The ending, the last 5-10 seconds, of Southern Comform don't make any sense to me. I have it on DVD and watched it like 5 times. When the two survivors finally find army trucks and helicopters, the film's editing and sound gets all scary and foreboding - what does this mean? Shouldn't there be relief and happiness?
<I>If you think you know a lot, you probably don't.</I>
I think it is meant to be one last fright for the 2 soldiers.
They think they have just about escaped and their helicopter is overhead, but then see a truck driving towards them and dont know who is in it (the hunters?).
It is not until the last scene of the film that it shows it is a US Army truck and not more Cajuns! thus meaning they have made it.
It seems to be that these soldiers were in this strange world fighting for their lives although it started out being a military maneuver exercise in a swamp setting in the United States.
The way that they become immersed in this alien culture and world that seems so far removed from civilization and social order and how it eventually causes them to revert to their primal survivalistic urges to stay alive has drawn us, the viewers, in with them.
The ending is abrupt and slams to us the point that this wasn't a war but merely an exercise that went very wrong when the locals were upset and a bloodbath ensued. The military truck and helocoptor shows the Government coming in to clean up the mess and to put the events of the movie into perspective as being insignicant in the grand scheme of things. I liked the way that things were left ambiguous and any movie that makes you think about it long after you have seen it has succeeded in leaving an impact on the viewer.
I agree with almost all of what member "gjung01" says about this film but disagree with the characterization that "they become immersed in this alien culture and world that seems so far removed from civilization and social order." The culture, in this case Cajun culture, did not seem to me to be all that alien. Other than the fact the Cajuns spoke a version of French to one another they seemed quite normal in their love for good food, good company, card games, dancing and singing - getting together for a good time. They were also nice and hospitable to Hardin and Spencer. After all, they gave them a lift into town, offered than the use of their cleaning facilities, gave them food and drink. Even the girl who asked Spencer for a dance was being especially polite to a total outsider. As for being far removed from "civilization and social order," it would seem the opposite is true. How "civilized" were the other guardsmen when they cut someone else's fishing nets, stole someone else's boats, shot at (albeit with blanks) at total strangers, attacked and abused another total stranger (Brion James), and then blew up his house. Doesn't seem to be very civilized behaviour to me! And, again, without belabouring the point, as for being "far removed from social order," the opposite is also true. The social order was actually being upheld by the Cajuns. It was the invading outsiders - the transgressing guardsmen - who were violating the social order. As the trapper (Brion James) said when asked by Hardin what everything was all about, "It's real simple. We live back here. This is our land and nobody f***s with us here!"
Anyway I think "Southern Comfort" is a truly great film that deserves and rewards repeated viewing. I only wish it got the attention it deserved.
I so agree with you about what a great film it is. I rented & viewed it for the first time last night & watched again this morning & I'm gonna watch a few more times before I take it back & I'm gonna order it. I loved it. The guardsmen did bring on the trouble themselves, stealing the boat & especially Stucky shooting. They had know way of knowing they were blanks. I thought the movie had haunting images & I felt so spooked when Hardin was looking out the window & saw the Cajuns stringing up hangmen's nooses. I loved the whole movie, but towards the end was great with the music & everyone, but those involved, oblivious to what was taking place. Even though the "good Cajuns" were hospitable I can relate to the "alien culture" feeling. After what Hardin & Spencer had been through in the bayou, I felt apprehensive for them & could relate to Hardin's fear. I thought the ending was perfect with the chopper & the truck. Them poor bastards. And to their credit, I think they'd of handled things differently. They were not willing to assume the first Cajun they came across had shot Pool & to beat on him first and ask questions later. Hell, Hardin ended up killing Reece after Reece damn near drown the trapper. That may have been one reason the trapper told them the way out. The real villians of the movie were some of them guardsmen, but not the 2 who managed to survive.
Is the core of all Truth paradox?
