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Joaquin Phoenix, Anna Paquin, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Elizabeth McGovern ... see more see more... , Gabriel Mann , Leon , Sheik Mahumd-Bey , Michael Peņa , Glenn Fitzgerald , Dean Stockwell , Haluk Bilginer

Australian director Gregor Jordan makes his sophomore effort with this tale about crooked U.S. soldiers based in Germany during the waning days of the cold war. Special Fourth Class soldier Elwood (Jo... read more read more...aquin Phoenix) guards against the Soviets while on duty, and rips off the U.S. military while off duty. Handsome, calculating, and thoroughly amoral, Elwood runs a profitable black-market business that operates just below the official radar. He and his associates make drugs to sell to his fellow GIs; steal Army supplies, selling them to a German connection; and a host of other dirty deeds. One day, he and his gang uncover some loot that will land them some real money -- high-tech military weaponry. As they try to quietly offload the stuff, the new sergeant, Robert K. Lee (Scott Glenn), catches on to Elwood's nefarious deeds and sets out to put him out of businesses. Elwood, in turn, catches on to the fact that Lee has a very attractive daughter (Anna Paquin) and sets out to bed her. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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70% liked it

15,021 ratings

Critics

72% liked it

110 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Gregor Jordan

Release Date: January 1, 2001

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DVD Release Date: January 13, 2004

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Flixster Reviews (664)

  • garyX
    January 21, 2011
    garyX
    A wheeler dealer based in a US army camp in Germany becomes locked in a battle of wills with his new sergeant, a Vietnam veteran determined to break him and his operation. Sgt. Bilko meets Tarantino in this blackly comic story of bored soldiers looking for ways to make a fast buc... read morek. Kind of like a cross between Jarhead and True Romance, there is the combination violence, drugs and humour that is common to post Tarantino comedy thrillers, but somehow it doesn't quite sit well with the setting of the US military. There is something a little unsettling about seeing soldiers with such a disregard for life and law (on "our side" anyway), and I found little humour in seeing them killed in various gruesome ways, accidentally or not. Otherwise, it's actually not a bad little film; Joaquin Phoenix amiably treads the line between immorality and charm, Ed Harris is as reliable as ever as the impotent base commander who is caught in the crossfire and Scott Glenn is a first rate Nazi war veteran. Not exactly a classic, but it has a quality that marks it above the average Tarantino copycat.
  • SirPant
    September 23, 2009
    SirPant
    Good film, a bit like M*A*S*H in places and very entertaining!
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 28, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    Quite simply this is a well written, well acted and exceptionally funny film. It follows the story of a soldier in the US army as the Cold War is coming to an end, and the black market exploits that thrive when there is nothing for the soldiers to do. It is also an interesting po... read morelitical take on the chain of command in the military, lampooning the superior officers as incompetent fools, despite having their hearts in the right place, the film manages to successfully create sympathy for Col. Berman (Ed Harris) in that despite his general inability to do the job, he is actually well liked. It becomes increasingly clear towards the end of the film that Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix) has a lot of affection for the man.

    All in all a highly successful film, and recommended for anyone who wants a well made, smartly written comedic drama.
  • RossCollinsUK
    December 30, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    Essentially Air America with tanks set in West Germany, Funny satire with an enjoyable plot.
  • crossbladezero
    April 24, 2012
    crossbladezero
    Wow, Joaquin Phoenix must be a great actor of musicians to play Bob Marley, mawn. Mawn-I mean, man, I don't know what's cheesier: the fact that I just said mawn after refering to Bob Marley or my stretch of a joke of relating this title to that of a Bob Marley song. This film is ... read moreanything but Bob Marley, in all kinds of ways. I don't know about y'all, but when I think of a military satire that deems peace boring, I'm not likely to be thinking of what Bob Marley stood for. Well, in all fairness, I think that everyone would sooner want to connect Bob Marley to a military satire that deems peace boring than its original planned release date of [b][u]September of 2001[/b][/u], when you probably wouldn't want to make fun of peace and the military, which is certainly what the distributors thought when they had to push this movie to 2003. Good thing, too, because if they had released this in September of 2001, there would have been some definate controversy and no one would have gone to see it; and no, that's not an exaggeration, because after the performance this film really did end up doing at the box office, the only way it could do worse is if literally no one went to go see it. That is a shame that not a whole lot of people went to go this film, because, like the consensus says, it hits more marks than it misses, and yet, the fact of the matter is that the film definately missed some marks.

