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Heartbreak Ridge (1986) More at IMDbPro »

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89 comments in total

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24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
"Why don't you just sit there and bleed a while before you taste some real pain", 19 December 2000

Author: Mika Pykäläaho (bygis80@hotmail.com) from Järvenpää, Finland

Classic Eastwood and great fun from mid-'80s as produced and directed by the fine man himself. I have to say this is an ideal role for Clint, like Dirty Harry Callahan in the army. I truly love his exaggerated macho-characters because they're so amusing and provide so much fun for a Clint-fan like myself. In here he's a real monster: unpitying, blunt, tough and almost sadistic but like most of Eastwood's characters he isn't all that cold, even Sergeant Tom Highway has his sensitive side. In this case he reads women's magazines and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife.

Script is filled with obscene language and lots of hilarious, legendary one-liners that kept me laughing pretty hard. Of course I understand why critics don't necessarily like "Heartbreak Ridge". We don't have to watch and wait far to find out what the flick is all about, first scene tells it all. This movie is shameless and far from being intelligent but that doesn't mean it's boring. What the hell, it entertains and finally that's what counts. Quote from the film: "You can rob me, you can starve me...and you can beat me and you can kill me. Just don't bore me."

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26 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
A sharp and "very" witty film., 15 May 2001

Author: mhasheider from Sauk City, Wisconsin

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.

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27 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :-
Probably one of the most quotable movies of the 80's, 1 December 2002
Author: Rachel-20 from California

Among my husband and his buddies, this movie is like Shakespeare -- they quote from it often and well, so often and well, in fact, that the quotes are just part of their vocabulary and the source is forgotten. It does have more than its share of witty quips, even for me, a lowly female ;).

I really do like this movie. It makes me miss the 80's, when it was still considered acceptable to be a patriotic American, and movies that glorified America and the military could be made without the felt need to apologize left and right. And of course Clint Eastwood is clever and attractive as always, as the hardcore Marine lifer who's trying to discover his tender side in time to reunite with his ex when he retires.

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18 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Vintage Clint!, 4 August 2003

Author: djecatepec from Mexico City, Mexico

Clint Eastwood is at his best in the role of "Gunny Highway." This is mostly a really excellent flick about patriotic values, military camaraderie and old grizzled military veterans. Gunny Highway comes across as the exact fellow you would want covering your ass in any tough situation you could possibly imagine. And Eastwood plays him perfectly with steely resolve, devotion, humor and a healthy touch of irreverence. Its great to see the transformation of Highway's squad, as well as the final moment of judgment for the totally hateful, obnoxious and bureaucratic Maj. Powers. (Oh, if only such b*****ds would get their deserved comeuppance in real life in such a manner, what a beautiful world it would be!)

The only real fault is the attempt to compare a minor police action in Grenada with Vietnam and Korea, "I guess we're not 0, 1 and 1 anymore." I mean, give me a break, Korea and Vietnam went on for years and killed millions! Grenada involved a couple of hundred casualties over a couple of days. Please! But I suppose in 1986 the American people were desperate for some kind of heroes. Its just that that kind of jingoism would have been much more appropriate after Desert Storm than Grenada. That being said, its still a very good movie with a fundamental message about values, loyalty and comradeship that we could easily have more of these days, besides, Clint is just great!

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11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Clint's best films, 12 November 2003

Author: jklein8787 from Jamwelkowski, IL

Clint is great as Highway, a rough and tough Marine who takes a bunch of punks and turns them into soldiers who go out and fight in Greneda. Clint spouts off some beautiful lines in this film and at times, the movie is almost a comedy. The ending is great; Clint sees his woman, they smile, and walk off as a parade is playing Halls of Montazuma. Does he kiss her? No. Because Clint is cool and doesn't do puss roles like Kevin Spacey or Brandon Fraiser.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Action and comedy in a military setting, 28 October 1998

Author: Edward M Ceballos from Beaufort, SC

This is an enjoyable, if somewhat cartoonish, adventure. Eastwood plays Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway, a career United States Marine who won the Medal of Honor at Heartbreak Ridge in Korea. As he approaches retirement, Gunny Highway takes on the task of transforming a bunch of misfits into a tough Reconnaissance Platoon in time for the 1983 invasion of Granada. The film is uneven, with some moments that are brilliant and others that are embarrassingly bad. The film does not contain an accurate portrayal of Marine Recon, but it does deliver excitement and a good dose of humor. Besides, Clint Eastwood as a salty old Gunny is something that had to happen!

