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

Starring: Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Fred Ward, Franklyn Seales, T.K. Carter, Lewis Smith, Les Lannom, Peter Coyote, Alan Autry, Brion James, Sonny Landham

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Well, you know how it is, down here in Louisiana, we don't carry guns, we carry ropes, RC colas and moon pies, we're not too smart, but we have a real good time." - Spencer

Why watch this? It's never a good idea to venture into the Louisiana swamps and start a fight with the locals.

Plot Summary: A squad of nine Louisiana Army National Guard soldiers are charged with conducting a training exercise through the swampy Bayou. New to the group is Cpl. Hardin from Texas. He immediately recognizes the men are poorly disciplined and arrogant, but he does manage to form a bond with a likewise-cynical private named Spencer. The two are easily the most rational of the bunch. The men head out, armed with blank bullets in their guns, and get quickly lost. They come upon a deserted trapper campsite and decide to commandeer the trapper's canoes to shorten their journey. BIG MISTAKE. The cajun trappers show themselves at the shore and shoot the Guard's leader, Staff Sgt. Poole. Once the men collect themselves, the cajuns have vanished into the marshes, so the soldiers press on. However, now they are being hunted by a deadly, crafty and mostly unseen enemy.

Dad's Preview: Many have compared this intense thriller to Deliverance (1978), and there are similarities (such as murderous hillbillies), but Southern Comfort stands just fine on its own. The cast is superb, as is the complete sense of dread and helplessness created by director Walter Hill. Who, if anyone, will survive? As they say on the bayou, "Dat be da quession..."    

Cinema Group Ventures, Phoenix (II); 20th Century Fox

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