Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Gregor Jordan

Writers:

Robert O'Connor (book)
Gregor Jordan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

31 October 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

War is hell... but peace is f*#!%!! boring.

Plot:

A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Berlin Wall | Secretary | Heroin | Soldier

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Army Go Home! (Germany)
Buffalo Soldiers - Army Go Home! (Germany) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, drug content, strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

The American tanks featured in the film are actually modified German L1 Leopards.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When they pick up the HMMWV, they are talking to Sgt Lee as they climb in. When they shut the door, you hear the door slam shut, and the lock clicking. The doors fitted to this type of HMMWV are soft doors, which don't make a noise when they close, and don't have a lock. They close by turning a plastic handle.

Quotes:

Ray Elwood: Say, do you ever have falling dreams?
Robyn Lee: Sure, I think so.
Ray Elwood: I have the same dream all the time where its really high and I'm kind of floating and then I fall. Is that the same as yours?
Robyn Lee: Kind of.
Ray Elwood: Well, why? What happens in yours?
Robyn Lee: I wake up before I hit the ground.
Ray Elwood: I always hit. I don't wake up.
Robyn Lee: That's not normal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Signs (2002)

Soundtrack:

Held Down

A Hip, Subversive Film

This is my favourite film of 2003. Why they waited two years before releasing this superb movie in the UK is anyone's guess - although it may have had something to do with its total lack of respect for the U.S. Army. I'm not sure this would have went down too well in the aftermath of 9/11. Regardless, Buffalo Soldiers is an absolute gem. It is nasty, intelligent and hilarious. It is critical of American values, specifically capitalism in the 80s and it takes no prisoners. This is an outsider's perspective on the American occupation of West Germany in 1989: Jordan is Australian and as a result he brings an Australian aesthetic to his work. But it is also a tender film that is structured around a touching central romance between Elwood and Robyn. I love their scenes in the pool, it is such a warm, intimate location - a perfect setting for the heart of an otherwise deeply cynical film. Jordan is a director of considerable talent and Buffalo Soldiers is magnificent.