The end scene? what do you infer?
Do you think like me: yhe end scene means the military wants to kill them in the end scene? and all killings was commanded by the USA military??
shareTo me, its clear that Spencer and Harden are killed at the end of the film Southern Comfort - there is no rescue and no happy ending. Its not a mystery at all, but it is a conspiracy. Why? as the one armed Cajun says, "It's simple...this is OUR home...no one *beep* with us...". The conspiracy is that even elements of the Louisiana National Guard are hunting (to kill) the lost, undisciplined and reckless Guardsman because, as Harden says at the party, basically, "They have to kill us, we are the only witnesses". Let me explain...
As some have pointed out, the town seems indifferent and blaze to the Spencer and Harden who are clearly lost and in Hardens case injured from the dog attack and the knife fight with Reece - dried blood being visible on his Fatigue jacket. Aside from the beer and southern hospitality shown to them at the party, the people ignore them (the girl who dances with Spencer come across slightly vampish, yet puts Spencer at ease - Harden doesn’t buy it).
We know that the one armed Cajun knows why they are being hunted, even though he was probably not there during the 2nd incident - canoe stealing, Stucky firing blanks at the Cajun Hunters and the Sgt. being shot at in the head - (the first incident was when Reece cuts the fish net in half). Yet the one arm Cajun says at the train bridge, "My buddies aren’t as nice as me..." so he knows what is going on and his buddies are hunting them and why. Word travels fast in the swamp apparently.
If the one armed Cajun knows what the Guardsmen did, and when the Cajun hunters show up at the town from their canoe they talk to the pig truck driver, its a safe bet that most everyone in the insular community with no telephones also knows what’s going on as well. Spencer says that the townsfolk are "the good Cajuns..." but Harden knows better and is paranoid for good reason.
This would also explain the helicopter and the Army truck and the ending, but lets go back to Stuckeys death to understand...
The helicopter first appears after the first firefight between the Cajun Hunters and the Squad, right after Spencer and Harden appear to shoot one of the Hunters who trips or falls behind a tree. Sgt Casper’s tells the squad to retreat and fall back, breaking enemy contact. Moments later the helicopter flies straight up to the Squads position, hovers and turns away - Sgt Casper says there was no place to land in the trees - clearly the helicopter sees the squad yet turns away with Stuckey giving chase, alone, through the swamp. Unfortunately for Stuckey, the helicopter leads him directly into a patch of quick sand where Stuckey drowns. If you go watch the scene again like I did, you'll note that when Stuckey hits the quick sand, the helicopter turns towards him, hovers and descends making the ominous sound with the rotor blades. Clearly, the helicopter pilot watches Stuckey drown.
Later, Harden says that, basically, "...they sent only one helicopter...(to search)". Spencer jokingly replies at "What did you expect they would send the National Guard?".
The last we see of Harden and Spencer, they flee the town after knifing and bayoneting two of the Cajun Hunters knocking out with a rifle butt a third. As they flee we see the town for the last time - you'll see that the hangman noose loops are cut, (It was those hangman noose loops that Harden noticed before he grabs the knife at the party) presumably after one of the pigs was cut down after the pig skinning. Its easy to imagine what would have happened to Spencer and Harding had they stayed at the party longer! Also, the Cajun singer rings the triangle bell once (dinner time perhaps or something more...). So when the helicopter shows up again, the triangle gets rung and the chopper flies directly at the surviving guardsmen, turns and flies slowly away - with Spencer and Harding giving chase, at this point the helicopter turns towards them again and descends with the same ominous rotor blade sound we saw before. The parallels to Stuckeys death are obvious because the helicopter leads them to the truck then descends ominously.
At this point they see the Army truck - astute viewers knew this was an Army truck right away but most took a moment to understand this after the Army decals on the truck became visible. Some people think there was camouflage netting and a camp or rally point set up on the road, we can assume that Spencer and Harding knew it was an Army truck preety much instantly. (happens to be the same one that brought them to the exercise in the beginning of the movie come to find out, thanks bloggers).
So Spencer and Harden see the truck and the helicopter descending, but looking at the scene again, the last shot we see, they look at each other then towards the truck. Spencer clearly has fear in his eyes, terror really and the now shot by a rifle Harden, exhausted, looks like he is thinking "What in the hell is going on here?" Remember earlier when Harden asked Spencer to explain just what the hell is going on - Spencer replies that, basically, "weird people were trying to kill us".
So we can infer that the Cajun Hunters had 2-3 days to tell people about what the Guard Squad had done and why they were to be killed, that Spencer and Harden had to die to protect not just the Hunters but the Townsfolk and their people - some of whom just happen to also be serving in the Guard as well. Spencer (from the City) and Harden (from Texas) were both outsiders and the only living witnesses and had to be killed to protect all Cajuns essentially. "It's simple. This is OUR home...no one *beep* with us".
We can also assume that the bodies are never found and the 9 guardsmen just disappear during the exercise in the swamp. Investigators cannot get leads from any of the Cajuns and no clues emerge as to what happened - a true conspiracy reaching into maybe the highest levels of the Louisiana Guard. I personally think this movie is less about Vietnam and more about the US Army of the mid 70's (undisciplined) the clash of personalities and cliques that form inside any Army Unit as well as a creepy window into one of our own, unique, American subcultures. The moral of this story is simple - when in the South show some respect!
