Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Southern Comfort 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 4, 2024

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.

In 1973, the Louisiana National Guard is holding weekend maneuvers, intended to help train the soldiers and allow them time to work on their camaraderie. In charge of the event is Staff Seargent Poole (Peter Coyote), and he intends to run a tight operation, leading his men into a swampland, crossing the mucky area to meet at an extraction point in a few days. Joining Poole are Private First Class Spenser (Keith Carradine), Corporal Reece (Fred Ward), Private First Class Simms (Franklyn Seales), Seargent Casper (Les Lannom), Private Stuckey (Lewis Smith), Private Cribbs (T.K. Carter), Corporal Bowden (Carlos Brown), and Corporal Hardin (Powers Boothe), who’s a recent addition to the team, having previously served in Texas. The men set out to complete their journey, but run into high waters, inspiring a plan to take canoes belonging to local Cajun residents. Caught in the act, Stuckey decides to shoot blanks at the strangers to scare them off, and they return fire with very real bullets. Soon lost in the swamps, the soldiers seek revenge on the Cajuns, blaming them for the mess they’re in, and they quickly turn on one another as the locals organize to make sure the soldiers don’t leave the area alive.

For additional information and analysis, please read Jeffrey Kauffman’s 2014 Blu-ray review.

Southern Comfort 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Southern Comfort 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (18 pages) includes an essay by Brian Brems.

• Commentary feature film critic Walter Chaw.

• "Battle in the Bayou" (17:26, HD) is a video conference discussion of "Southern Comfort" with director Walter Hill. The interviewee details his boyhood love of moviegoing, motivating him to join the film industry. And early work is detailed, including "Hard Times," which served as inspiration of "Southern Comfort," spending years developing the script. Admitting the writing intended to serve as a metaphor for the Vietnam War, Hill and his crew worked to match such footage, and he also celebrates technical achievements from beloved collaborators. Talk of the "Southern Comfort" ending is shared, and Hill recalls his feelings about the picture's disastrous marketing and release.

• "Behind Enemy Lines" (26:02, HD) is a dual interview with editors Freeman Davies and Lisa Zeno Churgin. Davies began his career thanks to his father, who worked at MGM, offering his son an opportunity to join the film business. He worked his way up in the industry, proving his capabilities, eventually recruited for "Southern Comfort." Churgin secured an apprenticeship to join the world of editing, eventually connected to Davies as he began work for director Walter Hill. The interviewees share memories of the shoot, finding the cast dealing with the bitter cold while the editors enjoyed the warmth of a hotel room, piecing the feature together. Technical challenges are identified, and an appreciation for Hill's professionalism is supplied, making a relatively simple movie with specific creative needs. Churgin and Davies also offer their thoughts on film vs. digital filmmaking.

• "Soldiers, Not Mailmen" (17:17, HD) is an interview with costumer Dan Moore, who initially connected with director Walter Hill on "The Long Riders," following the helmer to "Southern Comfort." Dealing with tough shooting conditions, Moore recalls the "challenge" of making the picture, enjoying the "band of brothers" atmosphere of the shoot. The origin of the military uniforms is recalled, with authenticity important to Moore, researching what he needed for the endeavor. With only one outfit for each actor, daily pressure to keep things warm and dry was present during the shoot. Memories of Hill are shared, identifying his collaborative nature.

• "Into the Unknown" (15:00, HD) is a discussion of Walter Hill and "Southern Comfort" with film historian Wayne Byrne.

• Making Of (27:12, HD) is a look at the creation of "Southern Comfort," featuring interviews with director Walter Hill (appearing via video conference), producer David Giler (appearing via video conference), and actors Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Peter Coyote, and Lewis Smith. Topics include the influence of the Vietnam War on the material, characterization, the potency of violence (Coyote openly objects to Hill's stylized take on brutality), Hill's storytelling interests and obsessions, the punishing shooting locations, and the trouble that comes when working with dogs.

• Image Gallery (5:46) collects film stills, publicity shots, BTS snaps, and poster art.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:09, SD) is included.

Southern Comfort 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"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.