Tigerland – Review

It is September 1971 and the U.S. is deep into the fires of war with Vietnam, and not faring so well. At boot camp, young soldiers are roused from their sleep early in the morning by clanging bells and screaming instructors. Private Roland Bozz (Ferrell) lucks out with avoiding a court martial as he is returned to infantry training. He skipped out and went AWOL, and has a general disregard for authority. As he joins the crew, Private Wilson (Whigham) calls him a fuckup and a coward.

The men are trucked into Fort Polk, a tough training camp to ready soldiers for the Vietnam jungles. They pride themselves with training the toughest platoons. Training will be 8 weeks, then they will hit the forested area Tigerland, for one even harder week, before finally being shipped out to the actual war front.

Bozz and another Private, Jim Paxton (Davis), become friends during their camp stint. They first meet at a bar, where Bozz has immediately gone AWOL yet again, as he was not let off Army grounds like the rest of the men. Time to find some girls and ignore the coming storm.

Bozz gives Paxton some advice: figure a way to get out. Paxton was a volunteer however, and actually wants to go to the war for the experience. Maybe he will write a book about it when he is back. Bozz questions his true motivations and keeps his advice about leaving ASAP. This attitude leaves instructors unhappy with his inability to follow orders, as well as his wisecracks and retorts, however Bozz appears unphased.

In camp the young men learn order, respect and tactical maneuvers. However, how will their psyches evolve as Bozz continues to rock the boat and make them question more than the instructors want? Are the Army and this war really a solution to anything? The truth is, Bozz does absolutely give a shit about his fellow man, and even wants the best for all of his compatriots despite his unconventional approach.

Tigerland is a thoughtful piece about the harrows of war, and mostly has flown under the radar for military movies. A slew of decent actors perform their roles admirably, and the reality of training is well represented. Troublemakers in the squad only usually lead to consequences for all the other men there, however sometimes using your brain should be encouraged also.

The ideas presented are challenging ones, and men need to be united in war, which has no time for jokes or fooling around. People that question authority typically don’t fit into Army ranks very well, but all walks of life wind up as soldiers regardless. Farrell shines in his role, whether you like him or not, and even if you disagree with everything that he does. While the director Joel Schumacher is usually more miss than hit for me, this delicately crafted film is one of his best. It is mostly dialogue however, and is not an action-oriented war film.