P. 2
My last post on the Southern Comfort movie ending pointed out that its really was not a mystery, but was a conspiracy. From reading some of the many IMBD posted reviews and the critics, I feel now that a lot of people just don’t get “it.” -the ending of the movie, and what it means-
And this is what would answer the unknowing skeptical critics who also say the dialogue and jokes and characters were canned and clique, which imHo was not what I thought. I served 11xB Infantry US Army and know a little something about this. I thought halfway through the first time seeing it in over 20 years (really the first)how believable the comments and characters were.
Some critics objected to stereotyping and unbelievable errors on the part of the Soldiers. Some missed some key details. All in the movie make many dumb mistakes, realistically portrayed I thought. The critics and non get “it”’ viewers cynical disbelief of the about how dumb the soldiers was, however, premature. The Soldiers all individually made errors in judgment, including Spencer . When he usurps command, the smart new Squad Leader, who at least admitted that he was also responsible for stealing the canoes, said he wanted to at the time separates Casper and Simms, to look or Stuckey and of course they are then easily killed off unknown to Spencer the new Squad Leader. He abandons them after he realizes his plan for shooting blanks in the air was also foolish because they were attracting the Hunters. (who knew there location at all times anyway and knew they were not going to be able to escape hence the mind games).
. The critics also said that the Cajuns Hunters must have been clairvoyant and it was unbelievable how they could set traps how they couldn’t have set up the traps in the vast swamp knowing the location movements, etc. Understanding the real ending also helps to understand how this was possible. Bowden predicted and foreshadowed when he said basically all 9 of them were already dead at the end of the prayer during the burial of Cribbs and SSgt Poole. Although all the men reach there own collapse mentally right before they are killed, manifest in 9 characters ways. this would explain Bowden’s complete nervous breakdown so early as he was the first to realize they were all doomed.
Many thought that the one armed Cajun was actually helping them escape, when he said “Haul Ass” maybe he was but note that he directed them to a dirt road. not the interstate. Yet he knows this road is patrolled and under surveillance of the Hunters and Townsfolk. The mind games toyed with the Soldiers and told them that they will not be allowed to escape, despite the fair treatment given to him by Spencer and Harding. Note the 2 pigs on the way to slaughter metaphor here. Mind games continue, why not direct them to the party when you could have murdered them the night before when the trapper prob hung tied up catatonic Bowden while The gurdsmen slept on guard duty. Harden knows and says at the party that they cant be left alive to become witnesses. H sees that the pig truck driver talk to and the hunters as if they already knew each other. The Cajun community in the area, not just the hunters themselves, all knew who the soldiers were and knew they where in deep trouble (i.e., to be killed) as demonstrated by the behavior of the townsfolk.(see my last post).
I now realize the mystery, gee whiz and sullen reactions, how people felt at the ending, and how actually few people say the worst case scenario and most believe they were rescued, this ambiguity was created by the screen writers only for shielding the truth. Maybe for wide spread circulation, R ratings, ticket sales, it was better story line that way, more thrilling and yet still get the message and story out because the real ending is much, much more disturbing.
The stark truth, to the perceptive viewer, sadly, is that Harden and Spencer as sympathetic as we identify them to be, are already dead. Their own mental breakdown happens as the credits roll. When we see the American Army 5 pointed star on the truck in the last scene we think safety - yet this pentagram symbolizes the evil that happens to strengthen the collective be it the US Army or The Rural American insular, cult -like community. When the film came out in 82, some Americans were beginning to become aware of Satanic Ritual Abuse in small town America (most but not all claims were debunked). Infamous “File 18”, published privately in 1986 by and for American Law Enforcement Officers estimated “40,000 - 60,000 ritual homicides in America each year.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_18). This is no indictment or slur on the proud, honorable Great American Cajun community - it is a larger tale of what happens sometimes to outsiders and in all communities and as a warning to us all.
When people disappear and this is done with the full knowledge of many prominent members of a community, this is a conspiracy. As we have seen the Cajun trappers had Cajun Guard assistance. (Who finished the job we can infer).
This is what makes the film so plausible because though the film is fiction we do know these events and conspiracies happen as they have for thousands of years, pray our biased suburban modern western values shield us. Sometimes there is no escape once you *beep* up. The analogy is no less true with Vietnam than it is today, as one is reminded when watching Reece waterboarding the One Armed Trapper.
The reality is all of us have been as arrogant, stupid, reckless and disrespectful as the Soldiers were, this alone is enough to get into serious trouble and identify with ALL the charhecters so the message of the movie transcends Vietnam or any local event in History. This is the many-fold untold story, the conspiracy, the too shocking for audiences truth. We must be warned because all are capable of hive mind atrocity wanton disregard and disrespectful, stupidity. Though we can deny - like Simms at his death.
I also thought the Cajuns in that small town were in on it. Your take on the ending and the entire movie is very interesting. I like it and agree with you. Its been a while though since I've seen it though. I think you make some valid points. I too served in the Regular Army between 1974 and 1976 although not as a 11 Bang Bang (Bravo). However I was assigned to an Infantry Unit. Upon my separation from Active Duty I was assigned to a Army Reserve Unit and let me put it this way discipline in my particular unit was not the best. So yeah I agree with you also on that point. The actors and director did a great job of portraying the Guard the way they did. In defense of the Guard...its very hard to develop any kind of unit cohesiveness and Epirit the Corps when you ONLY meet once a month for two days. That was a long time ago though and I believe things have changed for the better when it comes to the Reserves and the Guard of today. Many of them bravely fighting along side Regular Army Units in the Middle East.
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