Customer Reviews

Heartbreak Ridge [VHS]

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

In Heartbreak Ridge, Clint Eastwood brings the story of whipping a group of slacker marines into shape to life. Although Clint still packs plenty of great one-liners (which are hilarious), his character shows many other sides as well. The other characters are also very colorful, and display a great transition toward the end of the movie. A must-see for Clint fans as well as anybody else.

I don't take this movie as seriously as Saving Private Ryan, for example, but I don't think the movie takes itself so seriously, either. In fact, it is pretty darn funny in a subtle way. There is enough variety of characters as comic relief to overcome any factual inaccuracies in the film. It is the classic "New commander whips the boys into shape" story.

When this film came out, aeons ago, a sneering newspaper reviewer called it an the utltimate "OC" movie, "OC" meaning "of course." He was referring to the fact that there isn't a single character or situation in "Heartbreak Ridge" that could be called remotely original -- it's basically a 1980s version of every 1940s, '50s, & '60s war movie you ever saw. His evidence:

1 - crusty yet somehow loveable sergeant
2 - crusty yet somehow loveable sidekick
3 - pencil-pushing jerk senior officer
4 - green platoon leader
5 - woman from past
6 - bumbling soldier who needs to grow up
7 - assorted Cental Casting platoon members
8 - generic training sequences
9 - generic trial by fire
10 - predictable ending

All this is completely true. I just don't care. The stupid reviewer was too busy being smug to understand that the reason this story has been told so many times is because it is a classic, and classics are timeless. Especially under the tender care of Clint "Shoot First, Ask Questions Never" Eastwood.

"Ridge" is the story of Tom Highway (as in "My Way Or The..."), a bullet-scarred, gravelly-voiced Marine sergeant who has fought in three wars, won a bucketfull of medals, and is now facing mandatory retirement. Ol' Gunny Highway ain't takin' it too well, either -- he drinks, fights with the cops, and gets yelled at by his superiors. Banished to a supply billet, all he yearns for is one last chance to lead combat troops, and before you can say "of course," he's packed off to his old unit -- you know, the same one he was kicked out of years before, for insubordination and conduct unbecoming (you know, the usual Eastwood Offences).

Of course, his old unit is run by an unblooded, chin-thrusting martinet named Powers, who is described at one point in the film as being the sort who consults the manual before he mounts his old lady. Powers hates Highway and wants to run him out of the Corps, so he saddles him with a platoon of losers and ungovernable misfits run by a nerdy and clueless lieutenant. Chief among these dolts is the slick-talking Corporal Stitch Jones, played with glib hustla's charm by Mario Van Peebles.

Of course, Highway's embittered yet sexy ex-wife is still in town, and of course, Highway is still in love with her, in his foul-mouthed way. When he's not getting shot down by his ex, Highway guzzles beer and reminisces with his old war buddy, Sgt Major Choozoo, who's even more foul-mouthed than Highway. There's even a foul-mouthed female bartender who sits around pouring beers and dispensing crusty Corps wisdom. Honestly, this movie has the best cursing I've ever heard.

Of course, Highway's tough love approach is a hard swallow for everybody. Powers is after his stripes, his ex-wife's boyfriend (the guy who played Buford Pusser in the latter two entires in the "Walking Tall" movie series) wants to clean his clock, and his Marines wish he would just seize up and die like an old lawnmower. Little do they know that his brutal regimen will one day save their lives! For unbeknownst to all, the villainous Fidel Castro has ordered his military to seize power on the tiny Caribe resort island of Grenada, which houses lots of drunken American medical students. President Reagan ain't takin' this too well, so before you can say "Semper Fi" Highway and company are choppering off to put theory into practice and kick communist butt.

Do Highway's boys perform up to spec? Will Powers get his commupance? Will the sexy ex-wife be waiting when and if Highway returns? Of course, of course, and of course. But who cares? This movie is hilarious and hugely entertaining. Eastwood's over-the-top alpha-male performance is about as subtle as a bullet to the solar plexus, but it's great fun. So is the glaring villainy of Powers, the charming nerdiness of Ring, the slick charm of Jones, and the crusty bulldog loyalty of Choozoo. These cliched characters are like old friends.

"Ridge" has some funny trivia attached to it. Originally, it was written for an army character, but it seems the army wanted to make the movie a commercial for all its latest weaponry, so Eastwood tapped the Corps instead. When the Marine brass saw it, however, they were so appalled by the language they withdrew their endorsement. And these are Marines we're talking about, the guys who may have actually invented 6 of the 7 words you can't say on TV. It just goes to show you that four or five years in the Pentagon can ruin anybody.