Yes & No
MagicPowers (which ones do you have, by the way?), Good to see someone else who feels likewise about "Southern Comfort." It is no exaggeration for me to say that I have seen it at least 15 times, I enjoy it so much. This film "wears" very well. I never get bored by it. Needless to say, I own the DVD of it. I first saw about the last half of the movie a number of years ago on Bravo when it Bravo was still a decent station to watch (back when they had little or no commmercial interruptions). Ry Cooder's music really put the hook into me and then the outstanding acting plus the story and the startling ending. It has been one of my all-time favourites ever since.
It is important to keep in mind that the movie was intentionally made as a veiled metaphor for the Vietnam War. The Cajun "swamp rats" taking the place of the Viet Cong, etc. So, in that sense, what happens is a foregone conclusion since it was loosely based on America's adventure, or rather misadventure in Vietnam. That said, the movie's storyline stands on its own quite well.
Just as an aside, I also felt sorry for Sgt. Casper. He tried his best in difficult circumstances but was out of his depth. His charge toward the Cajun "swamp rats," brilliantly filmed in slow motion, is one of my favourite scenes. Poor guy, and, of course, Simms ("I didn't do anything wrong. I'm not supposed to be here!"). Didn't feel sorry for Stuckey though. Reese got what he deserved.
There are two things about the end and near the end which I don't understand though: 1) How did Cpl. 'Coach' Bowden end up getting hanged from the railroad bridge? Did the one-armed Cajun trapper put him there? If so, how? (It doesn't seem possible he could have done it without the help of others (but he then refers to "my friends, they ain't nice like me.") Did his "friends" help him? If so, who were they?
and 2) Why does Hardin take the knife from the food table and then go outside toward the edge of town? What was that all about? Was he trying to leave on his own? If so, where? If not, just what was he up to?
Anyway, it really doesn't matter I suppose what the answers are to these questions because everything just seems to fit together and flow together nicely. The only other thing I realize after repeated viewing is that the cinematography and direction of the film were flawless. There isn't one false note, not one blooper that you usually find in other movies.
The other thing that stands out to me more than ever is that Powers Boothe's performance in this movie is extraordinary. From his facial gestures and expressions to his movements and accent. A glance here, a stare there. His smoldering eyes looking out the window at the Cajun "swamp rats" getting out of the boat at the end or looking at the Cajun "trucker" who throws two ropes with nooses over a scaffolding. Or check out where he creeps up behind Reese and puts a knife to his throat and pulls Reese's head back by the hair. Very convincing. And also how effortlessly he tosses his weapon toward Reese and then pulls out his knife seemingly in one smooth motion (later on in their fight to the death). Very sharp. On slow motion replay, by the way, I notice that they didn't use stunt doubles in that fight scene. It really was Fred Ward and Powers Boothe going at it.
A truly great movie. Spread the word and enjoy the DVD.
Powers Boothe absolutely outdid himself in this movie. I watched most of it again last night, but I had to take a friend home where they split up to look for Stucky. But I really noticed Powers eyes in this movie. He'd look someone up and down, or the situation. I love the part where he & Spencer are talking before they go to sleep. Now when they wake up & find Bowden hung, I believe the trapper may have done it, because Bowden did blow his home up. And the trapper had reason for sparing Hardin. And Spencer had been decent throughout. If the other "swamp rats" had been around they'd have probably killed all 3. (The others sure tried at the end) Bowden was tied up & out of his wits & the trapper did have a gun. About the part where Hardin gets a knife...He was leary (& I don't blame him-I felt spooked to in that village, too) where as Spencer was relaxed, I don't think he intended on leaving Spencer, but was willing to. I think he was checking things out. Very good comparison with Vietnam, I hadn't thought of that. Sometimes I'm slow on figuring what movies represent. But I do love that movie & it's one of those rare one I can watch again & again & I plan to! I'm going to keep in mind the Nam metaphor. I enjoyed it more than say, Platoon. Those "real" Nam movies are soooo heavy. They're like eating sushi & drinking sake. This movie is very intense (and has funny some funny lines) never boring & there's not too many over the top action scenes & explosions. It was perfect, like a good steak with a cold beer.
