Billiards Movie Reviews

The movie is essentially about a bunch of wanna-be National Guards sent out on a routine weekend mission in the swamps of Louisiana, only to find themselves at war with some mean locals. When water appears where land should be, the troop has no choice but to borrow some unattended boats belonging to some Cajun locals. Of course, things go awry when the troop member, plagued with idiocy, shoots a round of blanks at the locals for sheer fun. Things heat up real fast as the wanna-be guards begin the fight for survival in an unknown territory with only blanks. Some scenes get you so riled up, you'll be at the edge of your seat shouting "what the . . . !" Unfortunately, the captain and another member sometimes come across as poor actors, but depending on how you see it, that could be explained as an approach to portray realistic men who just don't know what the heck they're doing. Afterall, from the beginning, the Sergeant pleads with them to act like real soldiers for once in their life.

The film seems to work best as a "survival of the fittest" story instead of a macho-type, action-packed war movie. The eerie swamp certainly contributes to many nerve-racking moments. Slightly puzzling ending, but still a relatively good film. Certainly above standard.

For anyone ever in the military of that era, it is a profoundly accurate depiction of just how easily disorganized, untrained, and undisciplined troops who are poorly indoctrinated and even more poorly led can find itself disastrously out of control under circumstances they can no longer positively influence. Moreover, left to their own devices,and slowly decimated through casualties inflicted by their erstwile opponents, they unnecessarily and fatefully add to their own predicament by taking action that makes their predicament much worse. They also find, to their horror, that relatively untrained civilians with guns and attitude can be formidable opponents. The stealth, familiarity with the terrain, and downright viciousness employed by the local Cajun moon-shiners makes this a captivating study in how slender are the threads that binds us together in a large and pluralistic society such as ours. Speaking of terrain, the way in which Hill uses the topography and atmosphere of the swamps and savannas of the bayou make it an essential and unpredictable aspect to their efforts to extricate themselves from this background of madness.

In what is perhaps the best-delivered performance of his many-faceted career, Powers Boothe provides a rational coda to the irrational aggression swirling around him as Hardin, a white collared and college educated trooper who has only recently joined the unit, and whose efforts to corral the others that he characterizes as rednecks, into a more cohesive fighting force finally work to their advantage. Fred Ward is also excellent here, as is Keith Carradine, Peter Coyote, and Alan Autry, who later gained fame as the resident stud-muffin southern boy featured in the TV series version of "Heat Of The Night". Also an essential ingredient in delivering a movie with a knockout punch is Ry Cooder's haunting score, which provides a wonderful mix of southern twang and Cajun chords in accompanying this extremely well told tale. For anyone interested in an allegorical approach to our Vietnam troubles told interestingly and provocatively, I can highly recommend the movie, and am glad it is finally out in DVD. Enjoy!

The acting is generally first-rate. Powers Boothe (Hardin) and Fred Ward (Reece) are especially noteworthy, with Boothe portraying someone who is solid, sensible, practical, and mature in sharp contrast to Ward's character whose attitude and behavior suggest a potentially dangerous psychosis. Keith Carradine (Spencer) is less impressive, perhaps because his character throughout much of the film seems so laid-back, indifferent, almost aloof. Peter Coyote (Poole) makes a brief but memorable appearance. Others in the cast are OK. Special mention should be made of Ry Cooder's musical score which is most impressive when integrated with festive activities in a Cajun village. The tone of the celebration is juxtaposed in stunning contrast with the terror which has consumed the reservists.

Frankly, I am unable to explain why, when I inquire, so few of my countless "film buff" friends have even heard of this film, much less seen it. Those who then act on my strong recommendation and see it tell me later how much they enjoyed it. Veterans of the Viet Nam War indicate that it reminds them of their own experiences with the Viet Cong. Some of the veterans compare this film with Platoon. See it and judge for yourself.

one more thing: it's the "EL", not "L train."

With a poorly written script, mediocre acting (not the least of which is James Caan doggedly referring to sailors as "soldiers"), inacurate uniform details and an amazingly incompetent misportrayal of both Clayton Hartwig and Kendall Truitt this is easily the worst movie I have ever seen.

I have often watched "real life dramas" made into movies and wondered how much is true and how much is "Hollywood". Well - I can say with absolute certainty and first hand experience that this movie is 99% Hollywood and 1% Truth.

If you really want to know about what happened aboard the USS Iowa and why it may have happened you are much better off reading the book, "A Glimpse of Hell" (which still has its faults and problems, of course) and forgetting about this farce of a movie.

Who am I? I am GMG3 Kendall Truitt's ex-wife and I lived this movie. Take my word for it - this movie stinks!

I did not find this movie to have any spirit, nor did it succeed in showing any new plausible theory about how the accident happened or why the Navy would think that a cover-up would be in its best interests.

There were no special features on the DVD of note.

James Caan turns in a fine performance as the Captain of the USS Iowa and Robert Sean Leonard another fine performance as the ensign that sometimes opposes the Captain and questions the Navy, even though his father is a Navy legend. These two strong personalities clash over the explosion on the Iowa and its causes.

The men of the Iowa have their own ideas of how to impress the Captain, who is on a career upswing, possibly the next Admiral and they hope to ride his coat tails. The mixture of their ideas and the Captains seeming aloofsness to his men make for a disaster when while trying to stretch the limit of the machinery a gun turret explodes. Many men die but the Navy seems content to brush it under the rug.

But the question remains, was it a horrible accident or a dereliction of duty. The facts presented here weigh in on both sides of the argument. What is the final choice? What happens when the brass get involved? Will they find a scapegoat? Will they hold someone accountable? Or will they use the faulty machinery excuse? Was there a cover-up? A whitewash? Or does the Navy tell you the truth?

Watch this excellent movie to find out.