6. Buffalo Soldiers (Dir.: Gregor Jordan, 2003)
Nietzsche: Where there is peace, the war-like man attacks himself. Ray Elwood (Joaquin Phoenix): War is hell. But peace is fucking boring Gregor Jordans scintillating black comedy shows how a war movie without a war can be just as nihilist and exhilarating than the storming of Normandy beaches.
Buffalo Soldiers is a rapid fire roller coaster ride of a movie with action, thrills, romance and black comedy. Ray Elwood is a constant grafter. Much like Morgan Freemans character in
The Shawshank Redemption, Ray runs his military camp in Germany in everything but title. He rips off his own militarys weapons to sell on the black market and engineers a massive drug deal to nefarious locals. His ease to swindle and conduct his business is mainly appropriated to the ineptitude of commanding officer Colonel Berman (a loveable but incompetent Ed Harris). However, Elwoods illegitimate dealings come under threat when a new commander Robert E. Lee (a fierce Scott Glenn) is put in charge determined to clear up the camp. Phoenix, who has always been the under-appreciated actor of his generation, is simply wonderful in the film. His moral bankruptcy is countered by his wonderful charm and rebellious streak. When he embarks upon courting Lees daughter (an enchanting Anna Paquin) the audience is complicit in a romantic relationship founded upon getting back at your boss. Paquin too has an axe to grind with her father and doesnt care about being used. The romantic subplot is wonderfully balanced against Elwoods dodgy dealings. Despite this being peacetime, Jordan relishes in showing the futility of war. The soldiers with the camp turn on each other over the control of the heroin trade. One scene has two soldiers repeatedly stabbing each other over and over cementing Jordans Nietzschean view of the war-like man. A hilarious movie from start to finish,
Buffalo Soldiers shows how war (or lack thereof) can be an awful lot of fun.