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Heartbreak Ridge | Year: 1986 Classification: Action Directed: - Clint Eastwood Actors/Actresses: - Clint Eastwood - Marsha Mason - Everett McGill A Great Ride With Clint....To..."Heartbreak Ridge".... This review refers to "Heartbreak Ridge"...Warner Home Video..DVD edition... "Heartbreak Ridge" from 1986 is Eastwood's tough guy image personified. He is Gunnery Sgt. Tom "Gunny" Highway. Gunny has seen it all, and done it all. He's a decorated war hero who has survived battle in both Korea and Vietnam.He's tough and gruff and will soon face mandatory retirement.With no war to fight his last assignment is to whip the members of a raw but feisty recon platoon into shape. He's up against an unwilling group,a "follow orders or else"(not exactly his style)type commanding officer, and an ex-wife who's as feisty as the recruits.Both he and his men(and his ex-wife) are put to the test when war breaks out on the Island of Grenada.It was directed by Eastwood, Marsha Mason co-stars and the cast is nicely rounded out by Mario VanPeebles, Moses Gunn, Bo Svenson and the wonderful Eileen Heckart. This 1986 film looks great on this DVD. Warner has done a nice job with the clarity and colors. The widescreen format lets us in on all the action and the Dolby Dig 5.1 surrounds wonderfully. Lennie Niehaus' fabulous score completes the package.Don't look for much in the way of special features.There are theatrical trailers, some cast film highlights,and subtitles in English, French, Spanish,Portugese and Japanese.It may be viewed in French as well. If you're a big Eastwood fan, you may want to purchase this in the Eastwood "Hero" 3-pack instead. It also includes "Absolute Power" and "A Perfect World"...You know you'll buy them all anyway and this way will save you some money...check it out! Thanx...and enjoy.....Laurie Clint Eastwood's Marines Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the lead role of this film about a "salty," battle-hardened career sergeant who whips a platoon of new Marines into shape. Along the way, he attempts to repair his failed marriage and locks horns with the Marine Battalion's Operations Officer. Eastwood is Gunnery Sergeant Highway, a Korea and Vietnam veteran who won the Medal of Honor and survived a horrific battle in Korea referred to as "Heartbreak Ridge" in the film. He's a warrior on the battlefield, but his aggressive, hard-drinking and "tell-it-like-it-is" personality has cost him promotion and his marriage. Nearing retirement, he receives orders to return to his elite specialty of Force Reconnaissance. Upon arrival, the battalion's operations officer treats Gunny as a washed-up old prima donna and he finds his new platoon comprised of misfits. On the personal side, Gunny's ex-wife still resides locally earning a living as a cocktail waitress. Tackling his main problem, he commences to breathing fire into his young Marines, turning them into "heart-breakers and life-takers." During his off-time, he tangles with his ex-wife in an attempt to repair their failed marriage. All during this time, he's one step away from being under-mined and kicked out by his nemesis. The film culminates with their deployment to intervene the crisis on the Island of Grenada (actual operation in 1983), leading the way into combat for the Marine battalion. It is here where the plot unfolds to reveal if Gunny's old-school training methods have worked, if his wife decides to return, and if he'll survive. Overall, the movie has Eastwood's brand of humor and it's a likeable feature not to be taken too seriously. There are some technical flaws, such as an absence of other officers in the battalion, but this doesn't spoil the movie too much unless you're a proud member of the Marine Corps. Another item about this movie is the use of profanity; it's colorful and there's plenty of it. By rumor, this story was originally written for an Army Ranger battalion, but apparently the Army denied permission to portray their Rangers in this fashion. Whatever the case, it's enjoyable to watch and does touch upon some actual leadership values. "I'm mean, nasty, and tired" I can't tell you why this movie is great, if you break it down into individual pieces, it probably wouldn't hold a candle to a bad made-for-TV movie. However, I've watched it dozens of times (and several more on the extra-clear DVD version) and enjoy it thoroughly each. Eastwood's lines are memorable, if only for their raunchy hilarity. "I eat canstantino wire and piss napalm". Ooh Rah! Buy Heartbreak Ridge at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Heartbreak Ridge Search with the Priority Search Engine on Heartbreak Ridge This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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