The Boys in Company C (1978)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

Sidney J. Furie (writer)
Rick Natkin (writer)

Release Date:

20 April 1978 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

To keep their sanity in an insane war, they had to be crazy.

Plot:

This war drama (which prefigures the later "Full Metal Jacket") follows the lives of five young Marine...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Ethnic Slur | Grenade | Heroin | Gay Slur

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Stan Shaw	...	Pfc / Sgt. Tyrone Washington
Andrew Stevens	...	Pvt. Billy Ray Pike
James Canning	...	Pvt. Alvin Foster / Narrator
Michael Lembeck	...	Pvt. Vinnie Fazio
Craig Wasson	...	Pvt. Dave Bisbee
Scott Hylands	...	Capt. Collins
James Whitmore Jr.	...	Lt. Archer
Noble Willingham	...	Gunnery Sgt. Curry
R. Lee Ermey	...	SSgt. Loyce (Drill Instructor, Co. 163) (as Lee Ermey)
Santos Morales	...	SSgt. Aquilla (Drill Instructor)
Drew Michaels	...	Col. Metcalfe
Karen Hilger	...	Betsy, Billy Ray's Girlfriend
Peggy O'Neal	...	Nancy Bisbee
Claude Wilson	...	Roy Foster
Chuck Doherty	...	George Pike

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Hong Kong | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Company:

Golden Harvest Company

Trivia:

Drill Instructor played by R. Lee Ermey, a former US Marines Drill Instructor.

Quotes:

Washington: "Don't mess with me. Don't mess NEAR me!"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Incredible Hulk: Terror in Times Square (#1.4)" (1978)

An early R. Lee

This movie would be just a regular by the numbers movie about war, weather the Vietnam War or World War II. You have a bunch of stereotypical screw ups who get thrown into Marine boot camp during the Vietnam War. The film follows them thru boot camp to the hell of 'nam. These boys become men and it doesn't end happily for one of them. The scenes in boot camp are funny and also very realistic. This was the first film appearance of Lee Ermey as their drill instructor. His first words on screen are "I'm Sergeant Loyce I'm your drill instructor for the next two f@&%ing months maggots". He is really funny and theres a good scene where him and Stan Shaw have a blazing argument (although in real life you would be in the brig for talking to your DI like that). Thirty years ago drill instructors were allowed to be a lot rougher with privates then today and my favorite part is where this one DI grabs a daydreaming recruit by the....well watch it and see. Actually the DI Lee plays in this film is almost a nice guy compared to the one that he played in Full Metal Jacket. The scenes in Vietnam are handled as well, especially the ones showing the horrors of combat. They talk about the drug smuggling that went on and the film is unflinching in how it shows the machinations of the politicians who sent our men out into the field with one hand tied behind their backs. No one we suffered such a humiliating defeat. This film is gritty, vulgar and unsentimental but it is a true story we must not forget about a terrible war that ripped our country apart like the Cival War. Like I said though, Lee Ermey makes this film. I love him on Mail Call. I think my favorite part of the show is the one where he talked about the paratroopers at D-Day. Someone wrote him an e-mail and asked if it was true that they really said Geronimo when they jumped. Lee said that wasn't true at all and what they probably said was "OH S#$T!!!!!!!"