More interestingly, the movie's title, "Heartbreak Ridge" is a glaring anachronism -- Heartbreak Ridge was taken by the Army's 4th Infantry Division, not the Marines. Clint was too in love with the title to change it, so he threw in a line about how Highway fought in Korea with the army but "joined the Corps later." Clint never let logic get in the way of his storytelling, and the audience shouldn't either.

Now come on, you devil dogs, let's take this blankety-blank hill!

Clint Eastwood directed and starred in this 1986 film, whose theme we've all seen before. He's cast as an aging Marine sergeant whose whole life has been devoted to the military. Along the way he and his wife, played by Marsha Mason, have split up and he's determined to win her back. He's served in Korea and Vietnam and is now charged with the task of training some raw recruits. They sure are the sorriest lot of trainees I've ever seen and they hate him of course. But he forces discipline on them and really does prepare them to fight in spite of themselves. When they are called upon to go to Grenada to rescue civilians, they rise to the occasion and fight with courage.

That's the plot, and it's really rather silly. But Clint Eastward is a special kind of guy and somehow he somehow manages to pull it all together. A lot of the dialog is absolutely outrageous in its creative vulgarity but it all seemed natural coming out of his mouth. And its easy to see the loving relationship with his ex-wife in spite of a lot of nasty wisecracks directed to each other. The story moved fast and held my interest even though it annoyed me with some of its overacting and over-simplification. But then again, it's supposed to be a comedy.

I can't recommend you go out and buy or rent this film. It's just too lightweight. But if you ever catch it on late-night TV, you'll find it a pleasant time waster. I therefore give it a mild recommendation.

Clint Eastwood is Gunnery Sergeant Highway, a Korea and Vietnam war veteran who survived a horrific battle in Korea referred to as Heartbreak Ridge and received the Medal of Honor for his actions. He's a warrior on the battlefield, but his aggressive, hard-drinking, and frank attitude has cost him promotion and his marriage. Nearing retirement, he receives orders to return to his elite specialty of Force Reconnaissance. Upon arrival, the battalion's operations officer treats Gunny as an outdated warrior, and he finds his new platoon comprised of misfits. He also learns that his ex-wife still resides locally earning a living as a cocktail waitress. Gunny commences to whipping his young Marines into shape while tangling with his ex-wife to repair their failed marriage. Meanwhile, Gunny is one step away from being under-mined and kicked out by his nemesis. The film culminates with Gunny's Marine battalion deployed to intervene the crisis on the Island of Grenada (actual operation in 1983), with his reconnaissance platoon leading the way into combat. It is here where the plot unfolds to reveal if Gunny's training has worked, and if his wife will return to him. The story is likable, but it suffers from immature male humor, and a lot of profanity. The feature has significant technical flaws such as an absence of other officers in the battalion, and Gunny's dangerous training methods that would probably result in his being relieved from duty - not to mention a particularly disturbing scene during the Grenada operation when Gunny is portrayed killing a wounded enemy soldier. The movie is entertaining, but definitely not to be taken seriously.

Heartbreak Ridge was an army battle, fought in Korea by the 2nd (Indianhead) Infantry Division, I think. (If I'm wrong, don't shoot.) Apparently, the army refused to sponsor the film and so the writers changed a few lines and the Corps took it up (and later tried to backpedal). The only time this is mentioned is when the Sergeant Major and Pvt Peebles are in the Old Marine Hangout bar (we're never given a name, it sure isn't the Staff NCO club on base) and the SgtMaj gives the Pvt a small history lesson, mentioning that they went in the Corps after Korea.
The film is formula, pure and simple, with all the caricatures of old time war movies. The conflict between Gunnery Sergeant Hightower and the football hero Major is yet another of the neverending personality conflicts without which no military outfit can function - according to Hollywood. (If it was really like that, of course, no unit could get itself together enough to make it to the point of embarkation much less fight!)
However, the uniforms and equipment are authentic and worn properly. Even the ribbons and badges are correct as to time and place and worn as prescribed by regulations. The "Gunny fund" scene where Hightower bails out one of his men who is married and in money trouble is real enough. In the old days before base social workers, sergeants did what they had to and units took care of their own as best they could. I remember that in the 80's, ten years after the All Volunteer Armed Forces and enormous pay increases, every single married man in my platoon qualified for food stamps and other welfare programs. We were required to inform them of this and even arrange time for them to go off base to apply! (Young servicepersons below the paygrade of E-5 shouldn't marry because of their lower incomes. General Carl Mundy, onetime Commandant of the Marine Corps, tried to incorporate that into regulations, but was shot down by the PC lobby in DOD.)
What makes the movie worth watching is the Sergeant Major. I don't know where the actor got it, but he is the authentic old-time Staff Noncommissioned Officer to the bone. The erect, authoritative, bearing - worn so long as to be as unconciously part of the man as his skin. The sardonic, weatherbeaten face with eyes that don't just look but inspect. The outrageous use of the language unique to noncommissioned officers as described by Nicholas Proffitt in Gardens of Stone: :...the easy mixture of hundred-dollar words and grammatical barbarisms that made up the noncom patois." The hard, cynical, mocking - yet gentle - humor. I grew up under those men, learned the trade from them, and watched them pass from the scene. That actor plays the part to the point I was convinced the filmakers had hired a real Sergeant Major. Their spirit survives and was passed down, but the mold is no longer used. They belonged to a less technical, technocratic and bureaucratic Marine Corps where most Marines were infantrymen, packs were canvas, rifle stocks wood, barracks were open barnlike structures with no privacy, and trucks and other vehicles were used mostly for hauling heavy equipment - the men walked. All that went away in the 70's and early 80's, which is, after all, a prominent subtheme in the film.
Good, cheap, non-thought provoking, entertainment where we get to be the good guys for once.
Semper Fi,
SB Scanlon
Master Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.,)

