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IMDbPro

Buffalo Soldiers

  • 20012001
  • RR
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
25K
YOUR RATING
Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
Trailer
Play trailer1:56
2 Videos
66 Photos
ComedyCrimeDrama
A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
25K
YOUR RATING
    • Gregor Jordan
  • Writers
    • Robert O'Connor(book)
    • Gregor Jordan(screenplay)
    • Eric Weiss(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Joaquin Phoenix
    • Anna Paquin
    • Ed Harris
    • Gregor Jordan
  • Writers
    • Robert O'Connor(book)
    • Gregor Jordan(screenplay)
    • Eric Weiss(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Joaquin Phoenix
    • Anna Paquin
    • Ed Harris
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 119User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
    • 56Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Buffalo Soldiers
    Trailer 1:56
    Watch Buffalo Soldiers
    Buffalo Soldiers
    Trailer 1:23
    Watch Buffalo Soldiers

    Photos66

    Anna Paquin and Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Ed Harris and Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    (l to r) Leon Robinson, Joaquin Phoenix and Michael Peña
    Joaquin Phoenix, Leon, and Michael Peña in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Ed Harris and Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Anna Paquin and Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Joaquin Phoenix in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Joaquin Phoenix and Gregor Jordan in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Gregor Jordan in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Gregor Jordan in Buffalo Soldiers (2001)
    Anna Paquin at an event for Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Joaquin Phoenix
    • Ray Elwood
    Anna Paquin
    Anna Paquin
    • Robyn Lee
    Ed Harris
    Ed Harris
    • Colonel Berman
    Scott Glenn
    Scott Glenn
    • Sergeant Lee
    Elizabeth McGovern
    Elizabeth McGovern
    • Mrs. Berman
    Michael Peña
    Michael Peña
    • Garcia
    Leon
    Leon
    • Stoney
    • (as Leon Robinson)
    Gabriel Mann
    Gabriel Mann
    • Knoll
    Dean Stockwell
    Dean Stockwell
    • General Lancaster
    Brian Delate
    Brian Delate
    • Colonel Marshall
    Shiek Mahmud-Bey
    Shiek Mahmud-Bey
    • Sergeant Saad
    • (as Sheik Mahmud-Bey)
    Amani Gethers
    Amani Gethers
    • Kirschfield
    Noah Lee Margetts
    Noah Lee Margetts
    • Rothfuss
    • (as Noah)
    Tom Ellis
    Tom Ellis
    • Squash
    Kick Gurry
    Kick Gurry
    • Video
    Haluk Bilginer
    Haluk Bilginer
    • The Turk
    Idris Elba
    Idris Elba
    • Kimborough
    Glenn Fitzgerald
    Glenn Fitzgerald
    • Hicks
      • Gregor Jordan
    • Writers
      • Robert O'Connor(book)
      • Gregor Jordan(screenplay)
      • Eric Weiss(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9, 2001. The events that happened on 9-11 effectively killed the film's chances of distribution within the United States.
    • Goofs
      When Elwood looks at Sergeant Lee's personnel file on the computer, it says his date of birth is 10/08/1954. The film is set in October 1989 which would make him 35 years old. Scott Glenn was 60 when this film was made.
    • Quotes

      Ray Elwood: Say, do you ever have falling dreams?

      Robyn Lee: Sure, I think so.

      Ray Elwood: I have the same dream all the time where its really high and I'm kind of floating and then I fall. Is that the same as yours?

      Robyn Lee: Kind of.

      Ray Elwood: Well, why? What happens in yours?

      Robyn Lee: I wake up before I hit the ground.

      Ray Elwood: I always hit. I don't wake up.

      Robyn Lee: That's not normal.

    • Crazy credits
      The end credits include the citation: 'The red cross emblem is an international symbol of neutral protection during armed conflicts, and its use is restricted by law. The purposes for which the red cross emblem is used by the characters in this film are clearly improper. The filmmakers wish to stress their support for proper use of the emblem, which has saved millions of lives throughout the world'.
    • Connections
      Featured in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Joaquin Phoenix/Scott Thompson/Cheap Trick (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Fight the Power
      Written by Chuck D (as Carlton Ridenhour), Eric Sadler & Keith Shocklee

      Published by Universal Music Publishing Limited and Reach Global Inc./Hammer Musik c/o Bucks Music Limited

      Performed by Public Enemy

      Courtesy of Def Jam/Mercury Records Limited (London)

      Licensed by kind permission from the Film & TV Licensing Division

      Part of Universal Music Group

    User reviews119

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Bilko for the New Millennium
    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.
    helpful•26
    4
    • extravaluejotter
    • May 1, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 31, 2002 (Germany)
      • United Kingdom
      • Germany
      • English
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Bar Rodeo Drive, Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
    • Production companies
      • FilmFour
      • Good Machine
      • Gorilla Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 38 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital

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