    Right out of the gate, the film slips up a bit, not just by having an effect of Joaquin Phoenix falling through the air to give you a good idea of how weak some of the handful of visual effects are in the film, but by having Joaquin Phoenix give us backstory narration, something that I usually think is cool, though typically very conventional. Well, sure enough, while it doesn't feel as amateurly generic as other conventional narrated development segments - mostly because the other films that fall into the convention don't usually have someone as charismatic as Joaquin Phoenix narrating -, that conventional narration style is very much here, and bringing its usual bag of flaws with it. A common misstep that these kind of opening narration have is taking overlong breaks in the narration, making the dives back in rather jarring, which isn't to say that the narration is the only part of the development segment that jars, because the set-ups to the subplots and whatnot fall into place a little too conveniently and suddenly, and with no real build-up to those subplots, it's hard to determine which story is going to stick around or not, leaving the film momentarily convoluted as it dances between its could-stay-or-couldn't-stay subtplots. Still, even after the development segment, the jarring is not yet finished, with all-too sudden shifts in focus, as well as too much dwelling upon the subplot that it does focus on to make the changes more offputting, making the film's focus inconsistent, with the occasional slow spot to provide yet more sprinkles of salt in the wound. Now, the film isn't all over the place, though it is decidedly messy, with an unevenness and conventions, both in storytelling and the general story, itself. However, usual films of this type and of these flaws tend to put in less effort, rarely, if ever to the point of being dropped to a state of total mediocrity, at best, though certainly to a very improvable state. This film, on the other hand, while still quite improvable, delivers, more often than not, with wit and style, particularly when it comes to the writing.

    True, the story is a conventional one, as well as one plagued by uneven focus, and yet, it remains interesting, nevertheless. The story is clever and even rather compelling, with layers that may go messily-handled at times, but remain engaging and lively, powered by intrigue, charm and, of course, plenty of sharp humor. Marrying realism with subtle, yet not overly offensive mockery, the film's broad comedic concept of military satire is down-to-earth and clever, while the humor within the humor is snappy and charming, with plenty of sharp shots that leave you chuckling, if not just plain letting a good ol' laugh out. However, come the deeper, darker aspects, the film contradicts the jar in its storytelling and organically incorporates weight and intrigue by not bearing down to hard to drown out the charm slowly, but surely, while incorporating genuine tension. That intrigue is certainly amplified by the performers, all of whom bring plenty of charisma and chemistry, though none of who are given enough dramatic material to really blow you away. However, upon the arrival of that dramatic material, the performers are competent, manipulating the human charm that they placed upon the comedic aspects to give the darker aspects human depth, with Joaquin Phoenix, as expected, standing out the most as our love-him-or-hate-him protagonist, SPC Ray Elwood. With this, and the then-previous year's "Gladiator", Joaquin Phoenix showed that he knew how to play a real dirtbag like nobody's business, and while he's certainly with nearly enough material to blow any self-respecting acting-respecter away like he did in "Gladiator", he still charms, and, come the darker aspects, even impresses dramatically, and thoroughly enough to really carry both our low-down anti-hero protagonist, as well as the film istelf, making the bad in the SPC Elwood character charmingly sting, while making the good feel comfortable and compelling in its sudden incorporation, creating a very human lead that offers further testament to Phoenix's great charisma abilities, if not his dynamic acting abilities.