OK, anybody who has spent 10 minutes in the Marines (or even the Army) will realize that this movie is laughably unrealistic. So what? It's a great story. Sure, the scenario of the tough sergeant and the young soldiers been told a hundred times before, but it's a classic theme that Clint Eastwood does a great job with. It's full of great lines. I still use Eastwood's maxim, "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome" with my kids. Mario Van Peebles is excellent as the reluctant Marine, rock singer wannabe, who provides a terrific comedic foil for Eastwood. Pretty corny throughout, but still fun to watch. Not for kids, though. The intense profanity is the one thing in this film that's realistic.

THE WAR: Grenada, not much of an obstacle in the grand scheme of things, but it's a perfect redemption opportunity for a hardened Vietnam vet whipping a group of slackers into Marines.

STORY: Through a glass-swallowing voice, Gunnery Sergeant Tom "Gunny" Highway (Eastwood) exudes the strength, experience, and military behaviorisms expected of a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam war, not to mention the Medal of Honor pinned on his chest. When he confronts his new, less than military-like Recon platoon, he must enforce his will, turn the men into life takers and heart breakers, and prepare them for the combat.

PATRIOTISM: Gunny Highway is the epitome of patriotism. A man who has devoted his entire life to the service, who lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps the military life. When country supersedes life and family, then there can be no questioning patriotism and heroism.

FAVORITE BATTLE(S): When Highway eventually locks horns with his anal commanding officer, Major Powers, the two throw down in a mud puddle while surrounded by their cheering soldiers.

FAVORITE LINE: Be advised. I'm mean, nasty and tired. I eat concertina wire and pi*# napalm and I can put a round in a flea's a*# at 200 meters. So why don't you go hump somebody else's leg, mutt face, before I push yours in.

THE MESSAGE: The young men and women of today don't have the resolve and grit of previous generations; there is no denying this fact. When faced with the adversity of war, our Armed Forces will have to rely on the knowledge, skill, and sinewy strength of grizzled veterans who have "been there, done that." Thank goodness there are some Gunny Highways around to lead our brave young men and women.

This is one of the most underrated movies of all time, and a classic that doesn't get the respect it deserves. One of my favorites.

Is this the greatest Clint Eastwood movie of all time? No. Is is classic? Yes. The hard-nosed Eastwood plays Gunny Sgt. Thomas Highway who has reached the end of his blood-and-guts career as a Marine and is looking around for a place to lie down and die when he's transfered to run a recon unit inhabited by a bunch of misfits and renegades and complete dipsh*ts. There are more classic Eastwood monologues than you can shake a copy of Dirty Harry at here. The invasion of Grenada plays into the movie around the end and Gunny Highway take his group of Lifetakers and Heartbreakers on the ride of their young lives. Into battle. Overall, there are some glitches here, but the movie flows and Eastwood is at the top of his form. Enjoyable and slightly sad. Definitely a movie you have to have for your DVD collection.

Is the legend behind Hill 931, Korea, 1951, according to this fierce Clint Eastwood tale. USMC Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Highway is Eastwood's most interesting character since Harry Callahan: mangled flesh, voice as raw as a wound, sarcastic and crude, considering he has the CMH won at Heartbreak Ridge. HEARTBREAK RIDGE could have been a throw away drive-in cliche fest, instead it's a great lesson of how pride changes attitudes. Only a great film veteran like Clint could get that much mileage out of the invasion of Grenada. I think the film is longer than the actual combat activities.