Is the core of all Truth paradox?
Yes & No
MagicPowers, "Sometimes I'm slow on figuring what movies represent." No, don't say that. Most of the people who comment on it tend to see it merely as a knockoff as John Boorman's "Deliverance." There are, of course, natural comparisons to be made with "Deliverance." The biggest difference is that in "Deliverance" the "city boys" (Jon Voight and Ned Beatty, especially) are viciously attacked by the locals for no good reason whereas in "Southern Comfort" (well you know). I am actually surprised how many people don't "get" the message of this film. Even well-written reviews here and on Amazon's website tend to see the movie as anti-Southern, anti-Cajun, or even anti-white (which is really an absurd interpretation being as how both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are both white). As I have already said, to me the most startling point in the movie is the Cajun "trapper" when he says, "I ain't gonna kill ya unless I have to...This is our home and no one f***s with us here." When I heard that for the first time I thought "Wow, I ain't seen nothing like this before." I took the message of the film to be: if you don't want trouble for yourself, don't make trouble for others.
I am so glad you are also enthusiastic about this film. It is hard to find/come into contact with people who have even heard of/seen the film, let alone actually liking it.
On the trapper and hanging Bowden, the only way I figure he could have done it (it's awful to think of it) is to have Bowden stand on a box with his neck in a noose and then knock the box out from under him (it is awful to think of it actually). Okay, enough about that. But how did he know enough to stand waiting for(how long?) until the train came by and then know that Hardin and Spencer would come rushing up to the railroad bridge and then after the train passes by be standing there with a rifle ready to aim? It doesn't really matter though, it is artistic license. Heck, the whole film uses artistic license. But that's okay, every movie uses artistic license.
Re: Hardin's (Powers Boothe's) character is absolutely dead on amazing. Like just after forcing Reese to surrender his weapon to Casper, Hardin holds the knife pointed at Reese's neck and walks around him and then withdraws it, sheaths it, and holds his glare on Reese and then turns slowly and walks away with his back to Reese. And then Spencer: "Is that how they do things in El Paso?" Hardin: "Yeah, that's how they do things were I come from." Wow, talk about being real. What I really like about Boothe's character in the film is that it isn't phony. He isn't a 110% super macho John Wayne/Sylvester Stallone "Rambo" type. Reese is a kind of macho man wannabe. Hardin is just a real man who doesn't put up with any B.S. Come to think of it, Hardin blows away all the other super-macho men - Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis - as well as all the pretty boys pretending to men - Leo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise. Hardin is what you call "a man's man" - a man that other men recognize as being a real man not a larger-than-life phoney or impotent wannabe.
Hardin does have the best lines: "They're not okay. They're just Louisiana versions of the same dumb rednecks I've been around my whole life." And then later, "I'm not in the habit of being surrounded by dumb, gun-toting rednecks." And my other personal favourite, to Spencer: "I'm not going to ride shotgun with these dummies." "Four of them with automatic weapons against some swamp rat? I make it even money". And, briefly - Spencer: "What do you want me to do, shoot him [referring to Bowden]? Put him in cage?" Hardin: "Either one sounds okay to me." And the best one, to Casper: "Oh hell yes, all we have to do is swim a couple of hundred yards and find 'em back in that forest. Then after we do that we can capture 'em and shoot 'em with our blanks!"
And, yes, his eyes, smoldering intensely. Okay, I have to admit it. I wish I had those kind of intense dark eyes. They are so imposing and intimidating. In addition to the ones you and I mentioned: when he glares back at Reese after disarming him (above), the look he gives to Spencer after being shot by the first Cajun "swamp rat" in the cabin and after stabbing that guy in the you-know-what and looking up at Spencer all wounded and all, like he was dying almost, with the look of "please help" in his eyes. And last, but not least, the haggard, wounded, exhausted look he gives to Spencer as he turns to him with the helicopter at the slow motion end as if to say to Spencer "This is it. Are we going to get out of this alive or we are both about to die?"
