IMDb on iPhone and iPod touch Learn more Learn more Download from the App Store
IMDb > Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
Buffalo Soldiers
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Buffalo Soldiers (2001) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 53 | slideshow) Videos (see all 7)
Buffalo Soldiers (2001) -- A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.
Buffalo Soldiers (2001) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   12,771 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert O'Connor (book)
Gregor Jordan (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Buffalo Soldiers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 October 2002 (Germany) more
Genre:
Tagline:
War is hell... but peace is f*#!%!! boring. more
Plot:
A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 6 nominations more
User Comments:
over-hyped for it's anti-american military commentary, which it isn't... more (106 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Joaquin Phoenix ... Ray Elwood

Ed Harris ... Colonel Berman

Scott Glenn ... Sergeant Lee

Anna Paquin ... Robyn Lee

Elizabeth McGovern ... Mrs. Berman

Michael Peña ... Garcia

Leon ... Stoney (as Leon Robinson)

Gabriel Mann ... Knoll
Dean Stockwell ... General Lancaster

Brian Delate ... Colonel Marshall
Shiek Mahmud-Bey ... Sergeant Saad (as Sheik Mahmud-Bey)

Amani Gethers ... Kirschfield
Noah Lee Margetts ... Rothfuss (as Noah)
Tom Ellis ... Squash

Kick Gurry ... Video
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Army Go Home! (Germany)
Buffalo Soldiers - Army Go Home! (Germany) (DVD title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violence, drug content, strong language and some sexuality.
Runtime:
98 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on the 1993 novel by Robert O'Connor more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Sgt. Lee and his daughter in the car after the Civil War party, she asks him if he wants to kill Elwood, to which he asks her what she's talking about. She says, "Do you?" However, her lips do not move when saying that line. more
Quotes:
Sgt. Lee: [On a training exercise, Sgt. Lee has made Ray Elwood carry an M-60 machine gun - a heavy weapon that Elwood cleary struggles with] What'sa matter, Elwood, your fitness lacking? You want to do the confidence course a few times, get you back into shape?
Ray Elwood: No thanks, Top. I'll be fine.
[Barely makes it up a steep hill while clutching the heavy weapon]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Signs (2002) more
Soundtrack:
Ich Bin Ein Arschloch more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
41 out of 52 people found the following comment useful.
over-hyped for it's anti-american military commentary, which it isn't..., 30 July 2003
Author: Dan Heller (argv@danheller.com) from http://www.danheller.com/movies

Some films just suffer from bad luck, and `Buffalo Soldiers' is one of them. Not that the movie is all that bad, nor all that terrific; it just deals with a subject that Americans might not be comfortable about today: a less-than-glowing depiction of the American military.

The film made its debut at the Toronto Film Festival, three days before Sept 11, 2001, under great fanfare. It was billed as being a dark satirical look at the military, but after the attacks on 9/11, its future was buried. Now, almost two years later, `Buffalo Soldiers' is finally being released, but it's not clear that the climate will be any more accommodating.

The movie starts by presenting a criminal subculture operating among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall. The satirical billing is merely a backdrop for the film, and it does present just about everyone rather hyperbolically. Joaquin Phoenix plays Ray Elwood, a la Radar O'Reilly from MASH. He is the company clerk for a U.S. supply base, making most decisions for his oblivious colonel to rubber stamp. Like Milo Minderbinder from Catch-22, he goes about his normal routine of making money and duping the system, but in this case, Elwood is a small-time drug dealer who sometimes dabbles in black market booty. Things turn on him quickly when he happens across some heavy weaponry, and his plan for unloading the equipment puts him way over his head, getting him into far more trouble than what he can handle as the lightweight and inexperienced paper-pusher that he is. By the time the plot line is established, the backdrop of satire is abandoned, witty observations undone, and philosophical quips erased.

Indeed, the true essence of the film lies beyond the plot, but it doesn't go as far as it tagline philosophy: `Where there is peace, the warlike man attacks himself.', a quote from Nietzsche, whose keen observation was the original inspiration for the film. At most, `Buffalo Soldiers' depicts how people behave when they get in over their heads, and only a dash of commentary on anything military or philosophical.

As for the controversy around American soldiers doing bad things, it would be a stretch to feel this is commentary on the good ol' US of A. Only those looking to pick a fight would find any form of offense or unpatriotic flavor to this film. Still, all one has to do is suggest the notion, and people will simply adopt that view anyway, regardless of what's on screen. Ironically, that's the movie's fault, not the public's. If the movie were better at delivering a more profound message - one that it clearly wanted to make - or if the story line were multi-dimensional, rather than a straightforward crime caper, people would easily overlook its superficial qualities. To be sure, Joaquin Phoenix does an excellent job at portraying a frat boy who doesn't take the army seriously, and who learns the ropes the hard way, just before he gets busted down to hell.

In the end, `Buffalo Solders' is entertaining, has a splash of romance, and is certainly a good enough movie in its own right, but is not the cynical, anti-war, anti-patriotic movie that people will be told it is. Oddly, the film's perception may be disproportionately diminished and reviewed poorly because of the attention it's getting, but it doesn't deserve undue praise either.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (106 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Best war movies of the last ten years Madvillainist
Tank sequence linas-morkunas
song at the beginning,dream Maddest_Max
Okay sooo.....? insert_coinzz
book verses movie criton64
Question about Knoll *SPOILER* StarmanSkywalker
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Grosse Pointe Blank Party Monster The Departed Layer Cake Freeway
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb UK section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.