Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

James Carabatsos (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | War

Tagline:

Clint Eastwood is Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway, career Marine and combat veteran. He is a man whose life has been defined by war. Korea and Vietnam taught him how to survive. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor but found public apathy and military bureaucracy. He is a hard-drinking loner but he's trying to reorganize his life and understand the woman he loves. He is a traditionalist who has to shape up his ragtag troops and he'll get the job done. His integrity is unwavering. His past is Heartbreak Ridge. He is ready for another battlefield and his finest hour. It will come.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Ex Wife | Korean War | Military | Grenada | Veteran

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Sergeant Thomas Highway
Marsha Mason	...	Aggie
Everett McGill	...	Major Malcolm A. Powers
Moses Gunn	...	Staff Sergeant Webster
Eileen Heckart	...	Little Mary Jackson
Bo Svenson	...	Roy Jennings, Palace Bar Owner
Boyd Gaines	...	Lieutenant M.R. Ring
Mario Van Peebles	...	Corporal 'Stitch' Jones
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Sergeant Major Choozoo
Vincent Irizarry	...	Fragetti
Ramón Franco	...	Private Aponte (as Ramon Franco)
Tom Villard	...	Profile
Mike Gomez	...	Private Quinones
Rodney Hill	...	Private Collins
Peter Koch	...	'Swede' Johanson

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Australia:R | USA:R (certificate #28415) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1986) | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

Jay Weston Productions

Trivia:

Prior to filming, Mario Van Peebles could not play the guitar, but took several quick lessons to convince Clint Eastwood that he could play the role of the wannabe rock star, Corporal "Stitch" Jones.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) is based out of Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Most of the training scenes (pre-invasion) were filmed at Camp Pendleton, California.

Quotes:

Choozoo: We went up and down that pile of dirt for four days and four nights. Fixed bayonettes, hand to hand. Fought 'em something fierce. They gave back as good as they got. Lots of men died. We were with the 23rd infantry. We joined the Corps later. Hell, we were even younger than you are.
Corporal 'Stitch' Jones: I never heard of no Heartbreak Ridge.
Choozoo: That's 'cause it ain't in any of the history books. Just a little piece of war. Place didn't even have a name, just a number. Stoney Jackson took one look up at it and said "Ladies, if this hill doesn't kill us it'll surely break our hearts."
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "L'ispettore Coliandro: Magia nera (#1.4)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Recon Rap

A sharp and "very" witty film.

Watching Clint Eastwood work his magic on the big screen is something for a movie lover like myself to treasure and in "Heartbreak Ridge", Eastwood really unleashes it here.

Eastwood stars (and directed) the film as Thomas "Gunny" Highway, a very seasoned and highly decorated, but a troublesome U.S. Marine gunnery sergeant. Highway begins what may be his last tour of duty and along the way, he deals with a rowdy and undisciplined bunch of recruits (Mario Van Peebles being the most sarcastic and cocky one among the bunch) and turns them into reliable soldiers, Major Powers (Everett McGill), a higher-ranking officer who totally dislikes Highway, and tries to revive his relationship with Aggie (Marsha Mason), his ex-wife who isn't afraid to tell him about the misery that she has suffered.

The film runs at a brisk pace and Eastwood saves the best scenes for last when he guides the squad into Grenada to find a medical school where the students (mostly Americans) are held captive and the shootouts are well-done. Plus, the humor in this film is sharp and very witty although some of it may be offensive.

"Heartbreak Ridge" does remind me of the one film that I've seen made by the late Samuel Fuller - "The Big Red One". There are a few differences that seem notable, but both films bear a strong resemblance and appeal.