lockwood-10 I served over 8 years in the active Army and also the Guard and am a veteran of Desert Storm. I watched 'Tribes' recently and regard the movie with unusual interest. The movie does not make a blanket statement as being anti-war, but more focuses on the military machine (this being the Marine Corps) trying to indoctrinate a young man who opposes war. Was this movie believable? Yes, I rubbed elbows with men who became pacifists and later refused service when called back to duty. The conflict between Mr McGavin and Mr. Vincent is seen as being very realistic going through basic training with the assumption that being 'we can break and mold you in our image'. That was the reality for all of us in the military and I found the ending to this movie quite different than what I expected it to be. I highly recommend this for all ages.

cineman777 I saw this movie when it came out 35 years ago (has it really been that long?). Most memorable scene was the one in which free spirit hippie Jan-Michael Vincent was forced to hold up two full buckets of water (one in each hand) shoulder high as punishment by taskmaster Darrin McGavin. Vincent turned the tables by meditating on a carefree afternoon spent frolicking on a sun-dappled hillside with a comely young miss. His blissed-out state enabled him to maintain the buckets aloft indefinitely. This naturally drove the by-the-book McGavin to distraction. Enjoyed the culture clash theme. Exemplary writing, directing, and especially acting (McGavin superb as the grizzled DI, and Vincent at his charismatic best).

mml-5 I haven't seen this since my first viewing in 1970 but I remember the reactions of my peers ( I was 16) very well. We thought it was great! It was wonderful to see "one of our own" succeed against the military that threatened all of us at that time. It may be hard to understand today, but in those times of the draft, the Kent State shootings, and the war in Viet Nam, those of us with long hair or alternative views took pleasure in seeing those reflected in the popular media of the day which was anything but "alternative".

dtucker86 I have had a total of fifteen years of military experience in the Guard and in the regular Army. I usually have a big laugh watching movies that depict military basic training because they are often inaccurate to the point of being ridiculous! Tribes was more accurate then a lot of films I've seen. It depicts boot camp very realistically. Darren McGavin is funny as the tough DI who finds this strange hippie in his platoon. Earl Holliman steals the show as an even tougher DI who has it in for the hippie. Full Metal Jacket is still my favorite military film though. I suppose at the time Tribes came out, its peace message was very popular. These days,however, most people wouldn't have a lot of sympathy for Vincents character.