Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Excellent adaptation.

An Exercise In Nonsense

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I'm a big Clint Eastwood fan but there was something about this film that just felt off to me. I've never served in the military, but my son served in the Marines and simply based on some of his boot camp stories I could tell that the kind of recon platoon that Gunnery Sergeant Highway (Eastwood) encountered on his first day back would never have existed in real life. So early on, one has to view the story as one in which all the stereotypes apply, as Eastwood's character takes on the mission of whipping his boys into shape while challenging the arrogance and ineptitude of his superior officers. Malcolm Powers (Everett McGill) looked and acted like someone who could have been a Marine Major, but the portrayal of Lieutenant Ring (Boyd Gaines) seemed to come out of left field. He just seemed totally out of his element.Then, when the action shifted to actual combat during the invasion of Grenada, the film really took on an air of incredulity. With a population of about ninety one thousand at the time, it felt like there was no one else on the island except the Marines and a minor opposing force of revolutionary soldiers. There were the American medical students of course, about the only thing that felt accurate historically.This wasn't Clint Eastwood's first directorial effort, so I can't really account for the movie's lack of authenticity. One's best approach to the picture probably ought to be one of settling back and suspending disbelief, and enjoy the story as any another Eastwood actioner. I did get a big kick out of the Gunny quote to his new platoon that I mention in my summary line above. I had a boss in the supermarket business that would state "I'm here to tell you..." at least a couple of times in every speech he ever gave.

Last year, Clint Eastwood wowed moviegoers with his gritty, realistic performance as Walt "Get Off My Lawn!" Kowalski in the film "Gran Torino". In "Heartbreak Ridge", the U.S. Marines are the "lawn" and Eastwood (once again) isn't taking any prisoners.Basically, the film centers on a Marines Recon unit of the 1980s that, in all aspects, has "gone soft" in a time of peace. Gone is the strict military discipline of the 1940s-1960s, and in its place is a disrespectful, laissez-faire attitude towards fighting for our freedoms. That all changes, of course, when Sergeant Thomas Highway (Eastwood) is brought in to lead the unit. Though Highway is only given the assignment as a disciplinary measure, it quickly becomes clear to him how far the Marines have fallen. No angel himself (Highway is shown instigating a prison riot at the beginning of the film), Highway goes about instilling into a rag-tag bunch of young men the kind of military values that he holds near and dear.Much like "Gran Torino", then, the most entertaining portion of this film is watching Eastwood embody that kind of old-world toughness that is on its way out (for better or worse) as the World War II and Korea veterans begin to pass away. Both Highway and Kowalski are the type of men who will have your back to the end if you respect them and do right by them, but the only way they know how to show it is through harsh profanity, crude jokes, and a crotchety demeanor that belies their true emotions. Whereas Walt bonds with a young boy who shows potential but just needs some strong leadership in his life, Thomas Highway runs the same emotional gamut with his Marines Unit.There are only a few things that keep this movie from "instant classic" status, those being Highway's rather un-interesting love life on the military base, as well as an ending that just seemed to fall a bit flat considering the entertainment that preceded it. "Torino" was a bit more adept (and thus more deserving of a five-star rating) at handling the emotional drama of Eastwood's character, as well as providing a better send-off.Thus, whether you want to look at "Heartbreak Ridge" as a prequel to "Gran Torino", or "Torino" as a sequel to "Ridge", the similarities between both films are readily apparent. If you loved watching Eastwood's gruff, tough Walt Kowalski portrayal, you will love this film as well. If you were offended by the type of prejudices that Walt held, steer a wide berth around this movie.

Highway (Clint Eastwood) is a hard-nosed Korean and Vietnam war veteran. After the latest drunken rampage, he gets his wish and gets sent back to the Second Recon Battalion, Second Marine Division. His new CO is the strict arrogant Major Powers (Everett McGill) who has never seen conflict. He's given a bunch of malcontents to lead. His platoon leader is the nerdy bookish Lt. Ring (Boyd Gaines). He needs to get his squad into shape and then they are sent into Grenada to rescue university students.Director Clint Eastwood breaks out all the clichés. He does it well. It is all gung ho militaristic rah rah. The most memorable part of the movie is the T-shirt bit. It's a relatively fine John Wayne movie. It's not really trying to be more.

Heartbreak Ridge stars Client Eastwood who also produced and directed. Although now a two time Oscar winning Director, the difference in production values is obvious from this with say Flags of our Fathers. Heartbreak Ridge would had got the nod from Warner Brothers because it would be relatively low budget with Eastwood the highest paid star doubling as director and it shows in the production values.The film was an oddity for its time. War films were the rage in the mid 1980s but they were introspective as they looked back at Vietnam more critically.Eastwood plays Gunny Highway the tough, no nonsense marine sergeant who has to get his unit back in shape. He also hopes to rekindle romance with his ex wife.Mario Van Peebles plays the cocky black guy who is irritating because that is the way he is written but was designed to attract the urban hip crowd for the time who dug Eddie Murphy films.The film was known for its swearing at the time of its release, this would now be considered to be mild. It's rather hokey, predictable and overlong.The marines come of age when they have to invade Grenada to rescue some hostages. The action sequences cannot come quick enough. This is a typical Eastwood film for its time where he makes an action picture for the masses but also trying to say something else but the message is still rather gung ho.However Eastwood had plans to direct Birdy and White Hunter, Black Heart over the next few years, films for critics.