SPOILERS Possible Homosexual Undertones and General Implausibilty

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Lessee, rebuttals of a sort:

Stucky and Reece and the issue of ammo. I think the point here was that this was a fairly undisciplined bunch of weekend warriors. Reece carrying live ammo was treated as a "look the other way" joke among the others. This wasn't a sanctioned move. In a lot of depressed areas, this was a way of making extra money (which is how the Guard was pitched for a long time prior to Desert Storm). So similarly, there was not a lot of discipline regarding Stucky.

Again, 70s weekend warriors. They are not in the best of shape. The water's cold, and the gear is heavy. I'm betting the combat boots full of water aren't exactly lightweight surf booties. And they're carrying steel pot helmets, etc. Doesn't take much to get you tired enough to steal boats.

Coach Bowden in all likelihood was descending deeper into mental illness as the events unfolded.

Honestly I don't remember the specifics of the early shooting scenes. However later on during the chase at the party, the guns the hunters were using were literal antiques. Those guns were circa the Civil War. No way could they produce a high rate of fire. So maybe the issue of the Cajun's arsenal overall is a point of contention.

Everyone else's nose smells? Are you saying you've lost your sense of smell??(Sorry, just kidding. I couldn't resist.)
Anyway, I have to agree with you that often, men are threatened by women's opinions on things like this...but also, there is the possibility that because this was such a modestly received and little-known movie--one of those "lost gems" situations--you'll have some fervent fans who are more worried about proving the movie's worth than their masculinity.
And actually, I'm a big Southern Comfort fan. The rebuttals that came to my mind have already been voiced by others, i.e. Reece smuggled his ammo, it wasn't allowed him; Coach was already going bats**t by this time, I think; and in a lax weekend-warrior outfit like this, it would have been hard to do very much to keep Stuckey in line. Especially once the passive Casper was in charge.
Something to think about, although I'm not trying to 'convert' you. I've always felt when it comes to movies that if it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't. That's why I don't watch Disney-Pixar productions.

"I found this film completely implausible"

It is not implausible, Infact it has a gritty realism that is sorely missing in most action/thrillers which tend to over use special effects.


"Fred Ward’s character Reece’s silly attempts to make evil facial expressions that were almost laughable"

But that's what you're supposed to feel. Reece wasn't really all that much of an evil badass, but he wanted people to think that he was, he felt that he had alot to prove and thought he could gain some respect from the others by being a bully. But, they knew he was just playing up. Fred Ward is acting someone who is 'silly and attempts to make evil facial expressions' that's the whole point. And he plays the role faultlessly.

"Things that made it impossible to suspend disbelief (for me)… all this happened early on the first day!"

No, the film is set over the period of 3 days. Do you not remember the night scenes?

"Stucky was allowed to shoot blanks at anyone or any thing that amused him, with never a hint at a real reprimand."

That's not true, in the early scenes, on the 2 occasions when Stucky is firing blanks Peter Coyote shouts at him loudly. Perhaps he could've been reprimanded more severley, but remember, this is the National Guards, not the real Army. And no-one was expecting the Cajuns to react the way they did. Anyway, YOU are over reacting, there are only two scenes in the whole movie in which stucky fires blanks for amusement.


"Reece was allowed live ammunition “for his own personal use” during a military exercise where only blanks were to be used."

No he wasn't. He took them along with him secretely.


"Hardin was allowed to relieve Reece of his “stash” via a knife at Reece’s throat."

It wasn't as though he 'was allowed' or not. He just did it, and no-one complained. These guys were in a desperate situation, infact a matter of life a death. Anyway, you're totlally missing the point, the only REAL soldier among them was SGT. Poole who is killed at the beginning. None of these guys are real soldiers who have been in real combat situations, and this adds to the drama. Your talking as though this is a professional army....


I feel sorry for your boyfriend. I think you decided to dislike this film before you even watched it, just because he loves it so much. Instead of enjoying the movie together, you spent the 90 mins trying to find things to complain about. And all your complaints are TOTALLY unfounded. I'm not surprised your boyfriend got upset with you.

"Possible Homosexual Undertones"

Please elaborate. I'm intrigued. I always thought these guys were about as gay as Mike Tyson. And please don't infer that the Carradine/Booth friendship was 'homoerotic'. I know this is the 21st century and everything, but I still believe that two guys can be buddies without secretly wanting to touch each others bottoms

I disagree - the movie is 100% realistic imho.

These guys aren't real soldiers, they're just streetjoes who don't take what they do seriously. Stucky is the perfect example. And since they're no real military, the minute it hits the fan, they are screwed.

Reece wasn't supposed to take ammos with him, he just did it. And since he didn't want to share them, Hardin menacing him with a knife totally makes sense: after all, one of them just got his head blown off by a shotgun blast.

Coach's weird behaviour too isn't that far fetched: in movies we're simply used to see people slowly descending into madness. But in reality people can start act weirdly in a split of a second.

As for the homosexual undertones, wtf are you talking about? If this is a movie with gay undertones, every movie with an all-male cast is a gay-themed film!

For the most part, i am with you Joni. I was recommended this by Netflix years ago and finally caught in on IFC. I was so disappointed, Walter Hill with what I consider to be a pretty good cast. I thought i was going to get a gritty actioner that I was promised, instead I got an overall turd in my opinion.

Before the faithful light me up I will say I like plenty of *beep* movies, maybe if I saw it in my youth the nostalgia factor would save it for me like it does many others. I realize these guys weren't regular soldiers, but I have to believe that going through basic and just being around firearms at all someone would have beaten the ever living sh i t out of Stuckey for his antics, blanks or no blanks.

The best I can say for the film is that it wasn't very formulaic, I was wrong most of the time as to where I thought it was going, it ignored many cliches I thought it might have. Sadly I still have to give it a 5, just very underwhelmed.