    Overall, the film falls into some of the typical story tropes and flaws of other films of its type, only with a little bit more unevenness in story focus than we're used to seeing, yet it ultimately triumphs in the end, powered by a story that, while conventional, charms during its clever comedic and satirical moments, as well as genuinely engages during the relatively heavier, more intriguing segments, while being made all the sharper by across-the-board charismatic performers, headed by a compelling, when not charismatic anti-heroic lead performance by Joaquin Phoenix, who stands as just one of the several key elements that help in making "Buffalo Soldiers" an entertaining and generally engaging sit.

    3/5 - Good
  • danieljparsons
    November 26, 2007
    danieljparsons
    "What's wrong with these monitors? They've gone all... orange!"

    Blackly funny film about the boredom of war - though completely different from Jarhead - with a nicely skewed performance from Joaquin Phoenix and a cast against type Ed Harris. Set in 1989 just prio

    ... read morer to the falling of the Berlin War, Ray Elwood (Phoenix) a clerk stationed in West Germany, relieves his boredom by exploiting opportunities to steal just about anything he can get his hands on, indulging in casual sex with his outgoing commander's wife, and starting a relationship with his new CO's daughter (Anna Paquin).

    There's some startling special effects sequences (particularly in Elwood's recurring dream of falling to earth), very amusing lines and great performances in this pacy film. What undermines it a little is that it's sometimes just a bit in bad taste - death is particularly throwaway here - though the absence of political correctness is refreshing. In addition the opportunity to finish on a fairly spectacular note is ditched in favor of a tacked on final scene, and though the film is clever and funny there's a little bit of a feeling of 'so what' to it, though I suspect the paradox is that the pointlessness is the point.
  • jonnycrumley
    October 1, 2009
    jonnycrumley
    Humorous tale of bored U.S soldiers stationed in Germany in the late 80's. Joaquin Phoenix is great a the slacker drug dealer, who finds his day's numbered when new sergeant arrives to spoil the party. Buffalo Soldiers has plenty of memorable moments and a great cast on top form.
  • stormcrowdark
    April 8, 2008
    stormcrowdark
    Not much to recommend here. I often find movies of this sort confuse dramatic depth for characters being scumbags. There is nothing and no one to identify with here unless you are doing time for one of the many crimes perpetrated in this movie. I guess that is what these guys ar... read moree saying the Army is like going voluntarily to a prison.
  • DrLappos
    August 10, 2007
    DrLappos
    What do you do when there's no war? Party...Great film. The tank scene is unbeleivable.
  • ilive4discus
    July 8, 2007
    ilive4discus
    Phoenix and Harris are awesome.

View All Buffalo Soldiers Reviews

Critic Reviews

Jay Boyar
November 13, 2003
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Eventually, the movie's rampant nihilism catches up with it. Full Review

Joe Baltake
October 10, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

A scathing and very funny indictment of the U.S. military. Full Review

Bill Muller
October 9, 2003
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

The characters, if not sympathetic, are at least interesting and brought to life with authenticity by the talented cast.

Jeff Strickler
September 18, 2003
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's a well-done satire that only the thinnest of skins would find insulting. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
September 12, 2003
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Like its bored soldiers, this movie seems to play with volatile substances with not nearly enough respect for their meaning. Full Review

Tom Long
September 5, 2003
Tom Long, Detroit News

It's mostly a lurching, clumsy affair, a very poor man's Catch-22.

Terry Lawson
September 5, 2003
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

If you can get past the idea that Buffalo Soldiers ... has any real relevance, you are likely to enjoy its sitcom snap and the performance of Phoenix. Full Review

Peter Howell
August 8, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Has many fine performances ... yet the movie fails to give meaning to their actions, or to evoke sympathy for their anti-hero attitudes. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
August 8, 2003
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

Ultimately, it's a cold, caustic film that doesn't take a strong point of view but seems to offer up its numerous set pieces ... for sheer goony pleasure. Full Review

James Berardinelli
August 8, 2003
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It's an enjoyable and occasionally thought-provoking motion picture whose viewership should not be diminished by the unfortunate and inaccurate 'anti-American' label. Full Review

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