7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In 1973, a squad of National Guardsmen on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes.
Starring: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Franklyn Seales, T.K. CarterThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
1981’s “Southern Comfort” was marketed as a viewing experience similar to 1972’s “Deliverance,” once again pitting masculine men of adventure against rural folk who don’t take kindly to strangers. In the hands of co-writer/director Walter Hill, the picture sticks with genre trappings but also pays close attention to character, following National Guard soldiers as they create a violent mess in the Louisiana swamps they soon can’t escape from. It’s a small-scale horror movie in many ways, playing like a semi-slasher without pronounced suspense, as Hill keeps the feature low-key and irritable, enjoying the slow march into frustration as the characters evolve from men on a mission to strangers desperate for survival. Games of power and command are played, and this is not a film that gallops from moment to moment. It’s a slow-burn experience, which doesn’t always work for the endeavor, but Hill concentrates on relationships and attitudes, finding some interesting acts of hostility, madness, and anger to work with as he explores the dynamics of the Vietnam War in the swampland of America.
Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.
"Southern Comfort" was originally released on Blu-ray in 2014. Vinegar Syndrome returns to the title in 2024 with a new UHD release, listed as "newly
restored from its 35mm interpositive." The viewing experience remains cinematic, with heavy grain that's capably resolved. Detail reaches about as far
as possible, exploring the increasingly muddied and bloodied faces of the soldiers, also offering a textured look at clothing, including heavy military
uniforms. Swampland locations are dimensional, preserving expanse, and a few interiors retain depth and decoration. Color remains cooler, reflecting
the severity of the situation and its military experience, dealing with swampy browns and distinct greenery. Outfits retain a deeper green, while Cajun
clothing offers slightly brighter primaries. Blacks are deep, securing evening activity. Highlights are tasteful, delivering a sense of outdoor activity.
Source is in good condition.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers a straightforward listening event for "Southern Comfort." Dialogue exchanges are clear, handling varied performance choices and languages as the nightmare unfolds. Scoring secures crisp instrumentation. Sound effects retain their shock value, and swampland atmospherics and group activity is appreciable.
"Southern Comfort" isn't always a compelling sit, with Hill perhaps too devoted to conversations among the soldiers, which dilutes the nervous energy of the central crisis. He scores with the cast, as the actors fully understand the assignment, tasked with playing unlikable, dim-witted characters suddenly engaged in a battle of self-preservation as a military exercise becomes frighteningly real. Personalities are distinct and reactions carry dramatic weight, helping the feature to reach some spaces of panic that boosts tension as the men sink deeper into trouble with locals they don't understand. Hill plays with moral choices and chain-of-command antagonisms, also handling the steady ways of masculine response as ego often trumps reason once the gang identifies danger. "Southern Comfort" builds slowly to a satisfying ending, and it does well as a study of global politics played out in the swamps, highlighting the true price of hubris in a foreign land.
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