Tigerland

Tigerland is a 2000 American war drama film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell. It takes place in a training camp for soldiers to be sent to the Vietnam War. Tigerland was the name of a U.S. Army training camp during the mid-1960s to early 1970s, located at Fort Polk, Louisiana as part of the U.S. Army Advanced Infantry Training Center. As often the last stop for new infantrymen on their way to Vietnam, Tigerland was established in humid and muggy Fort Polk in order to closely mimic the environmental conditions of South Vietnam. Although the film's setting is loosely based on Fort Polk, the film was actually filmed at Camp Blanding in Florida. The film premiered at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. Despite receiving generally positive reviews for its story, direction, Farrell's performance, screenplay, and emotional weight, the film was a box-office bomb, grossing only $148,701 worldwide. It was one of Schumacher's best reviewed films in his filmography. Plot In September 1971, the United States is losing the Vietnam War. Roland Bozz, a draftee opposed to the war, is an unruly soldier who disrespects authority. He befriends another Army recruit, Jim Paxton, an aspiring writer who records his experiences in a journal. Unlike Bozz, Paxton volunteered. Upon reaching their post, company commanding officer Captain Saunders explains that every soldier who passes through Fort Polk will be sent to Vietnam, and that any political views on the war are irrelevant. Having "X-ray vision for loopholes", Bozz finds ways for soldiers to get out of the army — one, Cantwell, because he not only has children but also a disabled wife; another, Miter, had joined to prove his manhood but finds himself overwhelmed. Eventually Bozz's natural leadership and ability earn him the title of platoon guide. Another private, Wilson, a racial bigot and instigator, continuously demeans Miter and Bozz. Bozz fights and easily beats Wilson, earning Wilson's hatred.