Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

Director:

Gregor Jordan

Writers:

Robert O'Connor (book)
Gregor Jordan (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 October 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

War is hell... but peace is f*#!%!! boring.

Plot:

A criminal subculture operates among U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany just before the fall of the Berlin wall.

Plot Keywords:

Germany | Berlin Wall | Soldier | Heroin | Boredom

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Joaquin Phoenix	...	Ray Elwood
Ed Harris	...	Colonel Berman
Scott Glenn	...	Sergeant Lee
Anna Paquin	...	Robyn Lee
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Mrs. Berman
Michael Peña	...	Garcia
Leon	...	Stoney (as Leon Robinson)
Gabriel Mann	...	Knoll
Dean Stockwell	...	General Lancaster
Brian Delate	...	Colonel Marshall
Shiek Mahmud-Bey	...	Sergeant Saad (as Sheik Mahmud-Bey)
Amani Gethers	...	Kirschfield
Noah Lee Margetts	...	Rothfuss (as Noah)
Tom Ellis	...	Squash
Kick Gurry	...	Video
Haluk Bilginer	...	The Turk
Idris Elba	...	Kimborough
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Hicks
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Walters (as Kimo Wills)
Enoch Frost	...	Johnnie
Jimmie Ray Weeks	...	Colonel Armstrong
Roger Griffiths	...	Simmons
Alexis Rodney	...	Parsons McCovey
Josef Ostendorf	...	Herman
Tom George	...	Nerdy Young Soldier
Lars Rudolph	...	Courier
Paul Conway	...	Frank
Martin Cole	...	MP
Ilhani Terzi	...	Davood
Alexander Theodossiadis	...	Bouncer
Derek Lea	...	Truck Driver #1
Mark Anthony Newman	...	Truck Driver #2 (as Mark Newman)
David Crow	...	Private
Jason Rayford	...	Young Soldier
Gary Washington	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
James Battles	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Leon Deavers	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Gerald Jacy	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Michael Johnson	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
John Lovett	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Antonio Ruffin	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Glenn Stephens	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
Terrence Packer	...	Sergeant Saad's Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Hatch	...	Army Major (uncredited)

Directed by
Gregor Jordan

Writing credits
Robert O'Connor		(book)
Gregor Jordan		(screenplay) and
Eric Weiss		(screenplay) (as Eric Axel Weiss) &
Nora Maccoby		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bobby Allen	....	associate producer
Chris Chrisafis	....	co-executive producer
Rainer Grupe	....	producer
Oliver Huzly	....	co-producer
Amy Kaufman	....	associate producer
Reinhard Klooss	....	executive producer
Kai May	....	co-executive producer
Ariane Moody	....	producer
James Schamus	....	executive producer
Douglas Stone	....	co-executive producer
Chris Thompson	....	co-producer
Paul Webster	....	executive producer
James Wilson	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
David Holmes

Cinematography by
Oliver Stapleton		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lee Smith

Casting by
Abi Cohen
Ali Farrell
Laura Rosenthal
Annie Teague

Production Design by
Steven Jones-Evans

Art Direction by
Christoph Simons
Frank Walsh		(supervising art director)

Set Decoration by
Judy Farr
Olaf Lemitz

Costume Design by
Odile Dicks-Mireaux		(as Odile Dicks Mireaux)

Makeup Department
Sandra Grimmer	....	makeup artist
Fae Hammond	....	chief hair designer
Fae Hammond	....	chief makeup designer
Sharon Martin	....	makeup artist
Pebbles Robertson	....	hair stylist
Astrid Schikorra	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Peter McAleese	....	executive in charge of production
Claus Meding	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrick Clayton	....	first assistant director
Sean Clayton	....	key second assistant director
Kate Dennis	....	second unit director
Andreas Meszaros	....	third assistant director
Fletcher Rodley	....	third assistant director
Gregor Stitzl	....	crowd assistant director

Art Department
Graham Caulfield	....	drapes
Roger Holden	....	props
Jason Knox-Johnston	....	stand-by art director
Tam Morris	....	storyboard artist
Raymond Perry	....	property master
Sarah Stuart	....	art department assistant

