MovieChat Forums > Spartan (2004) Discussion > Delta selection process: recruits killin...

Delta selection process: recruits killing each other?


Is that what happened in the movie? Curtis has to kill one of his buddy in the unit during training to get into the unit? Sounds *beep* crazy, like something the north koreans would do.

reply

Not kill, just be the last one standing.

-
Fox "News": We lie, you panic!

reply

I thought that implies killing. It probably just means knock the other guy out cold.

reply

No, just literally be the last one standing... as in "Stay down, bitch!"



-
Fox "News": We lie, you panic!

reply

No, just literally be the last one standing... as in "Stay down, bitch!"
Exactly!

reply

LOL come on people it makes sense..... the last man standing wins and it is clear that all they had to do is get the other guy pinned or on the ground. Another way of separating the best from the best from the best from the best and so on.

It's the less sadistic version of Joker's "tryouts" but with bare hands and no pool sticks.

reply

No killing required.

I'm a little surprised (only a little) if this is standard practice.

I met a guy who served in the Russian Army in Afghanistan.

He told me that this kind of thing was common in the selection process for their spec ops forces.

But, in the case of the Russians - the way I see it, when you have two top competitors; two guys as hard as nails - why risk crippling one of them in a blood match when you could have the benefit of putting both of them to work for you in the field? Seems to me like you would be eliminating some of your "best of the best"?

I can see both sides of this; sure you want people that are so hard core; so hungry for it that they will beat the hell out of their buddy; somebody that will do anything to win; follow orders no matter what.

Maybe this would be effective if used to sort thru the very bottom of the pack? say two guys at the bottom of the selection list - one final hurdle.

I remember seeing a documentary of British special forces (maybe SAS) going thru their training. Near the end of their training there was an exercise (night time in a blizzard)in which an extraction crew turned out to be an apposing force (such a dirty trick). One of the trainees fought back so hard that the trainers had to knock him out - hitting him in the head with a riffle butt.

So, stuff happens; even in the USA military.

When I went thru boot camp in 1969 - beatings were not that unusual; mostly from the DIs. But, nowadays I imagine there are a lot fewer incidents; too many lawyers and a military that is litigation conscious.

reply