Director Joel Schumacher has the look and feel of a man doing hard penance. Always a slick and impressive filmmaker with strong commercial instincts, Schumacher met his cinematic Waterloo with Batman & Robin, a film that got some of the most excoriating reviews in the history of the movies. Since then, he’s turned his back on the blockbuster in favour of smaller, distinctly grungier projects. This newly found low-rent sensibility has shaken out not only the gritty personal drama Flawless, but also Schumacher’s first bona fide masterpiece: the stunning boot camp saga Tigerland.
It’s 1971, and America is smack bang in the middle of the Vietnam War. The horrors on the home front are just as real as those on the battlefield, and a whole generation of young men is about to be blooded into the war. A large group of them are corralled at Fort Polk, where they will allegedly be turned into soldiers. Standing tall in this military crush is Roland Bozz (Colin Farrell), just released from the stockade, and wanting out of the army... now. Mythic hero, jailhouse lawyer and brawling street fighter, Bozz shakes up the men around him, and starts to knock some of the polish off the military brass.
Everything about Tigerland feels right. Schumacher’s hands-off, unobtrusive direction gives it an air of documentary realism; the gravelly, slurred cinematography of Matthew Libatique (who so memorably shot Pi and Requiem For A Dream) is totally unique; the script by Ross Klavan and Michael McGruther crackles with salty ferocity and humour; and the performances are extraordinary.
In his first major role, Irish actor Colin Farrell is pure dynamite, with a charismatic turn that stands on its own while also recalling other great military rebels like Private Prewitt in From Here To Eternity, Private Witt in The Thin Red Line and Billy Budduskey in The Last Detail.
Tough, minimalist and totally unforgettable, Tigerland is a deceptively small film that has the undeniable feel of a true American classic about it.
Filmink 4.5/5
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