One of the most under-rated military movies...

alessandro.pirisinu

alessandro.pirisinu

Active member
I'm talking about "Heartbreak Ridge", a vivid description of some months in the Marine Corps. Clint Eastwood (Gunnery Sgt. Thomas "Gunny" Highway) starred in this movie, with his well-known great quality as an actor.

There are many many scenes to be remembered: the first part of the the film is about training of a Recoinassance Platoon, in an Amphibious Unit of the USMC. Gunny gives hard weeks of training to his men but, at the end, they feel something has changed: they now can stand proud of being soldiers who know their job.

The best thing in this movie, I think, is its "message": Gunny is an old vet (Dominican, Korea, Vietnam)... but he's still capable to give his soldiers something of inestimable value: his own experience. He turns a bunch of desperados into "a few good men" (his own words). So, those man start to act as a real unit.

It's a good lesson in life: everyone has something good to give... good for us when we take it and appreciate it.

To conclude, one of the best scenes of the movie (I remember it by heart): there is a readiness deployment exercise. At a certain moment, the General Commander of the Division shows up, takes a look to Gunny and says: "Have we ever served together?"... "I was in Vietnam" ... and the General "I had a rifle company in Vietnam"... "So, we chew some of the same dirt, Sir"...

Then the General asks Gunny: "What's your evaluation of this alert?" and Gunny replies: "It's a cluster f***"...
So the General stares at Gunny and says: "Say again". "It's a cluster f***... Marines are combat men, Sir. They should not sit on their sorry asses filling request forms for equipment they should already have"...

Great Clint, great actor, great Man
 
I remember the first time I saw this movie when I was a teen (about 14), and it made me to have interest about the conflict it was set up. Till then didn't now anything about it and found out some info the invasion of Grenada.

Good movie and great Clint as always! :thumb:
 
Yes, Heartbreak Ridge is a great movie. It has special significance for me, though, because my wife and I went to see it on our very first date.
 
I'm sorry but I found it quite corny.
A recon platoon acting like a bunch of spoilt brats!! Ineptly run training wher ethey always have to die. It was ridiculous.
Liked Clints character and his battle with the modern Corps but found the actual battle disapointing.
From a historical viewpoint. Was this invasion justified for the expansion of the Grenadan airport runway???? I know very little about it and most web stuff seems very USA one sided. Was Reagan telling the whole truth for the reasons behind the invasion or was it an accidental miss reading of intelligence.
Not trying to inflame a folder war I am genuinely interested in this event.
 
If you do the research you will find that, that mission was undertaken by the 2/504 PIR and the army did not approve the script. So the director made it a marine mission. Beleave me I heard about it every time my old platoon daddy SFC Kochis saw the movie. He was in A co 504 and cleared the school grounds and the admin bld. I guess it does make sense that was not really a Recon type mission.
 
Warwick said:
I'm sorry but I found it quite corny.
A recon platoon acting like a bunch of spoilt brats!! Ineptly run training wher ethey always have to die. It was ridiculous.
Liked Clints character and his battle with the modern Corps but found the actual battle disapointing.
From a historical viewpoint. Was this invasion justified for the expansion of the Grenadan airport runway???? I know very little about it and most web stuff seems very USA one sided. Was Reagan telling the whole truth for the reasons behind the invasion or was it an accidental miss reading of intelligence.
Not trying to inflame a folder war I am genuinely interested in this event.
Click to expand...

Your right... That was Reagan getting us a tune up for the military.Remember that was the post Carter/Watergate years.He was just getting us fired up again, after Carter humiliated us by trying to invade Iran with 4 helicopters...
 
I felt Heartbreak Ridge was corny, also. The USMC Force Reconn are some tough hombres, not some 'winny' bunch of slackers waiting for someone to motivate them!
 
Well, maybe one day someone will put out a Grenada war movie thats a bit more gritty and realistic.......................
 
In my opinion producers or script writers are too lazy to do any research so their stories are severely lacking when it comes to reality. It is always easier to make up things for dramatic effect than to face the reality that can be less dramatic. But I like to watch war movies. Seen from a professional soldier's view then most movies are hilarious. The Rambo series is an excellent example of a producer's stupidity and ignorance. Ask any combat veteran.
 
I enjoyed Heartbreak Ridge for it's dark sense of humour, at least that's my approach to liking the movie.

The Rambo series however was hampered by a total lack of humoristic sense...
 
I like war movies which have a real background. Several such were made after the war in Norway. Just to mention Shetlands-gjengen. This is about the Norwegian unit working for the SOE out of Shetland, operating a ferry service, so to speak, to occupied Norway. The person standing out is, of course, Shetland-Larsen himself - Leif Larsen - the highest decorated allied naval officer during WW2.

Another is: Tungtvanns-aksjonen, the operation to destroy the heavy water the Germans were producing in Norway for a future nuclear bomb. Later also in a Hollywood-version with Kirk Douglas - disgusting..! Nothing wrong with Kirk Douglas, though..:)..

The original even had some of the original participants acting as themselves.

Finally, Ni Liv - Nine lives, about the Norwegain resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud and his escape to Sweden when he had to ampute hos own toes due to frost-damage.​
 
fredleander said:
I like war movies which have a real background. Several such were made after the war in Norway. Just to mention Shetlands-gjengen. This is about the Norwegian unit working for the SOE out of Shetland, operating a ferry service, so to speak, to occupied Norway. The person standing out is, of course, Shetland-Larsen himself - Leif Larsen - the highest decorated allied naval officer during WW2.

Another is: Tungtvanns-aksjonen, the operation to destroy the heavy water the Germans were producing in Norway for a future nuclear bomb. Later also in a Hollywood-version with Kirk Douglas - disgusting..! Nothing wrong with Kirk Douglas, though..:)..

The original even had some of the original participants acting as themselves.

Finally, Ni Liv - Nine lives, about the Norwegain resistance fighter Jan Baalsrud and his escape to Sweden when he had to ampute hos own toes due to frost-damage.​
Click to expand...

Sekondløitnanten.
 
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I saw it when I was young, even then thought it was okay,

Best parts are the Clint Eastwoodisms ha

But for those who say the movie was not realistic,

A many of realistic war films are considered documentaries.

Realism just doesn't do it at the box office, people nowa days seem to have ever shorter attention spans,

It seems a lot of the mainstream audience wants either stoner movies or action films that present the viewer with a siezure of explsions and nude scenes.

If I remeber well, what is considered PG 13 today was an"not until your older" movie 15 years ago.
 
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