Jan-Michael Vincent plays a Marine recruit with a free spirit and a will of his own who clashes with his superiors while in Boot Camp; seems his strange-but-successful meditation techniques have intrigued his fellow soldiers and now have the barracks in a state of orderly calm. Highly-regarded drama for television boasts some good sequences and a fine performance from Vincent, but Darren McGavin's drill sergeant is a wheeze (the role probably looked moldy in 1970 as well). The humiliation tactics taken by the Marines (calling the soldiers "ladies" and so on) likely haven't changed much in the ensuing years, yet this particular training-day tale hasn't been sharpened for much impact. Vincent is an individualist whose body can be broken but not his mind--once we understand this, there isn't much more in the teleplay to surprise us. Production values solid, though several of the supporting performances are flimsy and the finale is highly unsatisfactory.
Review of Tribes
