The Tribe

In 1970 the United States Marine Corps did for the first time in its 194 year old history draft men for the corp. That's how come a long haired hippie wound up at the training base with long hair and a poncho. This counter-cultural chap Adrian comes face to face with a tough but honest DI played by Darren McGavin who has a softer, more human side under his " I'm a Marine and that's all I am" hardshell leatherneck persona Adrian doesn't conform and uses yoga (which he teaches to the other men) to deal with marine corp training. The made for tv movie has an interesting ending I would give this movie **** four stars

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).

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".

I am an Air Force officer. I appreciated this movie's adherence to depicting basic training in a fairly accurate light. Placed in the context of early 1970's America, "Tribes" strikes a realistic balance between "hippie culture" and military regimentation. I partly expected the movie to take a sappy turn, whereby the entire platoon converted to flower-power and refused to fight. Thankfully, the ending is far more original, although saddening.

Jan-Michael Vincent acted superbly. Besides the classic 1980s Airwolf TV series, I was never really impressed by his acting ability, until now. Darren McGavin of "The Christmas Story" fame was excellent also, and the two interacted well on screen.

This movie is a fun Saturday afternoon commentary on the tension between the desensitization of military training and the desire to preserve individual values. I voted a 9 out of 10.

Richard Bejtlich

I saw this when I was 14 in 1970 and it had a big impact on me. Everything about it was excellent. Special kudos to Vincent for insisting they shave his actual hair for realism. (I read about that in one of the teen magazines of the time, lol)

Anyone interested in the late 60s early 70s "hippie" movement should watch this, and anyone who wonders about the military's methods of transforming ordinary citizens into military personnel. As other reviewers have noted, this film doesn't take sides, but presents a sympathetic view to both the DI and the drafted hippie, and protrays them both as willing and able to see other points of view. A good film for parents to watch with teens; it will lead to interesting discussions.