good movie, but Marines wouldnt act that way
any soldier in any branch of the military wouldnt act like a cocky highschool kid and they wouldnt treat a sergeant like a math teacher. good film, yet that part bugged the hell out of me
shareExactly my son's thoughts. He's a Marine, and loved the film, but laughed and said NO WAY would you treat a Sgt like that, especially a Gunny with that much experience and edge.
shareI must say that at the time of Grenada, there was morale and discipline problems surrounding the armed services. To my recollection, there was a mandate/initiative to clean up the image of weed-tokin', long-haired, short-timing servicemembers, especially after movies like Private Benjamin and Stripes.
Let us recall that the military (and America in general) was still somewhat licking its wounds both internally and publicly following Southeast Asia. I think it all began with the Beirut bombing.
If there was one incident that stuck in the public's minds, it was the "baby killer" stigma from the My Lai incident.
I welcome any clarifications or edifications.
Highway's platoon acted like a bunch of jerks because of the Major. He let them languish under an incompetent Sergeant (Highway's predecessor) because he was using them for cannon fodder in manuevers for his favorite platoon, under suck-up Sgt Webster ("if the Major came to a sudden stop, you're face would go halfway up his ass"), to make himself look good.
Naturally their attitude sucked. They had no purpose or motivation.
"We got a job",
"What kind?",
"The forever kind...".
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Yes, he could have done that, but instead he whipped them into shape, motivated them and led them into combat where they served with distinction and won the day.
"We got a job",
"What kind?",
"The forever kind...".
I agree. It was a fun movie, but being a former Marine myself, I had to wonder what alternate reality these Marines were from, especially being Recon, which is the elite of the Corps. I think I was more disciplined as a raw recruit during the first week of Boot Camp than the guys in the movie. Oh, well, that's hollywood for you, although I will say that Mr. Eastwood's performance was pretty spot on. I've had the privilege of knowing a few Gunny Highways when I was serving, and I sleep well at night knowing there are more of them out there.
share