“Heartbreak Ridge” is named
after an actual battle in the Korean War, but it has nothing to do with that
battle, unfortunately. It was released
in 1986 and was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. Part of it was filmed on the island of
Grenada. Eastwood got limited Pentagon
support due to the fact that the main character drank, was divorced, had a
potty mouth, and used unorthodox training methods. The Marine Corps disowned the film because of
the language. The movie was nominated
for an Oscar for Sound (I’m assuming that was not for the sound of the words
coming out of the men’s mouths). It was
a big hit and critics were kind.
We meet Gunny Highway (Eastwood)
in a jail cell telling war stories. He’s
a warrior without a war. He soon meets
Stitch Jones (Mario Peebles) who is a lover who is not interested in war. Surprise, he is in the platoon that Highway
has been assigned to shape up. The
heterogeneous unit (black playa, two Hispanics, Italian paisano, hick, he-man,
etc.) is in need of discipline and motivation.
They remind of the men in “Stripes”, except this movie is not supposed
to be a comedy. (Shockingly, “Stripes”
came out five years earlier and thus is not the parody of this movie that you
would assume.) Highway’s commanding officer Maj. Powers
(Everett McGill) takes an instant dislike to Highway (completely disregarding
the fact that the gunny is a Medal of Honor recipient). Powers is an ambitious asshole Annapolis grad
who considers Highway to be a dinosaur. “This
is the new Marine Corps and you are an anachronism – old timer.” Theme established: old versus new, veteran versus greenie-weinie.
Highway puts the platoon through
some tough physical training. There is a
running gag that involves Highway forcing the men to work out shirtless. Hilarious (not) and WTF. What do these men do in training? Rappelling, obstacle course, live fire, and
the shooting range. Highway handles the mutiny
of his wussies by beating he-man.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T is inevitable.
Meanwhile, Highway is trying to rekindle with his wife Aggie (Marsha
Mason). It’s a rocky road but you don’t
need a map to tell where it’s going.
Highway continues to butt heads
with Powers who uses the Recon Platoon to make his platoon look elite. This leads to a melee between the two units culminating
in a tie-breaker bout between Highway and Powers. Bonding complete, now all they need is a war
to consummate.
The Recon Platoon is sent to
Grenada to liberate the Medical School.
On the way they use a bulldozer to take a bridge. Later, they have a “last stand” against the
vaunted Cuban army. One guy has to die
so the movie can claim realism. (This is
the kind of movie where even one death in the unit is a surprise.) They use a phone and credit card to call in air
support. Powers calls Highway’s pushing
forward disobedience. Highway calls it
initiative. What will the general call
it? The men return to an anti-Vietnam
War welcome. Guess who’s waiting for
Highway?
Have you ever re-watched a movie
that you were not impressed with as a teenager and found you were wrong about
it? This is not one of those times. I invariably find that my first impressions
are correct in cases like this. If I did
not like a war movie when I was a naïve teenager, it’s unlikely to gain respect
now that I analyze them critically. “Heartbreak
Ridge” is a terrible movie. Even Grenada
deserved better. The acting is poor,
other than Eastwood, and even he is not at the top of his game. He sways between gruffly growling and petulantly pining. Peebles is aggravating as the rocker wannabe
and Powers needs a mustache to twirl.
The ensemble mugs its way through the film. Speaking of which, in the combat scenes they
look like actors playing soldier. There
obviously was no boot camp for this group.
Maybe that’s why there is a lack of action in the movie. You sit through almost two hours just to get to
Grenada, for Christ’s sake.
The dialogue is a weakness. Although the screenplay was by a Vietnam veteran,
the words he puts in the soldiers’ mouths do not ring true. Many of the lines are smack talk aimed at
fourteen year old boys. A good drinking
game would be to take a drink every time you feel the urge to say “oh, snap!” The writer appears to have bought a copy of “101
Great Military Insults” and attempted to cram all of them into the script. Here are a few of my favorite lines:
Highway: “I eat concertina wire and piss napalm and I
can put a round in a flea’s ass at 200 meters.”
Choozoo: “If your brain was half as smart as your mouth,
skunk stool, you’d be a frickin’ twenty star general by now.”
Highway: “You pump the neighbor’s dog again,
Jakes? Or are you always slack-jawed
and silly in the afternoon?”
