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:

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.

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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

In-Joke: During the film, Mario Van Peebles wears a T-shirt featuring a picture of the character Sweetback from Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Mario played Young Sweetback in the movie, which was made by Melvin Van Peebles, Mario's father.

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Goofs

During the rifle range scene, Jones shows up with a steel pot helmet in an attempt to tease Gunny Highway for being old. He is admonished and told to remove it and wear the standard issue Kevlar helmet instead. Since the film takes place in 1983, the steel pot helmet was the standard issue at the time, so Jones' wear of it would've been proper. Kevlar was not the standard issue helmet for Marines until 1985-86 (when the movie was filmed).

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Quotes

Swede Johanson: I'm gonna rip yer head off and shit down yer neck.

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Crazy Credits

The opening Warner Bros. logo is black and white.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Clint Eastwood

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Soundtracks

"How Much I Care"
Written by Clint Eastwood and Sammy Cahn
Performed by Jill Hollier

User Reviews

one of the most HILARIOUS war movies ever!!

I have to say that I really enjoyed watching this movie.

The grizzled, maverick war veteran, Sgt. Tom 'Gunny' Highway must be one of Clint Eastwood's more comedic roles (apart from the 'every which way' films) He had me bursting out laughing every time he even opened his mouth. One particular line that had me in stitches was when he was telling a cadet to put his Kevlar helmet back on by 1900 hours 'or he wouldn't have a head to wear it on'-pure class!! I've always liked Clint for his tough no-nonsense roles. This one is no exception! As a matter of fact, there were plenty of 'laugh-out-loud moments in this film to keep everyone happy-like the smart-ass remarks from the punk cadets.

The showdown between Highway and 'The Swede' was highly enjoyable, too.

'Heartbrake Ridge' is certainly a lot more lighter and easier to swallow than the similarly-themed 'Full Metal Jacket'.

This film certainly passes as perfectly adequate, undemanding popcorn viewing.