Evil Cajuns????? Are you kidding me?? I am a born and raised Cajun and this is just ludicrous.....Cajun people are the the most laid back and friendly people you will ever meet........the people who made this movie should have done their research...I'm sick over seeing this piece of *beep* movie...enough said...
Billy,
Lafayette, Louisiana
It's just a movie, and what a movie. It is a true lost classic.
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^^^What an intelligent comment
Fear not, my Cajun friend.
Southern Comfort if anything is anti-National Guard, not anti-Cajun. Only four Cajuns in this film are depicted as bad guys. And they were clearly provoked by the soldiers. The Cajun village we see towards the end is full of friendly and happy people. I loved the music in that scene. The two remaining guardsmen were welcomed by the majority of the villagers, too.
As far as this being the worst film ever, I must disagree. R.O.T.O.R. (1989) is still the worst film ever made by my calculation. Ed Wood would have dis-owned that one!
The Hound.
There's something to be said for having a homefield advantage, isn't there?
It's sad for someone to think that they're better than another just because they "happen" to be in the U.S. military. I served, and never did I take that attitude.
The whole movie is just a metaphor for Vietnam, you idiot.
Thank you to the 2 posts above. It's clearly a metaphor for Vietnam, US Soldiers being where they don't belong. And, no the Cajuns were not portrayed as evil. As stated above, the 4 were provoked. I've known quite a few National Guardsmen when I lived in Oregon, I'd say they were portrayed accurately. It is a lost classic. Powers Boothe & Keith Carradine were great-complimented each other perfectly. Fred Ward & Brion James did a fine job too. Great music. It's a movie I watch every chance I get. I also found the location haunting and enjoyed the action without the high-tech special effects.
Only users lose drugs
I found it very interesting to watch and before I watched it (and bought the DVD), I originally didn't think it would be any good considering Walter Hill directed it and I like most of his work (except "Last Man Standing" which had to be his worst movie). The movie didn't portray either the National Guard or Cajuns (besides the four that were pursuing the unit) in a negative light. There's a few reasons made me enjoy it: the performances by Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, and Brion James, the camera work, Hill's direction, and Ry Cooder's musical score. Another thing, if anyone wanted to find a CD that had the music from on it - you want "Music by Ry Cooder", it probably cost a little over thirty dollars since its a two disc, but it's worth the money.
shareThe first time I ever saw the movie I had rented it because Powers Boothe & Keith Carradine were in it (they were also starring in the HBO series Deadwood at the time) so it was within this past year. I enjoyed it so much I ordered it on-line for like $5 new. Everytime it's on TV I have it on. I LOVE the music. My family hears it & they groan "not again!"
btw I kinda liked Last Man Standing-it was sorta quirky
Only users lose drugs
I have seen this movie so many times and as a military dude, I can say the portrayal of how the men react in a crisis situation is accurate. I think this is one of two of Powers Boothe's best performances. His best was definitely in Tombstone playing Curly Bill. The music is also great, but does anyone know the name of the song sung by the cajuns at the last few scenes? Is it included on the aforementioned album "Music by Ry Cooder"?
shareI'm not positive but I think it was Les Flammes D'enfer (The Flames of Hell) which, I believe, is one of the most popular cajun classics
shareHi,
The first song they were playing when Spencer and Hardin came in was Parlez-nous a boire (I think it means something like: let's talk about drinking). I've got a version by the Balfa Brothers (Balfa Brothers play traditional Cajun music vol I and II) which sounds exactly the same, but this was played by Dewey Balfa and his band (the musicians are mentioned in the movie credits, but not the band). I think they're called Balfa Brothers Orchestra.
Anyway, I agree, the Cajuns are not the bad guys here. I think the point of the movie was to show that most Americans would react about the same as the Vietnamese (or the Iraqi's) if their land was invaded and their property looted.
If SOUTHERN COMFORT is the worst movie ever just because some Cajuns kill people, what about THE GODFATHER? I'm italian, so I would have to say Coppola's trilogy is the worst film ever made only because it shows us as mafia-guys.
And what about ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13? The chief of the gang is a Guevara-like latin.
If we would have to pay attention to how movies show some kind of people and consider them just on this level, cinema would have been ended decades ago.
This is a great movie. Why don't you do some soul searching cajun.
shareA laid back and happy Cajun is one thing. A Cajun who just lost his supper and some of his most valuable belongings because of some moron national guardsmen is an entirely different matter. I thought this movie was better than average. I wouldn't mind seeing it again.
shareWell, obviously not the worst movie ever made... in fact, one of only two movies in 1981 to receive Halliwell's coveted four star rating. That puts it in the same category as Gone With the Wind and Citizen Kane. Go figure...
shareSaw the last third or so on cable several years ago. When I looked it up in Halliwell's and saw that it garnered the highest possible rating - an impressive four stars - I made it my business to see it from start to finish the next time it was on tv. When I did I thought it was quite good even with a lousy picture on a small tv. But when I got the DVD I realized that this is really a minor masterpiece that deserves much more attention then it has gotten over the years. Every time I watch it it seems to get better and better. One of the best films ever made that doesn't pretend to be more than what it is. Not an epic or a blockbuster or some artsy fartsy independent film, just a truly great, very entertaining movie. To whomever has the rights to reissue this film, please give us a fully developed DVD of "Southern Comfort" with all the extras! This movie certainly deserves it.
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