Sound Department
Nick Adams	....	supervising sound editor
Gordon Brown	....	additional dialogue adr editor
Colin Cooper	....	foley mixer
Jonathan Cronin	....	foley editor
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Laurent Friob	....	assistant sound editor
Matthew Gough	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Steve Hancock	....	studio sound technician
Graham Headicar	....	additional sound effects editor
Alex Hudd	....	sound consultant: dolby
Martin Müller	....	sound mixer
Mike Prestwood Smith	....	additional sound re-recording mixer (as Michael Prestwood-Smith)
Adrian Rhodes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sam Southwick	....	supervising sound editor
Nigel Stone	....	dialogue editor
Sven Taits	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alexander Theodossiadis	....	second boom operator
Mike Wood	....	additional dialogue editor
Mike Wood	....	adr editor
Paul Wrightson	....	adr editor
Paul Wrightson	....	dialogue editor
Jeffrey Perkins	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Gerd Feuchter	....	special effects supervisor
Rolf Hanke	....	special effects production manager
Torsten Knapp	....	special effects technician
Endres Löber	....	special effects technician
Michael Luppino	....	special effects foreman
Bernd Rautenberg	....	special effects technician
Mathias Spannagel	....	special effects technician
Thomas Thiele	....	special effects technician
Ralf Wetzel	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Dan Ashton	....	scanning and recording
Alan Church	....	digital visual effects supervisor: Hypnosis VFX
Peter Connelly	....	digital compositor
Gavin Digby	....	digital compositor
Simon Giles	....	visual effects supervisor: on location, Hypnosis VFX
Theano Kazagli	....	digital I/O: Cinesite
Diane Kingston	....	digital visual effects coordinator
Paul Ladd	....	visual effects coordinator: Cinesite
Paul Lambert	....	sequence supervisor
Mathias Larserud	....	CG artist
Derek Ledbetter	....	visual effects
Stuart McAra	....	visual effects producer: Cinesite
Steve Parsons	....	senior data operator
Antoinette Perez	....	visual effects coordinator: Cinesite
Foad Shah	....	I/O film supervisor
Mark Slade	....	digital compositor
Tara Walker	....	digital I/O
Trevor Young	....	digital compositor
Phil Green	....	data operator (uncredited)
Courtney Vanderslice	....	head of production: Cinesite (uncredited)

Stunts
Roy Alon	....	stunts
Sadie Eden	....	stunts
Nick Gillard	....	stunts
Marko König	....	stunts
Thilo Kudler	....	stunt double: J. Phoenix
Derek Lea	....	stunts
Mark Lisbon	....	stunts
Sean McCabe	....	stunt coordinator
Mark Anthony Newman	....	stunts
Ray Nicholas	....	stunts
Dieter Pfersching	....	stunts
Gábor Piroch	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Gábor Piroch	....	stunt double: S. Glenn
Terence Plummer	....	stunts
Dinny Powell	....	stunts
Tatjana Rosenblatt	....	stunt double: A. Paquin
David Ware	....	stunt wire technician

Camera and Electrical Department
Therese Andersson	....	electrician
Gerd Breiter	....	assistant camera
Armin Buerkle	....	best boy
Milly Donaghy	....	clapper loader
Sam Garwood	....	focus puller
Leigh Gold	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Sönke Hansen	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Sönke Hansen	....	director of photography: second unit
Rupert Lloyd-Parry	....	grip
Nic Sadler	....	director of photography: second unit
Steve Sansom	....	rigger
Florian Schneider	....	grip
Alex Scott	....	gaffer
Joy Scott	....	video assistant
Sascha 'Sash' Seitz	....	first assistant camera: second unit

Casting Department
Jaclyn Brodsky	....	casting assistant
Robert Hatch	....	extras casting
Catherine Huegel	....	local crowd casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jane Petrie	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Steve Farman	....	negative cutter
Steve Harrow	....	post-production consultant
John Lee	....	first assistant editor
Uli Mueller-Uri	....	post-production intern
Ben Renton	....	second assistant editor
Catriona Richardson	....	assistant editor
Martin Walsh	....	color grader
Sam Mangan	....	post-production coordinator (uncredited)