Boothe is an definitely an extraordinary actor, one of America's best. How it is he never got the roles and attention he deserves is beyond me. Consider that the year before this film, he received an Emmy award for best actor for his portrayal of the "Rev." Jim Jones in "Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones." Haven't seen that, hoping they put it out on DVD otherwise I will consider getting the VHS copy.
In the meantime, it was fun sharing thoughts and reactions with you about this movie. Hope your friend gets to see the movie to the end someday. Thanks again.
Thanks for not considering me stupid because I didn't make the Nam connection right off. You know, when I picked the movie up & showed my friend, I said "it looks sorta like a Deliverance" knock off", but once I started watching it I never thought of Deliverance again. But on the back of the DVD there is a picture of Powers Boothe playing guitar with the Cajuns (I was reminded of the dueling banjos) and that does not happen in the movie. Maybe they were fooling around between takes, but I bet that picture was put there on purpose. My one friend did not like the movie, viewed it as just an outdated acion/war movie. My other friend had seen it at the theater years ago & loved it.
I remember seeing Powers Boothe as Jim Jones when I was pretty young & he definetly spooked me. I always connected him to that role & he usually plays a villain. I always liked him but never payed a lot of attention. Then Deadwood came along (Have you seen this, a new series on HBO?) Then I really sat up & took notice of him. He's very ruthless as Cy Tolliver. I'd also seen him in "Atilla" as Aetius & he was excellent. Now, I'd like to see him as Jim Jones again all these years later. But I think the best role I've seen him play so far was Hardin. He could have been one hell of an action hero, like you say. I'm not real wild about Arnold or even Sly, although I do like Bruce Willis. And they've got the pretty boys you mentioned these days & I'm not real wild about pretty boys either. I prefer Vin Diesel to Tom Cruise, but he doesn't seem to have a lot of range (or depth or maybe even talent, the jury's still out) But Powers on the other hand does. Now he's a little too aged for those kinda roles. I'm glad you brought up his kicka$$ lines in Comfort. I became smitten & laughed when he said that about shooting them with blanks. And as tough as he could be, he was a reluctant hero, intelligent & decent & my hearrt ached for him after the dog attack & he seemed so genuinely confused. Also, you could see how killing Reese messed with him. And yeah, the look he has when they are finally getting rescued is heart breaking. He & Carradine were so, so good together. I could watch them 2 teamed up anytime.
It's a shame a talent like Boothe's was so overlooked. Those damn eyes just speak volumes & his lines sound so real. He can project calmness, fear, anger, disgust or whatever so very well. He'll probably get recognition with Deadwood, but his competition in town & pretty much the star of the series is Ian McShane & everybody is already screaming Emmy for him, and his potrayal of Al is one of the best acting jobs I can remember. Al also has all the best lines. But I'll still hate to see Powers get overlooked, yet again. Lord knows he deserves more recognition than what he's gotten. But he does have decent credits to his career. And I am definetly (now) a huge fan. But I do think he'll usually be thought of as the "villain"...Well, I gotta watch Comfort one more time before it goes back & listen to those great lines & get taken in by those smoldering looks...Thank you for the converse!!!
Is the core of all Truth paradox?
Yes & No
You are most welcome. It was fun. Hardin: "I said she had a sense of humor, I don't."
shareI saw this film for the first time last night, and absolutely loved it. I thought it was going to be a Deliverance clone, but was very pleasantly surprised. I read the user comment on the page on this site, and was surprised how much the viewer hated this film.
shareOne suspects that many of "the dissenters," so to speak, were looking for something more action/violence oriented. However, if one looks at some very popular films, one notices a significant number of people who don't like them. "Full Metal Jacket" is one of them. You either love it or hate it. I happen to love it but I understand why some might not. "Taxi Driver" also generates a lot of controversy. Some people even give "Citizen Kane" only one star! Different strokes for different folks.
shareLike you, I think Southern Comfort is an excellent movie, very well acted with a very weird atmosphere. I agree with what you've said about the Vietnam parallels and your comments on the ending. One thing I always read into the ending and would be curious to know is if the celebration in the Cajun village and the pig slaughtering is meant to be metaphorical for their intention to kill the remaining two guards.
