Southern Comfort

R

1981

1 hr. 46 min.

Action

Mystery & Thriller

List

77%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

During the Vietnam War, a squad of National Guardsmen -- including Hardin (Powers Boothe), a no-nonsense Texan; Reece (Fred Ward), a hunter; and Spencer (Keith Carradine), a sensible private -- take part in a military training exercise in the swamps of Louisiana. After attempting to steal several canoes and firing blanks at a Cajun, the group members find themselves being hunted by the locals. Scared and unfamiliar with the territory, the men must scramble to escape.

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Daniel W

This film is very good not quite a Vietnam film as it's set in the swamps of the usa but it has the same vibes with the environment the guy from blade runner plays an excellent villain in the film and makes you scared of your own people showing your enemies can look like you it's defo worth a watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

matthias s

"Southern Comfort" is a Louisiana swamp adventure that had me hooked from the get-go. The atmosphere is thick with tension, making you feel the oppressive bayou humidity and the lurking danger around every corner. The suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat, with eerie moments that send shivers down your spine. However, the film's pacing can be a bit uneven, with moments of slow buildup that could have been trimmed down. The storyline isn't entirely unique, and I've seen similar survival tales executed more effectively. Nevertheless, the ensemble cast delivers impressive performances, adding depth to their characters and making us care about their fates. One standout aspect is the hauntingly beautiful music, which complements the setting perfectly. Despite its shortcomings, "Southern Comfort" manages to deliver a satisfying dose of suspense and atmospheric thrills, making it worth a watch for fans of the genre.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/15/23

Full Review

David W

Often compared to Deliverance, and rightfully so, Southern Comfort affords more respectability to the local antagonists. Overall it's an entertaining action film that adds suspense by never allowing you to fully see the person or persons chasing our story's not-so-innocent protagonists. I would watch this again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

Full Review

steeb j

This is a movie that had slipped by us.. We watched Southern Comfort simply because of the alluring theme that was presented, a Guard Unit misbehaving down in Cajun-Land. - The cajun aspect was done very right and will convince any viewer that you're right there in the midst of these great folks. The downside to this movie though is the poor acting concerning these misfit guard members.. - This movie could've been made into a classic but falls well short. A classic makes one return and watch again. This one wont..

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A lot more dialogue and much slower paced than I was expecting. Conversely. not as cheesy or cheaply made as one might expect. The end was good enough to elevate it a notch or two because it'll haunt you and make you want to stay in your cubicle.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fairly decent metaphor for the vietnam war and something of an exploration of a rather toxic form of masculinity. Great soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Am I reading something into the Cajun's being French speakers, in terms of the French involvement in Vietnam?

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

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Walter Hill

Director

Keith Carradine

Spencer

Powers Boothe

Hardin

Fred Ward

Reece

Franklyn Seales

Simms

T.K. Carter

Cribbs

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

Beyond its genre roots and its deeper meanings, Southern Comfort is a well-honed study of characters and setting.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 7, 2014

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The strength of the movie is in its look, in its superb use of its locations, and in Hill's mastery of action sequences that could have been repetitive.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Mitchell Beaupre

Paste Magazine

It’s a film which exemplifies Hill’s skills as an action director, with masterful cross-cutting to keep the tension at a fever pitch, slowly burning as the situation starts dire and somehow keeps getting worse.

Rated: 10/10

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Walter Hill stages some outstanding shoot-outs (as usual) and provides a compelling edge-of-your-seat coda.

Rated: A

Dec 1, 2022

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a slow-going endeavor that doesn’t, at the outset, contain too many elements worth wholeheartedly embracing or getting excited about...

Rated: 2/4

Jun 18, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Panic and insanity soon overtake discipline and training; human minds aren't always prepared for war, even on a small scale.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 7, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

During the Vietnam War, a squad of National Guardsmen -- including Hardin (Powers Boothe), a no-nonsense Texan; Reece (Fred Ward), a hunter; and Spencer (Keith Carradine), a sensible private -- take part in a military training exercise in the swamps of Louisiana. After attempting to steal several canoes and firing blanks at a Cajun, the group members find themselves being hunted by the locals. Scared and unfamiliar with the territory, the men must scramble to escape.

Director: Walter Hill
Executive Producer: William J. Immerman
Screenwriter: Walter Hill
Production Co: Cinema Group Ventures, Phoenix Films (II)
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 20, 2018

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