Heartbreak Ridge

"You shouldn't litter, Fagetti; it's ecologically unsound."
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...

Among Clint Eastwood's best!
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.

Funny and Entertaining with a War Story on the Side
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.

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