Remember earlier, there were 9 rabbits strung up, representing the 9 members who were alive, then there were 8 beartraps, even though there were still 9 members, but one member was killed by the hidden spike trap.
Also, when Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine are in the village, seemingly relaxed and safe, they see the two remaining hunters arrive in a canoe and talk angrily with the villagers. We are never sure if the villagers say "Oh yeah, these two national guardsman are in our village, go get 'em" (or something like that); or if the hunters somehow sense they are there and come after them.
I think Powers Boothe picks up the kitchen knife because he sees the nooses and the preparation for the pig sluaghter and is quite understandably paranoid and suspicious as to what's actually going on.
So, I think it's intended to be ambiguous and we'll never know whether the entire village was in on it and wanted the hunters to kill the last two guardsman, or if it was just what it appears on the surface- the Cajuns showed them hospitality with no ulterior motives and the hunters just happened to find them.
The editing, atmosphere and impact of these last few scenes are chilling and excellent and I really love Walter Hill as a director.
P.s. The Warriors is brilliant too, and thematically similar to Southern Comfort, featuring a small group who think they have everything under control, yet end up running for their lives in alien surroundings.
In memory of Sam Peckinpah
Thanks for your response, JosefSerf. I did forget about certain aspects of the film. I apologize if my response gave the impression that I was implying that Cajun culture was weird and alien but I suppose compared to where the soldiers came from it was different for them. Also, the problems started because some of their unit members were being disrespectful and the people living by the swamp were merely defending themselves and reacting to the threat they saw the military unit as being. I also forgot about the party as well (how could I with the graphic pig slaughter scene). This is a very underrated movie and one of the better "war" films that I have seen.
shareHi, I saw this movie a couple of months ago on TV and was totally gripped by it. I'll say one thing: this certainly hasn't increased my respect for the U.S. National Guard. Could someone who knows more about this tell me what function those weekend warriors are exactly supposed to serve?
shareSo glad to see a new post on this board, I check now & again. It's my favorite movie and it was on TV twice yesterday, so I watched it, of course. I also ordered the dvd & it's one of the few that I've actually watched, so often they sit on the shelf unopened.
I don't know exactly what the National Guard does, but I know they're who you call out in a disaster. When I lived in Oregon we had some really bad mud slides and they'd call out the Guards. When I lived in Springfield, OR. I lived next door to this lady who was in the Guard & she'd go train & thought she was a real badass. My best friend, across the street wrestled her in kicked her butt (broke her futon). Then I moved down to Roseburg, OR & wouldn't you know it, the 3 guys that shared a house across the way were all in the guard, & they'd go train or whatever & were on standby, US were over in Iraq raising hell or something. This was back in 97. Most of the other years I've lived in FL. & never met anyone in the Guard. I think they are back up soldiers in wartime (civilians in peace) & help restore order after major disasters like hurricanes & whatnot. In the movie, I wondered why Hardin was in the Guard, he said that he didn't like it. I guess they get paid. Being a a chemical engineer, I don't see why he'd need the $. Anyways, I felt sorry for Casper too, though I didn't like the way he treated Spencer, I did notice how he'd listen to Hardin (& then sorta pout) "the new guy". Powers Boothe played the brooding & intimidating character so well. He & Carradine were so awesome together. Most of the guardsmen were uncivilized, but Cribbs seemed okay & still had to die such a horrific death. Excellent metaphor for 'Nam, but I think it's jsut the coolest flick, love the music, esp. during the closing credits, it's haunting (like the movie/setting). I give it a 10!!!!
I think it is Boothe & Carradine's best rolls ever (though I love them in Deadwood). OK, I'll shut up now.
