Tigerland

Reportedly an attempt to reconnect with his artistic soul after the last two especially schlocky Batman movies, director Joel Schumacher tries his hand here at a more “serious” genre: the Vietnam war movie. Full of jerky hand-held camerawork, grainy 16mm images, and jump-cut editing, the look and feel is ultimately less realistic than overly stylized. Leading a cast of unknowns, Colin Farrell makes for a charismatic boot-camp soldier out to buck the sadistic military rules of a hellish Louisiana training ground. Unfortunately, all the profanity and macho posturing don't come close to the power of, say, Full Metal Jacket. But then, despite his attempt at artistic purification, Schumacher is no Stanley Kubrick. Very optional. (T. Rich)[Blu-ray Review—June 7, 2011—Fox, 101 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2000's Tigerland sports a decent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Joel Schumacher, “The Real Tigerland” location featurette on the Louisiana training camp (22 min.), “Joel Schumacher: Journey to Tigerland” (11 min.), “Ross Klavan: Ode to Tigerland” on the writer (11 min.), “Casting Session with Colin Farrell” (7 min.), a vintage “making-of” featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for a disappointing film.]