Heartbreak Ridge
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| Heartbreak Ridge | |
|---|---|
 Poster of the film Heartbreak Ridge |
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| Directed by | Clint Eastwood |
| Produced by | Clint Eastwood Fritz Manes |
| Written by | James Carabatsos Joseph Stinson |
| Starring | Clint Eastwood Marsha Mason Everett McGill Mario Van Peebles |
| Music by | Lennie Niehaus Desmond Nakano |
| Release date(s) | December 5, 1986 |
| Running time | 130 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Heartbreak Ridge is a 1986 film, starring Clint Eastwood (who also produced and directed) and Mario Van Peebles, about the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, West Indies. A portion of the movie was filmed on the island itself.
The title comes from the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, fought during the Korean War in 1951 by soldiers of the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division, along with those of the French Battalion, against the North Korean Army. The character played by Eastwood was awarded the Medal of Honor as a result of his heroic actions there, and later joins the United States Marine Corps. In the film, he is a tough, grizzled Marine Gunnery Sergeant, with several wars and many battles under his belt.
[edit] Plot
Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway (Eastwood) is nearing mandatory retirement from the Marines. In anticipation of that, he finagles a transfer back to his old unit. On the bus trip to his new assignment, fellow passenger 'Stitch' Jones (Mario Van Peebles) steals his bus ticket and leaves him to pay the restaurant bill at a stop.
When he reaches the base, he gets several unpleasant surprises. His new commanding officer is Major Malcolm Powers (Everett McGill), an Annapolis graduate who transferred over from Supply. He sees no place for grizzled old relics like Highway in the "new" Marine Corps. He assigns him to the reconnaissance platoon, a bunch of undisciplined, undertrained men whose last sergeant was just marking time until his retirement. Among his new charges, he finds none other than a dismayed Corporal Stitch Jones.
Highway quickly shows them who the boss is, and the men are soon working much harder than they are used to. Their attempt to intimidate him, using the gigantic, heavily-muscled Swede Johanson (Peter Koch) fails miserably and they eventually begin to shape up and develop esprit de corps.
Meanwhile, Highway repeatedly clashes with Powers and his toady, Sergeant Webster (Moses Gunn), over his unorthodox methods (such as firing live rounds from an AK-47); he is supported however by his old comrade-in-arms, Sergeant Major Choozoo (Arlen Dean Snyder), and his nominal superior officer, Lieutenant Ring (Boyd Gaines). After his men learn that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor in the Korean War, even they close ranks behind him against their perceived common enemy (Powers) and practice Highway's Marine mantra of "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome."
Highway also has other, more personal problems. Aggie (Marsha Mason), his ex-wife, is working as a waitress in a local bar and going out with the owner, Marine-hating Roy Jennings (Bo Svenson). Highway tries to change his ways enough to win her back (even resorting to reading Cosmopolitan magazine to gain insights into the female mind). After a few false starts, he begins to make some progress, when his unit is activated for the invasion of Grenada.
Highway's platoon is dropped by helicopter in advance of the main force. His men demonstrate the effectiveness of his training by doing their job well. Highway improvises, using a bulldozer to provide cover for his men so they can advance on and destroy an enemy machine gun nest. Next, they rescue American students from a medical school. When they are trapped in a building by a armored car and infantry, with their radio out of commission, they use a civilian telephone to call in air support. In combat, Lieutenant Ring shows previously unsuspected leadership qualities and gains the confidence of the men. Then, despite Powers' explicit orders to the contrary, they take a key position - a historical fort - and force the enemy to surrender. When Powers bawls them out and threatens Highway with a court-martial, his commanding officer arrives and reprimands Powers in public for discouraging initiative and fighting spirit, saving Highway's career.
When Highway and his men return to the U.S., they are met by a warm reception by the civilians, a first for him. Aggie is there to greet and reconcile with her man. And, to his mock dismay, Stitch informs him that he is going to make a career for himself in the Marines.
[edit] Trivia
- General John Abizaid, commander of US Central Command (July 2003 - present), is portrayed in the movie. "In the U.S. Invasion of Grenada in 1983, Abizaid improvised an attack on a Cuban bunker by having his unit take cover behind a charging bulldozer. The episode was depicted in the 1986 movie Heartbreak Ridge, with actor Clint Eastwood portraying Abizaid." (St. Petersburg Times from September 3, 2006).
[edit] External link
