to southern Louisiana.The story starts with a squad of Weekend Warriors who get lost in the swamps during a manuevers training exercise.
It's perhaps telling that this movie improves every time a character dies.The only redeeming value of this film is the last 20-30 minutes, when the surviving pair finally crawl out of the swamp and into a Cajun party.
In Walter Hill's 1981 film, a Louisiana National Guard unit's weekend exercise in the Bayou swamps turns into a fight for survival against some local Cajuns, after the Guardsmen fire at the locals with blank ammunition.
A squad of National Guard soldiers on a training exercise in a Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives after they incur the wrath of some Cajun trappers.I love the backwoods/survival genre, and with this one featuring an exceptional cast (Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Peter Coyote, Brion James), it certainly had a lot of potential.Sadly, this Deliverance-inspired thriller failed to impress: Walter Hill's direction is sluggish and the film is overlong, with the majority of the action consisting of tedious slogging through the wetlands, the obnoxious characters behaving in a manner that doesn't seem at all credible given their training and predicament.Unlike Deliverance, which delivered plenty of tension and at least two bona fide classic scenes (duelling banjos, squeal like a pig), there is little noteworthy about Southern Comfort beyond the authentic swampy location, Ry Cooder's atmospheric music, and the final few minutes in which Hill finally injects some life into proceedings (too little, too late).4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb..
Southern Comfort is well directed,exciting,believable(I think so) and creepy(the swamps of Louisiana makes up for that).One point extra for Ry Cooders fine soundtrack;it`s perfect for the movie`s atmosphere!
Certainly this movie is derivative from "Deliverance" and there doesn't have to be any speculation about it being a Vietnam allegory---I remember when it came out and that was precisely how Walter Hill, the director, described it himself.The movie has a great look to it as the Nat'l Guardsmen wander around lost in a Louisiana swamp while being hunted by Cajuns.
Even Carradine is not good here.A shame really as the story and the idea behind it could have made a great movie.I wouldn't say I've spent my best 75 minutes of my life watching ''Southern Comfort''.
1981's "Southern Comfort" mostly falls into the mediocre category but it definitely has a great ending.THE PLOT: A group of National Guardsmen get lost in the Louisianna swamps and steal some Cajun boats to paddle out.
Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, Brion James, and Fred Ward all put out some decent performances.I didn't really put a lot of thought into the film being a metaphor for bigger things like Vietnam, I was just looking for the movie to deliver a couple tense moments, which it does.