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
one of the most HILARIOUS war movies ever!!, 21 December 2004
Author: mccarthystuart from Liverpool, England

I have to say that I really enjoyed watching this movie.

The grizzled, maverick war veteran, Sgt. Tom 'Gunny' Highway must be one of Clint Eastwood's more comedic roles (apart from the 'every which way' films) He had me bursting out laughing every time he even opened his mouth. One particular line that had me in stitches was when he was telling a cadet to put his Kevlar helmet back on by 1900 hours 'or he wouldn't have a head to wear it on'-pure class!! I've always liked Clint for his tough no-nonsense roles. This one is no exception! As a matter of fact, there were plenty of 'laugh-out-loud moments in this film to keep everyone happy-like the smart-ass remarks from the punk cadets.

The showdown between Highway and 'The Swede' was highly enjoyable, too.

'Heartbrake Ridge' is certainly a lot more lighter and easier to swallow than the similarly-themed 'Full Metal Jacket'.

This film certainly passes as perfectly adequate, undemanding popcorn viewing.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Impressive, 11 January 2007

Author: mjw2305 from England

Clint Eastwood stars, directs and produces this very fine tale of a hardened US Marine who takes charge of a group of misfit recruits. He has to show these men how to be marines, while at the same time fighting against his superior officers, his new platoon and his feelings for his ex-wife.

Heartbreak Ridge is a very gritty and realistic feeling movie, Eastwood delivers a typically brilliant performance, and his direction is very compelling. The whole cast lends great support, but Eastwood undoubtedly steals most of the credit.

Packed with humorous moments, clever and interesting dialogue and plenty of easy to like characters; not to mention some pretty decent action.

8/10 A fine film

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Clint's funniest, 13 March 2003
Author: wrenster from United Kingdom

I had forgotten how funny this film really is. Shown on British TV last night, I found myself laughing like a loon all the way through it. Being a big fan of Eastwood, it's been quite a while since re-viewing this mini classic. And although it does take a drastic turn at the end, with a slightly misjudged comment on war, this is by far his funniest movie.

I also found that his character is his most interesting. A hard, no-nonsense gunnery sergeant who looks for advice in women's magazine is a dream characterization. And the one-liners are perfectly attacked.

I did find Mario Van Peebles character a little annoying, but then I suppose that was the whole point, and it's always good to see Marsha Mason, who I think is totally underrated as a screen actress.

But this is Eastwood's movie, through and through and a real delight. See it, but don't take the ending too seriously.

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
A deeply touching movie., 12 March 2006

Author: stevebyars from United States

Not sure I know what a spoiler is, but you could read the script of this movie and still enjoy watching its great collection of actors.

Beyond the story actually being told, this movie provides the viewer with some insight to the military mind and persona. Including real Marines on the cast wasn't truly necessary, but provided an additional level of realism. The marital and drinking problems common among servicemen (especially "lifers") are richly shown in this highly realistic drama. The movie locations will be recognized by many Servicemen, ex-Servicemen and their dependents. Likewise, the action will be all too familiar.

Clint Eastwood portrays a hardened, grizzled old-time Marine who transfers into a training battalion, only to be confronted by an old-time rival and a commander who will top your list of people to despise, especially if you were ever in the service.

Besides being sad, funny, and entertaining this movie is quite true-to-life. Watch it once to enjoy a really good movie. Watch it a second time for the education it can provide.

Oh, in validation: I wasn't a Marine. But I was an FMF attached Corpsman.

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