Announcing your plans is a good
way to hear God laugh
Yes, the ending is confusing. As one of the other posters mentioned, the truck
(with its unknown occupants) could be one last scare. With the foreboding, I even wondered at first if the cajin's had purchased a surplus helecopter (particularly when the first helecopter leads one of the soldiers to his death). But I think the special effects with the helecopter are intended as a vietnam reference. The whole movie is a metaphor for vietnam but I think duplicating the altered consciousness helecopter effects from vietnam movies is supposed to make people think of vietnam if they didn't already make the connection just from soldiers running around in swamps with people fighting a guerilla war against them. If one were to assume the movie took place slightly before the vietnam war, it could also be foreshadowing - out of the bayou only to wind up in vietnam a while later. Or, if the events of the movie happen after vietnam then the helecopter scenes are flashback inducing. But the foreboding effects are confusing, you don't know if the helecopters are friend or foe, and that seems to distract from the actual message (vietnam) of the helecopters; however, the confusion might be intentional, to get you to think about the movie more, discuss it with your friends, and watch the movie again.
Very good psychological thriller, underated. One isn't exactly sorry to see most of the people go, though.
Hello everybody.I'm from Greece,so i may not be able to express my self and be understood as i'd liked to.Anyway, i think this was a really great movie.I like this kind of films where it ends and you have to think about what happened,talk about it and really search all the details.Movies like "Under Suspicion","The Shinning" or the remake of the "Planet of the apes". I've only seen this film once, a lot of years ago and I saw it a few days ago on TV,not all of it,just the ending.I don't think that anyone could be certain of what really happened.We can only assume.So,my opinion is that the helecopter isn't friendly at all.The whole atmosphere is really spooky in the "friendly" village and I think that's the genious of the direction:the contrast of the laughing and singing with the fear of the soldiers and something really weird underneath the friendly image of the local people.I think that was one of the spookiest scenes in a film ever,without any creatures or special effects. It was brilliant.But I'd like to get back to the ending.The look between the two soldiers at the end was full of question.The helecopter should be their salvation,but they weren't happy to see it.They realised at that point that they were doomed.That's why the film ends there,otherwise there would've been another scene with the rescue from the "heroes" fellow-soldiers.But there are no heroes in this film.I can only think two versions:1)The army is behind all this mess and sacrifises his soldiers leving them at the hands of the locals.It's all part of a big conspiracy,and maybe the U.S.army is working with the locals for something bigger that some foot-soldiers can understand.The whole thing is beyond them and they're expendable.And just like them we don't get to know why they're expendable.2)The locals have taken over the U.S.army!This wasn't the first patroll or the first platoon that went in that swamps for a drill. This was their land.The locals were there for ages and they knew every inch of it.They wouldn't allow anyone to mess with them.A platoon with blanks had no chance against them.That was a forbiden area for everyone.
Well, i hope i could express myself better cause there are things Iwanna say but i think are lost in translation.Anyway, these are just theories and I'm not so sure about anything.It just crossed my mind and since nobody else thought about it i thought to post it here and maybe trigger some reaction, ether you afree or desagree with me.The fact that we're sitting here, a bunch of strangers from all over the world and talk about this film(a 25-year old film actually) is a great succes for the film and for us i think,cause i really think i became a better person by watching movies like this and i think i'm not the only one who feels that way.Certain movies make you think about many issues and aspects of life.Plus they make many people to connect each other. I think the ones that thought this was a great movie-and they're quite a few actually-connected from that site and will continue to do it and for many other movies too.
For me I knew it was an army truck I thought the twist was gonna be that the Cajuns had stolen the truck. The ending was a little weak for my liking (well the final scene anyway). But yeah it made me think a bit, which is a good thing.
Other than that it's a fantastic film. I may buy it too. Any idea if it has any DVD extras?
[deleted]
They were being hunted, not just by the Cajuns but by the Army too. No way was the Army going to allow these soldiers to leave the swamp and tell their story.
shareThe Army did not hunt them, they were looking for them (helicopter scene etc).
What story? The Cajuns did attack them with real violence, of course the soldiers mistreated them and stuff but the Cajuns did fire the first real shot(not blanks).
