Buffalo Soldiers
Miramax Films | Release Date: July 25, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
56
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
13
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
It moves so confidently and brightly that it's ticklish as well as chilling - and, in its own dark way, enthralling. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A good satire that had the untimely bad luck to be about a U.S. soldier who will do anything it takes to party, except fight for the right. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Tightly plotted and well-acted, the film litters its brisk run time with darkly funny and haunting setpieces. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Like "Fight Club," it's a brilliantly made film that will be despised for the right and wrong reasons; if you don't see the humor in it any time during the first half-hour, leave. If you stay, you've passed the test--sit back and enjoy one of the year's finest films. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
You’ve heard of guerrilla warfare? Buffalo Soldiers is all about guerilla capitalism. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The film is filled with spot-on performances, by Harris, Glenn, Phoenix, and by Paquin, who has grown up after her debut in "The Piano" to become one of the most gifted actresses of her generation--particularly in tricky, emotion-straddling roles like this one. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's an enjoyable and occasionally thought-provoking motion picture whose viewership should not be diminished by the unfortunate and inaccurate "anti-American" label. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Adapting Robert O'Connor's novel, director Gregor Jordan slaps us with keen wit and purpose. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Crafty, cutting movie. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
At its best it's as refreshing as it is daring. Superbly acted. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Imperfect, but certainly provocative. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
A well-told story. It pits a compelling central character against a formidable adversary in an intriguing setting while keeping you riveted to the cat-and-mouse strategizing, surprise turns and a few moments of actual warmth. Read full review
70
Film ThreatClint Morris
The script’s extremely well written, the direction flawless, and the performances -- especially by the fantastic Joaquin Phoenix, gobsmacking. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
In some ways it suffers from the same unredemptive afflictions as Elwood and his gang: It's a bit flaccid and flabby and lumbers gracelessly along without self awareness or humanity. Read full review
63
PremiereGlenn Kenny
A tart, funny, moderately over-the-top hijinks-and-snafus yarn. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
When it was first shown at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival just days before Sept. 11, this movie seemed darkly, grimly comic. Today, though, it often just seems grim. Read full review
63
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Phoenix gives an electric performance as amoral Army supply clerk Ray Elwood. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It's not the dark comedy it wants to be - that would be "M*A*S*H" with a more modern setting and more gruesome consequences - but it's worth a look. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
In its post-Vietnam cynicism, Buffalo Soldiers feels almost avant-garde. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
A pleasingly disreputable trifle. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The absence of any moral center makes this a bitter pill. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The brouhaha aside, this chronicle of SNAFUs foretold doesn't have much new to say but says it with biting precision, and Phoenix's sharp, sneakily sympathetic performance is a pleasure to watch. Read full review
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The highest accomplishment of Buffalo Soldiers is its wise invocation of that weirdest of all precincts, the post, and the odd culture it spawns. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Ultimately, it's a cold, caustic film that doesn't take a strong point of view but seems to offer up its numerous set pieces. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
As social satire, though, the movie is a nonstarter, completely lacking in the zany lunacy of "M*A*S*H" and "Dr. Strangelove," or the whacked savagery of "Catch-22." Read full review
50
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Had the young Jack Nicholson played such a character during the height of the Vietnam War, it would have been easy to go along for the ride. But skilled as Phoenix is at pulling off the individual scenes of Elwood's shenanigans, the actor doesn't come across as embodying rebellion to the marrow of his bones, which renders his scams arbitrary and disagreeably irresponsible. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony Lane
I suspect that Buffalo Soldiers is not about the Army at all. Without much ado, it could have been turned into “Buffalo Management Consultants” or “Buffalo Movie Executives.” Any clenched community would suffice. [8 August 2003, p. 84]
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Though the film, adapted from a novel by Robert O'Connor, is obviously trying to reference "Catch-22," it is far too dark and violent to be funny. Read full review
50
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
The pleasures of Buffalo Soldiers mainly come early on, before the film becomes a sloppy mixture of tones and story lines. Afterward, you're left mainly puzzled and looking for a way to wash a bitter aftertaste out of your mouth. Read full review
40
The New York TimesDana Stevens
Sloppy when it should be incisive, indulgent when it should be astringent, and ultimately unsure of what it is mocking and in what spirit. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
This is low-grade satire. The shocks to the system in Buffalo Soldiers are nothing more than cheap thrills. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeJanice Page
For all the controversy surrounding Buffalo Soldiers, you'd think the film would at least be interesting. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Suffers from melodramatic overkill. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
Even Phoenix, an actor who can make an incestuous-minded Roman emperor seem sensitive, can't smooth over political nihilism this unsavory. Read full review
30
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The film's intent was presumably satirical in the vein of "Catch-22" or "M*A*S*H," but the satire is so weak, the action so devoid of comic perspective, that we are left with a naked gaggle of ugly episodes. Read full review
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