Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

James Carabatsos (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | War

Tagline:

Clint Eastwood is Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway, career Marine and combat veteran. He is a man whose life has been defined by war. Korea and Vietnam taught him how to survive. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor but found public apathy and military bureaucracy. He is a hard-drinking loner but he's trying to reorganize his life and understand the woman he loves. He is a traditionalist who has to shape up his ragtag troops and he'll get the job done. His integrity is unwavering. His past is Heartbreak Ridge. He is ready for another battlefield and his finest hour. It will come.

Plot:

A hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.

Plot Keywords:

Ex Wife | Korean War | Military | Grenada | Veteran

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Sergeant Thomas Highway
Marsha Mason	...	Aggie
Everett McGill	...	Major Malcolm A. Powers
Moses Gunn	...	Staff Sergeant Webster
Eileen Heckart	...	Little Mary Jackson
Bo Svenson	...	Roy Jennings, Palace Bar Owner
Boyd Gaines	...	Lieutenant M.R. Ring
Mario Van Peebles	...	Corporal 'Stitch' Jones
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Sergeant Major Choozoo
Vincent Irizarry	...	Fragetti
Ramón Franco	...	Private Aponte (as Ramon Franco)
Tom Villard	...	Profile
Mike Gomez	...	Private Quinones
Rodney Hill	...	Private Collins
Peter Koch	...	'Swede' Johanson

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Australia:R | USA:R (certificate #28415) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1986) | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Jay Weston Productions

Trivia:

Marks the 1000th film to be processed in Dolby "A" Stereo.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening shot, you can see the shadow of the helicopter that is holding the camera as it circles the prison.

Quotes:

Lieutenant M.R. Ring: [approaching platoon] Good morning, men!
[responding to salute]
Lieutenant M.R. Ring: Thank you, Gunny. What a marvelous day for a military exercise. Men, today we'll will execute an ambush on a numerically superior force using cover, interlocking fields of fire, and the natural aggressiveness of the United States Marine.
Corporal 'Stitch' Jones: You show me some poontang and I'll show you an aggressive Marine.
Lieutenant M.R. Ring: We will provide Major Powers and his elite fighting force an accessable target to sharpen their superior skills. This will be facilitated by the Miles Gear that each man is wearing. As you know, when one of our men is shot this laser sensative device emits a beeping noise.
Highway: Excuse me, Lieutenant, but are you suggesting that we don't fight back?
Lieutenant M.R. Ring: Well, no, Gunny, Major Powers like to use the Recon platoon as a training tool.
Highway: Well, what happens when these men have to go into combat and they're not prepared? They just get dead.
Lieutenant M.R. Ring: Yes, I see what you mean.
Highway: Have you spoken to Major Powers about this?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Secret Love

A sharp and "very" witty film.

Watching Clint Eastwood work his magic on the big screen is something for a movie lover like myself to treasure and in "Heartbreak Ridge", Eastwood really unleashes it here.

Eastwood stars (and directed) the film as Thomas "Gunny" Highway, a very seasoned and highly decorated, but a troublesome U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant. Highway begins what may be his last tour of duty and along the way, he deals with a rowdy and undisciplined bunch of recruits (Mario Van Peebles being the most sarcastic and cocky one among the bunch) and turns them into reliable soldiers, Major Powers (Everett McGill), a higher-ranking officer who totally dislikes Highway, and tries to revive his relationship with Aggie (Marsha Mason), his ex-wife who isn't afraid to tell him about the misery that she has suffered.

The film runs at a brisk pace and Eastwood saves the best scenes for last when he guides the squad into Grenada to find a medical school where the students (mostly Americans) are held captive and the shootouts are well-done. Plus, the humor in this film is sharp and very witty although some of it may be offensive.

"Heartbreak Ridge" does remind me of the one film that I've seen made by the late Samuel Fuller - "The Big Red One". There are a few differences that seem notable, but both films bear a strong resemblance and appeal.