Search - Southern Comfort on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Graphic Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 05/22/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 45 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Thriller, Action Thriller

A handful of part time soldiers unwittingly turn a field exercise into a miniature war in this offbeat action drama from writer and director Walter Hill. A group of National Guard reservists are sent to Louisiana on a chilly weekend for war games exercises. None of these weekend warriors seem especially happy to be there, especially laid-back Spencer (Keith Carradine), tightly-wound macho man Reece (Fred Ward) and transplanted Texan Hardin (Powers Booth). While making their way through swamp country, the reservists discover their maps are out of date and they've become lost. Rather than march back to camp and start over, they decide to "borrow" several canoes they've found by the banks of the bayou, which should put them back on track. When a Cajun local catches the soldiers stealing his canoes, Stuckey (Lewis Smith) fires a few rounds in his direction; for the purposes of their exercises, the Guardsmen have been given blank shells, so Stuckey imagines this is a harmless way to scare the man off. However, the Cajun soon returns fire -- with real bullets. After Poole (Peter Coyote) is killed by a shotgun blast, the Guardsmen find themselves lost in a place they do not understand, surrounded by angry men determined to drive the unwelcome visitors off their land at all costs. A taut and atmospheric action film which is also serves as an intelligent and evocative metaphor for America's role in the Vietnam war, Southern Comfort also features an excellent score by guitarist (and frequent Walter Hill collaborator) Ry Cooder. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Keith Carradine - Spencer
Powers Boothe - Hardin
Fred Ward - Reece
Franklyn Seales - Simms
T.K. Carter - Cribbs

Director Walter Hill's ultra-intense, Deliverance-influenced action film Southern Comfort has long been considered one of his best films and it's easy to see why. Part of it is a take on the Ten Little Indians theme and part of it is a Vietnam War movie, albeit one set in the Louisiana bayou in 1973 with the local Cajun population viewed as the Viet Cong of the swamps. The picture quality on MGM's DVD is a mixed-bag affair. For the most part the film looks very good -- blacks are black and the picture is crisp -- but there are times when scenes are too dark and grainy. Colors and the film's overall sharpness are definite improvements over the VHS release, but a more careful transfer would have been appreciated. The Dolby Digital Mono Sound is fine, though there are a few dialogue scenes that crackle and sound hollow. This is more likely a result of poor sound recording of the film itself, than a problem with the digital transfer to disc. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and includes a French mono soundtrack, as well as French- and Spanish-language subtitles. A "no pussyfooting around" theatrical trailer is included. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide