Buffalo Soldiers

Being a US soldier in Germany during the Cold War might have been boring but for Ray Elwood (Phoenix) 1989 was a time of opportunity. He and his platoon ran a very profitable black market from the base's supply deport. Selling everything from US cleaning products to heroin to soldiers and locals alike, Ray was making money hand over fist and the base commander, Col. Berman (Harris) didn't notice a thing. This all changes when the base gets a new Sergeant Major (Glen).

Made in 2001 but put on indefinite hold due to 9/11, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the increased levels of patriotism in the US, Buffalo Soldiers finally hits the big screen but it has been well worth the wait.

Set at the end of the Cold War, when soldiers thought they would never see combat, became bored and had to do something to make their tour of duty more exciting, the movie takes all the things that made M*A*S*H and Sgt. Bilko so good and adds a modern twist to them. Phoenix's Ray Elwood is the Bilko of the Cold War era. Known to everyone on the base as the man who can get you things, he has the Colonel wrapped around his little finger but this been the more modern era, Elwood's schemes are still the get-rich-quick kind but he sells arms and drugs instead of selling the Colonel's jeep or running card games.

Much like Three Kings and M*A*S*H before it, Buffalo Soldiers combines comedy and drama very effectively. From a tank smashing through a German market to Scott Glen's brutal portrayal of Sgt. Robert Lee, the film has you laughing out loud one minute and cringing with fear in the next.

The performances back up the engaging premise. Ed Harris is as good as ever as the inept Colonel obsessed more with purchasing a vineyard than his position in the army. Anna Paquin sparkles as Robyn Lee, the sergeant's rebellious daughter but it is the tussle between Scott Glen's Sgt. Lee and Joaquin Phoenix's Ray Elwood that is the highlight and the backbone of the movie. From what starts off as one-up-man-ship, turns really nasty as we head into the final act and the two actors excel in bringing these character's bitterness and desperation to life.

You can see why the movie has been delayed for so long in the US as it doesn't paint the military in the best of lights but this can't take anything away from what is a great satirical look at the Cold War soldier. Buffalo Soldiers is funny, cheeky, hard-hitting and poignant but deserves to be watched, as it will be one of the highlights of 2003.

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2003