Southern Comfort (1981)

A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition ... See full summary »

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

Michael Kane, Walter Hill,

Stars:

Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keith Carradine	...	Spencer
Powers Boothe	...	Hardin
Fred Ward	...	Reece
Franklyn Seales	...	Simms
T.K. Carter	...	Cribbs
Lewis Smith	...	Stuckey
Les Lannom	...	Casper
Peter Coyote	...	Poole
Alan Autry	...	Bowden (as Carlos Brown)
Brion James	...	Trapper
Sonny Landham	...	Hunter
Allan Graf	...	Hunter
Ned Dowd	...	Hunter
Rob Ryder	...	Hunter
Greg Guirard	...	Cajun Couple

Storyline

A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition and in a strange country, their experience begins to mirror the Vietnam experience.

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Plot Keywords:

swamp | cajun | national guard | louisiana | blood | 

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Taglines:

It's the land of hospitality... unless you don't belong.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA Switzerland UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 January 1982 (Finland)

Also Known As:

A lápvidék harcosai

Filming Locations:

Caddo Lake, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Group Ventures, Phoenix (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has been likened to the earlier movie Deliverance which was made and released about nine years earlier. Some movie posters for this picture even ran a tagline saying "Not since "Deliverance"...". Southern Comfort is actually set in 1973, which is in the same era as Deliverance. Whereas that movie was set on the Cahulawassee River, this film is set in the Louisiana Bayou.

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Goofs

During the dog attack, the protective pads on the men's arms are clearly visible.

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Quotes

Spencer: It's all set. Noleen and her bayou queens. Just a little something for morale. And let me add, Sergeant, that these women are expecting some, uh, small unit military penetration.

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Connections

References Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

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Soundtracks

Song "Parlez-nous à Boire
Dewey Balfa
Published by Flat Town Music Co.

User Reviews

Nice little backwoods brutality picture. Don't expect "Deliverance", but still better than most of its ilk.

I hope that if my life's ever in danger, these guys won't come to my rescue! Honestly, some have complained about the negative Cajun stereotypes in this movie, but the National Guard are depicted as the biggest bunch of incompetents imaginable. The trailers for this film compared it to "Deliverance" and "Apocalypse Now". While "Southern Comfort" is nowhere near the level of those classics, its still a nice little thriller. It goes to prove that Walter Hill is one of the most underrated filmmakers ever. With "The Driver", "The Warriors", and this to his credit, its a shame the man isn't more than just a cult figure.

The film itself is pretty good. This may just be a grade-b "Deliverance" but its one of the better backwoods brutality films from the time (not to mention one of the last). The acting all around is good, especially the underrated Powers Boothe and Fred Ward. The direction by Hill is tight, taut, and quickly paced as usual. There is only one major complaint I have. First off, the screenplay by Michael Kane is better than most of his but still pretty poor. The dialog is lame, the situations largely implausible on closer inspection, and the story isn't really involving until the end. Fortunately, Hill is such a good action director that this film still remains a good way to kill two hours. Special mention must go to the fantastic score by Ry Cooder, possibly his best work. (7/10)