Director Walter Hill’s unflinching tale of men pushed to their breaking point, Southern Comfort begins with the simplest of setups. In the opening prologue, a group of weekend warriors for the Louisiana National Guard are sent out for training in the Louisiana bayou. The ostensible leader of the group, Poole (Peter Coyote), is unable to contain some of the rowdier recruits who suggest ‘borrowing’ some of the locals canoes for a bit of rafting. When Cajuns appear and begin shouting in protest, one of the men fires back in jest, igniting a war of sorts, that sends the Guardsmen running for their lives in unfamiliar territory.

With the locals hot on their tail, and an area full of booby traps, the men soon turn on each other and start dropping like flies. A shot from across the lake proves fatal for Poole. Begrudgingly, the charismatic Spencer (Keith Carradine) must now lead the men, finding an ally in stony-faced new guy Hardin (Powers Boothe) even though he’s ruffled a few of the others’ feathers.

Astute movie fans will quickly notice a striking similarity to Deliverance, but, while this certainly can’t be denied, Southern Comfort becomes a taut thriller in its own right. The locals go to great lengths to torment the soldiers. All of this isn’t helped by the fact that Private Simms (Franklyn Seales) begins displaying psychotic tendencies towards the a one-armed Cajun poacher they take as a prisoner, and Private Reece (Fred Ward) goes slightly insane after the Cajuns set their hunting dogs after the group. The tension is as thick, as it gets as Private Stuckey (Lewis Smith) the trigger happy, practical joker who started this whole thing tries to find a way out of the mess their now in.

Walter Hill increases the tension with his rather claustrophobic directing style. Despite the fact that the story takes place in the wide-open spaces of the Louisiana bayou, he creates this closed in feeling that makes the gun toting weirdo’s, vicious dogs, etc. seem even scarier.

While Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe are the stars of the film, and both deliver memorable performances, the supporting cast is large and appropriate. Fred Ward, Lewis Smith, and Peter Coyote are all given showy parts as Guardsman. The late Brion James is particularly unforgettable as a Cajun trapper. Special mention must be made of Ry Cooder’s excellent musical score. His southern style bluegrass music adds a unique flavor to all of the events taking place on screen.

Southern Comfort is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (an imprint of Shout! Factory) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The color, while often intentionally muted, looks rather striking at times. Unfortunately, while grain is certainly in evidence, it is often clumped, and shows video pixilation on occasion. However, the brightly lit close-ups reveal excellent clarity and fine detail. Some midrange and establishing shots are a bit soft by comparison.

Southern Comfort features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track which offers a surprisingly full sounding low end and featuring solid fidelity. Cooder’s score is clearly presented, and the film’s dialogue is always easy to hear, even in some noisy environments. There is no appreciable damage to report.

English subtitles are included.

The following extras are available:

  • Documentary (HD, 27:12) A newly produced documentary featuring interviews with several of the actors, along with writer David Giler and director Walter Hill (who appear courtesy of Skype). They provide some interesting memories, as well as a bit of a debate as to whether the film is an allegory to the Vietnam War.
  • Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:08)
  • Stills Gallery (HD, 5:39)
  • DVD copy of the film.