DVD Reviews: Tigerland

Tigerland is the story of young men being trained to fight in the Vietnam war and their experiences whilst getting ready for the hell that awaited  them. The title is directed by Joel Schumacher and is a refreshing approach to the war movie.

Focussing on the bonds forged under hardship, Tigerland follows the story of a number of recruits who are placed under the leadership of troublemaker Bozz (Colin Farrell), who is trying his best to get out of the army before being sent over to fight in the War.

The film uses odd techniques in it's presentation that work really well. It looks as though much of it was done with a handicam then put through the same process as Saving Private Ryan was to present a slightly grainy image. It suits the subject material down to the ground and only adds to the immersive nature of this compelling story.

Bozz wants out of this hellish training environment and back into the real world. His lack of respect for authority is bewildering the command and his uncanny ability to get other recruits discharged legendary. If you need to get out of the army it's whispered, then Private Bozz is the man to see. Although his nature disrupts the way training proceeds all the men respect him and it's for this very reason that his is placed in charge of his unit as despite personal shortcomings, he will not let his team down regardless of the consequences.

This movie's transfer to DVD looks and sounds great considering that the majority of the film is actually dialogue driven; this is not an action movie by any means. There were no problems with the syncing between audio and video.

Tigerland is an awesome film that demands watching.