The army vehicle is their rescue (intentionally or just coincidental), we don't know if the vehicle is searching for them or not or just driving there.
Bowden hung himself. The Cajuns didn't do it. He had a moment of clarity in his fugue and took the rope they lead him around with and hung himself.
By the way, did any of you notice Bowden's repressed homosexuality? When they kid him with a homosexual inuendo in the beginning, he gets all angry and very gruff and aggressive. He was a high school coach for *boy's* football. And then when their leader gets shot, notice how he freaks out. He was in love with the man. He even screams the guys name ("Paul! Paul!") instead of "Sergeant," which is what everyone else calls him.
Seriously...watch the movie again. It's all there.
Yeah, I always thought that Bowden hung himself too. Maybe I need to watch it again though. Its a great movie.
sharethe end kinda reminds me of the "Not for me!" scene in Pitch Black where they create the feeling of "HOLYCRAP, DID-THAT-REALLY-JUST-HAPPEN??!!" then quicky supply the answer, "No, it didn't"
shareReasonable people do differ but I do NOT honestly think that Bowden's behaviour reflects repressed homosexuality. I respectfully disagree that "it's all there."
Regarding, the kidding with homosexual inuendo by Stuckey at the beginning, it is pretty clear in the film that Bowden reacts angrily because he is something of a straight-laced religious type of person, devout Christian maybe. And, no, I am not implying, in case anyone misunderstands, that there is anything wrong with being that or that there is any correlation between being a devout Christian and Bowden's going crazy later on. However he, of course does. And when he does go crazy how do we know? When he paints the cross in red across his chest and blows up the Cajun's house and later justifies it as part of his playing the "Avenging Angel." This more than suggests his religiousity, even if it his religious ideas are more than a bit confused and twisted.
Just to listen to Bowden is to get a sense of a rather dim-witted guy:
Spencer: And what'd you paint the cross on your chest for?
Bowden: That's part of the joke.
Spencer: What joke?
Bowden: It's a corporal joke, private.
Caspar: Oh what the hell Bowden, you dumb son of a bitch, you just blew up all the supplies we captured, all the guns, the ammo, the food...
Bowden: Caspar! Comes a time when you have to abandon principles and do what's right.
Regarding him being a boy's football coach, I don't see any indication of homosexuiality of that there. For one thing, most high school football teams are for boys! The fact that the coach of a boy's football team is male is, well, rather typical and perfectly normal and to be expected. It certainly doesn't indicate homosexuality (i.e. pederasty) per se, otherwise every man who coachs a boy's football team could be accused of latent/repressed homosexuality! That dog just won't hunt.
More to the point, what is directly stated as to why Bowden is a high school football coach is indicated by Spencer when Hardin asks Spencer "What does he coach?" Answer: "Football, what else." In other words, not to put to fine a point on it, Bowden is not very bright to begin with and coaching a high school football team is more or less his limit although we are also told that Bowden teachs history or something like that. The bottom line is that Bowden is shown to be a bit of dim bulb and an eccentric nut case not a repressed homosexual.
Regarding, and this is very obvious, at least to me, when Bowden crys out Sgt. Poole's Christian name, "Paul," after the Sgt. gets shot and killed in the head, he does so because Poole is clearly a good friend of his. Remember that Hardin is the outsider from Texas and the other guys are regulars who know each other. Remember that Spencer says to Hardin that most of these guys are okay a comment which Hardin disagrees with - "They're not okay..."
Bowden is, or rather was a friend of Sgt. Poole or imagines himself as being so. He says later that he admired Sgt. Poole. I think it is pretty clear that they were just friends and Bowden who is very seriously limited as a person looked up to Sgt. Poole because of his own serious limits as a person. Anyway there is nothing homosexual, repressed or otherwise, about calling out someone else's first name.
In this view, Bowden is in no way a repressed homosexual but a kind of child in the bunch. That is, at least, how I seem him apart from being rather limited intellectually and psychologically and, of course, as Hardin puts it succintly to Spencer "I got news for you, He's nuts. I mean, really *beep* nuts."