Highway: “Why don't I bend you over the table there... send
you home with the "I just pumped the neighbor's cat" look on your
face.”
Highway: “If
you pull another shithead stunt like that again, the only thing that'll beat
you to the brig is the headlights on the ambulance you'll be riding in.
And by the
way, much of the dialogue is homophobic in a cringe-inducing way. Highway nicknames the Italian “Fag –eddi”. There’s a lot of high school locker room
humor in the film.
The movie is full of clichés. The warrior who is out of place in
peacetime. The clash of
generations. Molding recalcitrant
charges into a lean mean fighting machine.
The incompetent glory-hound standing in the way of the pure
warrior. Military life trumps home life.
Surprisingly, the movie is
fairly accurate for a film that makes no claim to be based on a true
story. There was a Heartbreak Ridge which
was a typical Korean War hill assault with frontal tactics that resulted in
high casualties and the acquisition of some worthless real estate after attacks
and counterattacks by stubborn commanders.
Similar to Pork Chop Hill. Three
real incidents from Grenada are portrayed in the movie. The use of the bulldozer was based on an
action taken by future head of Central Command, Capt. John Abizaid. The Medical School was liberated as depicted,
but by Army Rangers. The phone call for
air support was a famous anecdote from the conflict and was the incident that
inspired the screenwriter to develop the script.
Christmas gift? No, you shit-bird, queer-bait, maggot.
Grade = D
The title is confusing. Not only is the movie not about the Korean War battle, but the real battle of Heartbreak Ridge was mainly an Army show. There were few, if any, Marines there. The movie does try to acknowledge that fact with a scene in which that sergeant major explains that he and Highway were in the Army at the time, and joined the USMC later. I can't say that is impossible, but it is very unusual. The Marine Corps and Air Force have stricter upper age limits than the Army. It's fairly common to see former Marines and airmen in the Army, but not vice versa. I did read (in a biography of Eastwood) that the original story was about an Army unit (either Rangers or the 82nd Airborne), but Army brass disliked the script (small wonder) and refused to cooperate, so a last-minute revision changed the unit to a Marine Recon platoon. Either way, it's improbable that such a unit would have so many slackers and foul-ups in it. Those guys would have washed out of boot camp (or even Army basic training), never mind jump school or Ranger training. That said, I don't hate the movie. It's entertaining for people who just want a paint-by-numbers war movie, and who don't know (or care) about the inaccuracies.
ReplyDeleteExcellent stuff. I can confirm all you say about the replacement of Army characters with Marines. I di not want the review to go too long. As far as the depiction of the unit pre-Highway, I assume this was a statement about the state of the military in the period after the Vietnam War.
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DeleteTom Villard, who played the radio man, did an interview in a teenagers' fan magazine. He said that, while making the movie, he "learned an encyclopedia's worth about what it's like to be a soldier." Evidently, he did not learn that the Marines don't like to be called "soldiers."
ReplyDeleteThat's an amazing statement and I would think many actual veterans got a good laugh from it. What distresses me is the movie was written by a veteran which confirms the ability of Hollywood to taint everything it touches. I am not a veteran, but I have read enough primary sources to find the dialogue inauthentic.
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoyed the movie, although I don't view it as either a war movie or an accurate depiction of military life. The first half was better because it showed Eastwood's character realizing that he had to change, at least how he treated his ex-wife. The second half, especially the scenes in Grenada, are weak. To be honest, I like Eastwood, and it is difficult to dislike one of his movies.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Eastwood, he picked up the torch from John Wayne plus he has been an astounding director. However, this not one of his better efforts. I agree that he tries to change to reunite with his wife, but I do not think that he changes his attitude militarily. In fact, I believe a central theme of the film is that Old School is better. You should not beat your wife, but you can still beat your subordinates and superiors. And you can still shoot at your men with an AK-47.
ReplyDeleteI actually think despite its accuracy or not in historical terms; Heartbreak Ridge is one of my favourite Clint Eastwood films although he has done so many classics you can lose count.
ReplyDeleteI learned long ago when it comes to movies in general; it is better to enjoy them for what they are, not what they could be. I watch movies for the enjoyment and if a movie (like this one) is entertaining and enjoyable it has done its job just fine. Thanks for the fine review of a classic!
Also - here are my five favourite War movies!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of this film is the opening montage of Korean War footage with the Sea of Heartbreak by Don Gibson accompaniment.
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