Music Department
Chris Dawkins	....	musician: guitar and bass
Stephen Hilton	....	music programmer (as Steve Hilton)
Stephen Hilton	....	musician: keyboards (as Steve Hilton)
David Holmes	....	music supervisor
Hugo James Nicolson	....	music editor (as Hugo Nicholson)
Richard T. Norris	....	music editor
Jim Watson	....	musician: keyboards

Transportation Department
Cornelius Gladewitz	....	unit driver
Jan Corin Wolfgang Kitanoff	....	driver: Ed Harris
Olaf Lemitz	....	driver
Daniel Seideneder	....	picture car coordinator
Alexander Theodossiadis	....	driver: Joaquin Phoenix

Other crew
Kim Ballard	....	senior production executive: FilmFour
Jo Farrugia	....	production assistant
Lorraine Francis	....	assistant: David Holmes
Brendan Gunn	....	dialogue coach
Jo Hannam	....	assistant accountant
Robert Hatch	....	production assistant
Bernhard Janitzki	....	production assistant
Ivan Jordan	....	assistant to director
Peter Kujawski	....	assistant: Mr. Schamus
Cheryl Leigh	....	script supervisor
Uli Lorenz	....	assistant to location manager
Uli Lorenz	....	location assistant
Clare Macdonald	....	assistant to producer
Paula McBreen	....	production coordinator
Jill McCullough	....	dialect coach
Della Moore	....	financial controller
Bridget Irene Pastor	....	location manager
Roger Phillips	....	title designer
Ariel Rogers	....	assistant: Amy Kaufman
Sarah Sher	....	assistant to producer
Kevin L. Thieme	....	second military advisor
Rene von Bodisco	....	production assistant
Martina Werner	....	assistant: Reinhard Klooss
Michael Zimmermann	....	location manager
Claudia Zschauer	....	production coordinator
Helen de Winter	....	delivery coordinator (uncredited)

Thanks
Richard Chamberlain	....	special thanks
Vanessa Langer	....	dedicatee
Ian Neil	....	thanks

Production Companies

• FilmFour (present)
• Good Machine (present) (as Good Machine International)
• Gorilla Entertainment (as A Gorilla Entertainment / Strange Fiction production)
• Grosvenor Park Productions (in association with) (as Grosvenor Park)
• Miramax Films (in association with)
• Odeon Film (as Odeon Pictures)
• Strange Fiction (as A Gorilla Entertainment / Strange Fiction production)

Distributors

• Buena Vista International Italia (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Cine Qua Non Films (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Europa Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (all media)
• Good Machine International (non-USA)
• Laurenfilm (2003) (Spain)
• Medyavizyon (2003) (Turkey) (all media)
• Miramax Films (2003) (USA)
• Nu Visión de Argentina (Argentina)
• Paradise Group (2001) (Russia) (all media)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Prokino Filmverleih (Germany)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (VHS)
• Sandrews (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Special Effects

• Die Nefzers (special effects)
• Cinesite (digital visual effects and computer animation)
• Hypnosis VFX Ltd. (digital visual effects and computer animation)

Other Companies

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC)  archive film material (as ABC Inc)
• Angels & Bermans  costumier
• Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI)  additional camera equipment (as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik)
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  sound re-recorded at (as De Lane Lea Sound Studios, London)
• Eastcote Studios  music recorded at
• Edit Hire (New Technology)  editing equipment (as Edit Hire)
• Falco Ink.  publicity
• Frameline Productions  end titles (as Frameline)
• Frameline Productions  title design (as Frameline)
• Hutton Archives  archive film material
• ITN Archive  archive film material (as ITN Archives)
• Malde & Co.  auditors
• Olympic Studios  music mixed at
• On Set Location Services  facilities vehicles
• Panavision UK  additional camera equipment
• Pepper Post Production  video mastering
• Professional Negative Cutting  negative cutting (as Professional Neg Cutting Company)
• Sapex Scripts  post-production scripts
• Sparks Filmtechnik GmbH  lighting equipment (as Sparks Filmtechnik)
• Steeple Post Production Services  post-production consultancy
• Sturm Handels GmbH Kostümverleih  costume rental (as Sturm Handels GmbH)
• Technicolor  prints
• The Image Bank  archive film material
• Tommy Boy Records  soundtrack released by

