Rebecca Perle in Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

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Heartbreak Ridge (1986) is a Clint Eastwood film about a Marine gunnery sergeant near mandatory retirement age. After punching out an officer, he is transferred from the recon platoon he was leading to a logistics job. Peace and quiet doesn't sit well with him, and he ends up drunk, fighting, and in jail most of the time. Through some of his many connections, he finally gets reassigned to the recon patrol, and his ex wife lives in the town nearest the base.

The platoon he inherits was run by someone who, waiting for retirement, let them become lazy, and Gunny Highway resolves to turn them into Marines. There are obstacles, however, most notable the commanding officer, who is from supply, and thinks the proper occupation for combat soldiers is filling out paperwork. Then his unit is ordered to Grenada, and his troops prove themselves.

I enjoy the film very much, as a character study of the career Marine near retirement, who is increasingly out of place in the new military and realizes that he will be leaving the Corps for which he sacrificed everything and will need to adapt and build a new life. IMDb calls it an action comedy, and it has plenty of both, but it is also something of a character driven drama. At any rate, it is populated by interesting characters, and moves at a brisk pace. B-.

Nudity Report: It is during the student rescue that student Rebecca Perle steps out of the shower topless, and is surprised by a Marine.

Critics Vote: Ebert awards 3 stars.

IMDb Summary: IMDb readers have this at 6.1 of 10.


Written by Tuna…courtesy of Scoopy.net