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Produced and directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood (who also plays the lead role), Heartbreak Ridge is a remarkable war-drama which essentially features Dirty Harry in a Marine Corps setting. More or less a space in which the actor-director was able to work out all his feelings and opinions about the American military, Eastwood's film is pervaded with a predictable storyline, but is nonetheless an enthralling motion picture benefitting from strong character development, a sharp script, and an incisive look at the pitfalls of life as a career marine. Additionally, it benefits from memorable one-liners and a great deal of classic Clint to love.
Clint's character here is a decorated soldier from the Korean War, Gunnery Sergeant Highway, who is nearing retirement from the Marine Corps. His personal life has crumbled: he's divorced, he gets drunk in pubs, beats the snot out of men half his age, and is in the slammer quite frequently. When he requests another assignment from the Corps, Highway's superiors place the sergeant in charge of shaping up a Recon platoon; a hopeless, disobedient group of jarheads who are more of a burden than an asset. While facing the assignment of shaping up the out-of-control platoon, Highway also endeavours to sort out his personal life, as his ex-wife Aggie (Mason) lives in town.
Naturally, Highway shows the college commandos a thing or two about being real jarheads. Along the road to maturity, the men are confronted with the challenge of not only proving themselves to Highway, but also to the other units who have long considered them to be a joke. To this end, the narrative possesses a satisfying charm of old-fashioned training tactics colliding with a modernised military outfit. Highway's methods are the perfect tool for getting these misfits into shape, leading to an array of hilarious moments and confrontations. The dialogue in James Carabatsos' script is so hilariously obscene that the image-conscious Marine Corps decided to withdraw all support for the movie that it had previously given. Heartbreak Ridge eventually culminates with the invasion of Grenada for which Highway's unit is called in to fight. This impressive combat sequence is the most serious section of the picture, and brings the proceedings to an agreeable close. Heartbreak Ridge may be perceived as protracted by some, and certainly there is some narrative flab, yet the slower parts are still arguably watchable and interesting. As always with Eastwood's output, the music is fun and the pace is brisk. It's never boring.
In considering the adage "war is hell", one will likely think of destruction, battlefields, death and bullets, yet the adage applies to something deeper. The impact of war is everlasting - war tears at a man's soul, lingers forever and reshape's a man's existence. As José Narosky once said, "In war, there are no unwounded soldiers", and this is the overlying theme of Heartbreak Ridge, which at times concentrates on the effect that war has had on Highway's life. This is contrasted against the undisciplined soldiers Highway presides over who perceive life in the Corps not as life-and-death business but as something more akin to summer camp. From a generalised perspective, Heartbreak Ridge is not much different from other drill sergeant pictures such as Major Payne and Full Metal Jacket (both of which were released after this movie, mind you). The characters, for the most part, are stereotypes, but there's a great deal of depth to them nonetheless (particularly to Highway) that allows the movie to work despite its shallow plot. Plus, the willingness to explore war's effects off the battlefield is extremely effective. As a movie about combat, Heartbreak Ridge works, and as a movie about people, it works.
As always, Clint Eastwood is superb as the gritty, raspy-voiced Gunnery Sergeant Highway who casually whips his inept platoon into shape while surreptitiously studying women's magazines to glean tips on how to win back his ex-wife. For the film, Eastwood adopted his typical gruff, macho Dirty Harry persona and mixed it with his lightness of touch, meaning the film provides the best of both worlds. It's a hilarious, seemingly effortless performance that's eminently quotable and downright awesome. As with most of Eastwood's motion pictures, the supporting cast is terrific as well. Mario Van Peebles is a highlight as "Stitch" Jones, a rap-singing marine who labels himself the "Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah". The scenes between Eastwood and Peebles are priceless. Meanwhile, Martha Mason played Aggie, and is every bit the match for her former husband. Also worth mentioning is Arlen Dean Snyder as one of Highway's friends, and Everett McGill who makes an impact as the total pinhead Major Powers.
Not a standard-issue war picture, Heartbreak Ridge forgoes frequent combat in favour of strong character development and thematic relevancy. Despite the lack of action, the film rarely slows down, and the final act serves as a fine pay-off to nicely round out the film and provide satisfying closure to the story of these engaging characters. Not to mention, Clint Eastwood was fed so many memorable one-liners and opportunities to crack heads that the script's refusal to circumvent clichés barely registers.
8.5/10
