Southern Comfort

Directed by Walter Hill, Southern Comfort follows several Louisiana Army National Guard soldiers, including Fred Ward’s Lonnie Reece, Powers Boothe’s Charles Hardin, and Peter Coyote’s Crawford Poole, as they’re forced to fend for their lives after raising the ire of several faceless Cajun hunter-trappers. Filmmaker Hill, armed with his and Michael Kane and David Giler’s screenplay, delivers a slow-going endeavor that doesn’t, at the outset, contain too many elements worth wholeheartedly embracing or getting excited about, and there’s little doubt, as a result, that the movie’s arms-length vibe ensures that it initially fares best as a showcase for several undeniably engrossing performances – with, especially, Boothe’s often spellbinding turn as the tough-as-nails Hardin remaining an obvious highlight from start to finish. The wheel-spinning atmosphere, which is perpetuated by an emphasis on the survivors’ tedious in-fighting, is eventually alleviated by a second half that’s admittedly more exciting (and brutal) than one might’ve anticipated, while the tense and thoroughly surprising third act paves the way for a gripping final stretch that’s unfortunately undone by a needless (and entirely distracting) onscreen killing of two hogs. It’s not surprising to note that Southern Comfort subsequently limps towards its exceedingly less-than-satisfying closing, with the end result a relentlessly hit-and-miss piece of work that often feels as though it should be much, much better.

** out of ****