Saving Private Tootsie
Saving Private Tootsie
| 28 November 2002 (USA)
Saving Private Tootsie Trailers

A local Thai flight crashes inside Burma in rebel held territory. Amongst the survivors are several gay men and transsexuals. The Thai Army is ordered by the Foreign Ministry to rescue them. One of their soldiers is a bit of a loose cannon and he hates homosexuals as his son is one. However he must do his duty despite his prejudice.

Reviews
PodBill Just what I expected
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Hazel Freeman The action follows the rescue of a group of gay and transsexual people who were stranded following a plane crash in the forest in rebel-held territory on the border of Thailand. The film could have traced a familiar theme in a new (to Western audiences) format, with no Rambo style hero and no high-tech rescue equipment; just walking through the jungle, in some cases in high heels.The tension is well developed, with the jungle itself, booby traps, the cliche of treacherous politicians refusing helicopter help, and the armed rebels. The rescued group antagonise their rescuers by failing to co-operate, and the tension arising from the homophobia of some of the soldiers is played on.However, the homophobic angle is a little jagged for the Western viewer, with just too many "fag" references, and too much camp, peevish behaviour from the people who are being rescued. In fact this last dimension destroys the tension that ought to be carefully built up; it's just not believable. (Nor is it comedy, as suggested by another reviewer.)If you can overlook this shortcoming, then the film is an interesting new take on a familiar story, and it's good entertainment.