Too much of everything

Absolutely Fantastic

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

When I first saw this movie, I think it was after it came to DVD in late 2003 or early 2004. I really liked it and though I couldn't follow what it was about at the time, I decided to see it again today.I still remember every scene, and what really drew me in was the atmosphere of the film, a black comedy, but also a movie about a lone wolf who's an anti-hero, the best anti-hero I've ever seen. This movie puts soldiers in Western Germany in 1989 just after the Cold War ended and the Berlin Wall was about to fall. What's amazing is that boredom gets the best of these soldiers, especially for our main character.This film explores the life of a stationed drug dealer soldier and of course, not without some great humour. I will admit, I do hate indie films and indie directors, but this is the best indie film I have ever seen, it almost feels like a mainstream Hollywood movie, but in a good way. I absolutely love the time period and the location, it makes me feel like I'm at home in Romania.It's really thanks to Jacquin and his amazing, under-rated acting that make me appreciate the anti-hero character he portrays. I like the setup of the story because to those bored soldiers, their duty is like serving time in prison, so they have to find good recreational activities to do so they can kill off their boredom, and what better way to do that than make drugs, steal weapons and sell them for a nice wad of cash.This is one of those rare feel-good films that make you care about the character a lot, his struggles, and his fears. No matter how wrong you think what he's doing is, you still end up rooting for him in the end. Anti-Hero characters are always neutral, so they fight for their own cause. That may seem selfish, but in a world full of bad guys and good guys, the anti-hero must choose his own destiny and he'll let the good fight the evil as much as they want as long as neither get in his way.Truly under-rated film of the decade, if you're from Europe, or are in the military, and you have some friends over at your house, then order some pizzas, some nachos, and enjoy this film. I sure did, and I sure need to read the book as well, which is much more darker than the movie, apparently. I don't know why this is not in the top 250, but it deserves a spot in the top 20's.

American directors tend to glorify their war movies by adding a lot of heroism and false American nationalism. Buffalo Soldiers is a nice change on these kind of movies. It tells the story of a group of American soldiers so thoroughly bored that they kill time by smuggling drugs, drinking booze and fighting each other. It kinda reminds me of my father's stories of his short yet turbulent time in the army. He keeps on telling about all the wrong things they did to have a bit of fun in their forced presence in these days. The movie doesn't really have a grand message to deliver to its audience, but it is most definitely good for a few laughs. And Joaquin Phoenix shows a bit of the strong charisma he has in store for us in later movies ( Walk the line- the Johnny Cash biography- as his strongest one )

If you've ever been in the military you will love this movie. It's basically a Sargent Bilko without the slapstick.Covers the more seedy side of military life and has some great jokes, plot twists and one liners.Elwood is the classic E-4 and gets up to all kinds of crazy stuff. Hes basically running a lot of little schemes from his position as one of the Battalion Commanders trusted office personnel.But Elwoods life takes a turn for the worst when a new First Sargent that takes no BS is assigned to his unit and threatens to undermine Elwoods little operations.

Without an enemy to fight, an army will fight itself or find its own enemies. In the tradition of "Sergeant Bilko" (the Phil Silvers TV show, not Steve Martin's ghastly remake) "Buffalo Soldiers" shows what happens when soldiers with nothing to do but wait for war begin to think for themselves and exploit the system. In place of Bilko's poker games and lottery scams, Ray Elwood opts for black marketeering, drug dealing and gun running. However, the characters portrayed by Phil Silvers and Joaquin Phoenix respectively do have a lot in common. The tone of "Buffalo Soldiers" is much darker than that of "Sergeant Bilko", but the film and TV series share the same absurd yet plausible vision. There are no chimpanzee conscripts like Private Harry Speakup in this movie, but there ARE characters who have clearly risen well above the level of their own incompetence. Ed Harris' Colonel Berman is a pathetic example of the uniformed, time-served bureaucrat, someone you could almost feel sorry for until you realise that one day he may have to lead men into combat. Counterbalancing the Bilko-esquire vibe created by Elwood's wheeler-dealing is his nemesis, Scott Glenn's steely Sergeant Lee. Glenn clearly relishes his role in this movie and is very convincing as the model soldier with a true heart of darkness.Joaquin Phoenix gives Elwood an understated charisma as he leads his troops from behind, rarely lifting the lid on the fear and frustration that simmers within him as the events he sets in motion go out of control.To say that this film is anti-military is unfair as it contains portrayals of decent, honest and professional soldiers as well as the scammers, pimps and dopeheads that the plot focuses on. It is a film about human beings (with all their failings) in uniform, not soldiers. "Buffalo Soldiers" is anti-complacency, anti-indoctrination and anti-corruption, which is probably why its release was postponed after the September 11th terrorist outrage of 2001. In the light of recent despicable acts by a small group of US soldiers in Iraq's Abu Graib prison, this film seems eerily prescient. Without an enemy to fight in open combat, what happens to the aggression and contempt for that enemy that military training fosters? Ignore the negative comments and give this under-rated film a chance. It was titled "Army Go Home" in Germany, where the film is set, echoing the feelings of German citizens who lived near foreign troops sent to defend them against Communism. The Beetle-crushing sequence (an absurdly comic high point of the film) is based on actual incidents involving bored, intoxicated British and American troops on manoeuvres, armed to the teeth and waiting for a war that never came.