Southern Comfort (1981)

Southern Comfort (1981) (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $17.98

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
101 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1981 and produced in:
Switzerland ( Germany, Central Europe )
United Kingdom ( Great Britain, Ireland )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Walter Hill

Written By:
Michael Kane
Walter Hill

Actors:
Keith Carradine ..... Pfc. Spencer
Powers Boothe ..... Cpl. Charles Hardin
Fred Ward ..... Cpl. Lonnie Reece
Franklyn Seales ..... Pfc. Simms
T.K. Carter ..... Pfc. Tyrone Cribbs
Lewis Smith ..... Pfc. Stuckey
Les Lannom ..... Sgt. Casper
Peter Coyote ..... Staff Sgt. Crawford Poole
Alan Autry ..... Cpl. 'Coach' Bowden (as Carlos Brown)
Brion James ..... Cajun Trapper
Sonny Landham ..... Hunter
Allan Graf ..... Hunter
Ned Dowd ..... Hunter
Rob Ryder ..... Hunter
Greg Guirard ..... Cajun Couple

Synopsis:

It's the land of hospitality... unless you don't belong. A group of National Guardsmen embark on a routine weekend of manoeuvres in the boggy swamps of Louisiana. Everything goes smoothly until blanks are fired at the Cajun locals. Suddenly the men are hurled into a terrifying battle for their lives... An allegory of America's involvement in Vietnam in the tradition of Deliverance, featuring brilliant cinematography and an excellent Ry Cooder bluegrass score.

A handful of part time soldiers unwittingly turn a field exercise into a miniature war in this offbeat action drama from writer and director Walter Hill. A group of National Guard reservists are sent to Louisiana on a chilly weekend for war games exercises. None of these weekend warriors seem especially happy to be there, especially laid-back Spencer (Keith Carradine), tightly-wound macho man Reece (Fred Ward) and transplanted Texan Hardin (Powers Booth). While making their way through swamp country, the reservists discover their maps are out of date and they've become lost. Rather than march back to camp and start over, they decide to 'borrow' several canoes they've found by the banks of the bayou, which should put them back on track. When a Cajun local catches the soldiers stealing his canoes, Stuckey (Lewis Smith) fires a few rounds in his direction; for the purposes of their exercises, the Guardsmen have been given blank shells, so Stuckey imagines this is a harmless way to scare the man off. However, the Cajun soon returns fire - with real bullets. After Poole (Peter Coyote) is killed by a shotgun blast, the Guardsmen find themselves lost in a place they do not understand, surrounded by angry men determined to drive the unwelcome visitors off their land at all costs. A taut and atmospheric action film which is also serves as an intelligent and evocative metaphor for America's role in the Vietnam war, Southern Comfort also features an excellent score by guitarist (and frequent Walter Hill collaborator) Ry Cooder.

A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition and in a strange country, their experience begins to mirror the Vietnam experience.

This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 03 June, 2012.