Southern Comfort

I spent much of the film thinking it was intended as an allegory, but could never quite place it's specific intent. It's the story of a national guard unit lost in the Louisiana bayou and hunted by locals they have managed to piss off; Undisciplined poorly trained soldiers trapped in an unfamiliar jungle like environment being picked off by a largely unseen indigenous force. But beyond a sense that they should be looking out for Charlie, up in the trees I'm not sure it seeks to venture anything further about the nature of that conflict (the Vietcong were not upset over a practical joke or the theft of a couple of canoes) rather it's simply evoking it's familiar imagery as a part of it's thriller element.

Like a mobile Assault on Precinct 13 in a swamp, it's focus is mainly on the interactions within the hunted group, and I think this is where the film lets itself down somewhat. It's characters just aren't all that strong, most just being slightly different flavours of aggressive. Keith Carradine stands out as the squads resident joker, and a man they know as Coach threatens an interesting sub plot, but his initial bizarre behaviour peters out into silence far too quickly. And I liked the dynamic it had going, the power struggle with the slightly hapless corporal left in charge, reinforcing the military doctrine that clearly wouldn't save them, but it did keep repeating on itself. We should have seen more turmoil from him over his inability to meet his responsibilities, instead of being a simple roadblock for the more sensible lead characters. Like many of the characters on offer, I felt it lacked some depth.

I often found myself thinking that the story of the Cajun hunters who dog them would have made for it's own, perhaps more distinct story. Fired upon by strangers, they manage to drive them off only to have one of their number captured and beaten. Once he is freed they must decide whether to invite retaliation by letting them go or try to end it their and then. It would almost work. If it weren't for the whole digging-up-corpses-and-tying-them-to-trees thing. That would be hard to work in rationally.

Despite it's issues I liked some of what it had to say. I liked that it had a certain respect for the Cajuns and their swamp, they weren't merely the backwards deviants of Deliverance. I liked that the swamp itself was a part of the force imposing upon the squad, as if it were an extension of their foe. But ultimately I'm just not sure what it was trying to do or say. It's not about 'Nam, or the military, or even something grand but oblique like the American psyche. It's just some dudes, being chased, in the woods. Maybe that's enough, but it left me craving something further.