Also Known As:

Army Go Home! (Germany)
Buffalo Soldiers - Army Go Home! (Germany) (DVD title)
Солдаты Буффало (Russia) [ru]
Acemi askerler (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Buffalo Soldiers (Spain) [es]
Buffalo Soldiers (France) [fr]
Guerreiros Buffalo (Brazil) [pt]
I symmoria me ta haki (Greece) [el]
Soldats sans bataille (Canada: French title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, drug content, strong language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Company:

FilmFour

Trivia:

Based on the 1993 novel by Robert O'Connor

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Sgt. Lee and his daughter in the car after the Civil War party, she asks him if he wants to kill Elwood, to which he asks her what she's talking about. She says, "Do you?" However, her lips do not move when saying that line.

Quotes:

Sgt. Lee: [On a training exercise, Sgt. Lee has made Ray Elwood carry an M-60 machine gun - a heavy weapon that Elwood cleary struggles with] What'sa matter, Elwood, your fitness lacking? You want to do the confidence course a few times, get you back into shape?
Ray Elwood: No thanks, Top. I'll be fine.
[Barely makes it up a steep hill while clutching the heavy weapon]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Signs (2002)

Soundtrack:

Ich Bin Ein Arschloch

Bilko for the New Millennium

Without an enemy to fight, an army will fight itself or find its own enemies. In the tradition of "Sergeant Bilko" (the Phil Silvers TV show, not Steve Martin's ghastly remake) "Buffalo Soldiers" shows what happens when soldiers with nothing to do but wait for war begin to think for themselves and exploit the system.

In place of Bilko's poker games and lottery scams, Ray Elwood opts for black marketeering, drug dealing and gun running. However, the characters portrayed by Phil Silvers and Joaquin Phoenix respectively do have a lot in common.

The tone of "Buffalo Soldiers" is much darker than that of "Sergeant Bilko", but the film and TV series share the same absurd yet plausible vision. There are no chimpanzee conscripts like Private Harry Speakup in this movie, but there ARE characters who have clearly risen well above the level of their own incompetence. Ed Harris' Colonel Berman is a pathetic example of the uniformed, time-served bureaucrat, someone you could almost feel sorry for until you realise that one day he may have to lead men into combat.

Counterbalancing the Bilko-esquire vibe created by Elwood's wheeler-dealing is his nemesis, Scott Glenn's steely Sergeant Lee. Glenn clearly relishes his role in this movie and is very convincing as the model soldier with a true heart of darkness.

Joaquin Phoenix gives Elwood an understated charisma as he leads his troops from behind, rarely lifting the lid on the fear and frustration that simmers within him as the events he sets in motion go out of control.

To say that this film is anti-military is unfair as it contains portrayals of decent, honest and professional soldiers as well as the scammers, pimps and dopeheads that the plot focuses on. It is a film about human beings (with all their failings) in uniform, not soldiers. "Buffalo Soldiers" is anti-complacency, anti-indoctrination and anti-corruption, which is probably why its release was postponed after the September 11th terrorist outrage of 2001. In the light of recent despicable acts by a small group of US soldiers in Iraq's Abu Graib prison, this film seems eerily prescient. Without an enemy to fight in open combat, what happens to the aggression and contempt for that enemy that military training fosters?

Ignore the negative comments and give this under-rated film a chance. It was titled "Army Go Home" in Germany, where the film is set, echoing the feelings of German citizens who lived near foreign troops sent to defend them against Communism. The Beetle-crushing sequence (an absurdly comic high point of the film) is based on actual incidents involving bored, intoxicated British and American troops on manoeuvres, armed to the teeth and waiting for a war that never came.