Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

A hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

James Carabatsos

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Marsha Mason, Everett McGill

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Highway
Marsha Mason	...	Aggie
Everett McGill	...	Major Powers
Moses Gunn	...	Sgt. Webster
Eileen Heckart	...	Little Mary
Bo Svenson	...	Roy Jennings, Palace Bar Owner
Boyd Gaines	...	Lieutenant Ring
Mario Van Peebles	...	Stitch
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Sergeant Major Choozoo
Vincent Irizarry	...	Fragetti
Ramón Franco	...	Aponte (as Ramon Franco)
Tom Villard	...	Profile
Mike Gomez	...	Quinones
Rodney Hill	...	Collins
Peter Koch	...	'Swede' Johanson

Storyline

1983. Tom Highway is a well-decorated career military man in the United States Marine Corps, he who has seen action in Korea and Vietnam. His current rank is Gunnery Sergeant. His experiences have led him to become an opinionated, no nonsense man, who is prone to bursts of violence, especially when he's drunk, if the situation does not suit him, regardless of the specifics or people involved. Because of these actions, he has spent his fair share of overnighters behind bars. Close to retirement, one of his last assignments, one he requested, is back at his old unit at Cherry Point, North Carolina, from where he was transferred for insubordination. He is to train a reconnaissance platoon. His superior officer, the much younger and combat inexperienced Major Malcolm Powers, sees Highway as a relic of an old styled military. Highway's commanding officer, Lieutenant Ring, the platoon leader, is also a younger man who has no combat experience, but is academically inclined and happy-go-lucky...

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Plot Keywords:

platoon | marine | combat | military | gunnery sergeant | 

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Taglines:

... the scars run deep.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 December 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

El guerrero solitario

Filming Locations:

Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$42,724,017 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jay Weston Productions, Malpaso Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clint Eastwood's character, Gunnery Sergeant Tom 'Gunny' Highway, is a marine and a veteran of the Korean War's 1951 Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. But that campaign was predominantly fought by the American Army and not marines. Originally, the character was from the US Army, but it was changed to a marine when that armed forces declined to co-operate, and the production got support from the US Marines.

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Goofs

When Highway hands his cigar to the kid in the prison scene, the end is significantly chewed. When the kid gives it back after the fight, it's like a new cigar.

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Quotes

Highway: You're dead, marine. You just got your legs blown off and we'll have to send out a search party for your testicles. Now, where the hell's your backup?
Lance Corporal Fragatti: Profile.
Highway: What the fuck good you doin' back there? Without any cover fire, I get my ass blown off! While you guys are sittin' there pumpin' the neighbor's dog, we'll get every swinging dick in this platoon killed!
Corporal 'Stitch' Jones: Hey, chill out, man. That's what we're here for.
Highway: Say, what?
Corporal 'Stitch' Jones: We're here for that, man. We've ambushed Major Powers three times, and ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The opening Warner Bros. logo is black and white.

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Connections

References New American Bandstand 1965 (1952)

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Soundtracks

"Bionic Marine"
Written by Mario Van Peebles

User Reviews

Action and comedy in a military setting

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!