It is true that Bowden is repressed though, but not a repressed homosexual. He is clearly a repressed person, a childish person whose psychological and intellectual growth was stunted and twisted by a religious or semi-religious (?) simplistic upbringing.
Maybe I am being unfair to Bowden, maybe he is a formerly rather ordinary rational person who simply cracks up under the stress and shock of the events. After all, "Southern Comfort" is self-evidently a metaphor for Vietnam. In the metaphor, Bowden represents the guy who can't take the pressure and cracks up mentally which is exactly what is depicted in the film. That is NOT to say that everyone who goes to war becomes nuts, but some without doubt do. Bowden is clearly one of them.
Besides if Walter Hill wanted to depict Bowden as a repressed homosexual I think he would have given us more obvious clues. The clues he does give us show that Bowden is exactly what Hardin says about him - *beep* nuts" - and no more. Besides, it would have distracted viewers if Hill had done otherwise and ruined the story line to boot. So, no, the evidence does not indicate that Bowden is a repressed homosexual. He is a damaged soul who dies because it is his fate to do so.
The words Paul! Paul! aren't there.The leader is Sgt.Crawford Poole. When he gets shot Bowden yells Poole! Poole!. The other characters also refer to the man as Poole in various scenes.
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It's nice to see so many people praising this movie- I am usually the only one in the room who has ever seen it, or even heard of it! I think it's really brilliant, and I wish Boothe & Carradine had worked together a lot more, they had great chemistry....Love the music in it, too!
shareman he was one of those holy ruler, born again christians who hates homos, that was why he didnt like the joke. and that is why he painted the red cross on his chest and went into the cajuns house and burnt it up (blew it up) i think bowdens character is a metaphor for the growing born again community of america at that time and what might happen if you give one of them the power to destroy, say like, ummm, whats the guys name, ohh yea, g w bush.
shareOne shouldn't make too much of Bowden's religiosity. The joke about the religious guy who goes insane during war is of all times and places. Heard around the trenches in WW I: if god existed he must have died at the first offensive. It's a bit Nietzschian (Gott ist tot). The joke is not meant as anti-christian but as a comment on the insanity of war. Many people who are not very religious see'christian' as synonymous to 'decent person'. Ergo, no decent person can survive in these insane conditions. That said, I think the scene with Bowden blowing up the house is the weakest part of the movie. It doesn't make any sense even from the point of view of a religious nut. The movie doesn't even bother explaining the motivation behind it. It think is was just a ploy from the screenwriter so that the guardsmen could continue the movie without suplies to keep the movie interesting. And of course to put in the 'religious guy going insane'-cliche.
shareThis is the first time I have ever seen this movie after all of these years. The ending, in my opinion, could have several different meanings. When they look at each other, I kind of interpreted it as a look of, "Nobody is going to believe us. What are we going to tell them? What do we do now?"
I know im probably wrong, but i thought it might have been all an elborate plot from the begining like in Dog Soldiers. Maybe it was an intense training session where they let the NG's go in against an enemy whilst using limited supplies. Like how can the map not show that there was a lake there, this is the NG's of USA, surely a lake on their own turn wouldnt have been accounted for.
But thats just a random guess:)
I doubt the last shot is meant to mean anything specific but it did make me think about vietnam, patriotism and of deliverance from evil, all important themes within the film I think.
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I love this film but I have always wondered about that ending too. Like Darth-Tarantino I'm probably wrong, but I must admit that I always had a subtle feeling that they were set up. If that were the case it would make the Vietnam references in this movie a lot more literal as if the US government were trying to test the NGs or average American fighting spirit in the aftermath of Vietnam. I don't think there is enough evidence to support this however especially as the Guardsmen seemed to have been the cause of their own misfortune. It is very hard to find a satisfactory explanation for this strange ending.
sharein the bayou lakes come and go with the tides and changing seasons, they got lost aND fugged with the wrong people, point blank.
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