Heartbreak Ridge

Clint Eastwood knows how to play a mean-tempered, tough, and belligerent old geezer with a hardened and incorrigible past. With his mumbled, raspy voice and a furrowed, always-squinting brow that's practically cemented onto his face, Eastwood is a born-natural for these types of roles. In 'Heartbreak Ridge,' he portrays an aged marine sergeant with enough experience to earn at least a couple of stars on his collar, but his confrontational, dyed-in-the-wool personality has affected and limited his career along with his personal life. When talking about the legendary actor and director, this comedic war drama may not immediately spring to mind, but his performance as Thomas "Gunny" Highway is one of the best of Eastwood's career and should be one of his most memorable.

A decorated soldier from the Korean War, Gunnery Sergeant Highway is nearing retirement from the Marine Corps, but feels like he has one more battle in him before finally calling it quits. In spite of his surly disposition, he somehow manages a transfer to his old unit where he can train troops for combat. Once there, he's reunited with his buddy, Sergeant Major Choozoo (Arlen Dean Snyder), and finds a commanding officer, Major Powers (Everett McGill), who thinks the Medal of Honor recipient a relic. As a result, he's put in charge of shaping up a recon platoon considered the most disobedient and out-of-control group of jarheads on the entire base. And adding insult to injury, his ex-wife, Aggie (Marsha Mason), still lives in town and wants nothing to do with him.

From the moment we meet Gunny, sitting in a jail cell and surrounded by other inmates listening intently to his war stories, we instantly realize the veteran is not the type of man you want to offend. And Eastwood does a superb job as the feisty old-timer set in his ways, with dialogue that makes the character both lovable and intimidating. In fact, the movie comes with arguably some of the best one-liners ever uttered on film, and each one is delivered to perfection by the incomparable Eastwood. It doesn't matter who he's talking to, the Gunner Sergeant is quick on his toes and slings out insults with a squint-eyed face like he were breathing air. If his words are not enough to make someone back off, the man is just as lively with his hands, and makes men three times his size weep.

I'm not doing this because I want to take long showers with you a***oles and I don't want to get my head shot off in some far away land because you don't habla, comprende?

The story not only presents one hilarious moment after another, it also possesses a satisfying charm as old-fashioned training tactics meet a new, modernized military. But when given such a ragtag group of slackers, Gunny's outdated methods seem like the perfect tool for getting them into shape. And with Eastwood behind the camera as well as in front of it, the movie runs its course with hardly a hiccup or disruption to the humor. 'Heartbreak Ridge' comes across fully aware it's making light of its more serious side (a war hero nearing mandatory retirement and wanting to repair the damage caused by his gung-ho attitude) and slowly brings that drama to the forefront in subtle, entertaining fashion. And in so doing, the film distinguishes itself in a unique and memorable way.

It's only when the platoon is activated to invade Grenada that the flow feels suddenly interrupted by the burst of life-threatening combat. Though a couple of scenes were inspired by real-life events, they almost seem tacked on for the sake of providing the movie with some action, rather than the logical outcome of everything that came before it. Of course, this is only a small defect in an otherwise amusing movie. 'Heartbreak Ridge' may not be one of Clint Eastwood's iconic films, but its greatest strength lies in the legendary actor's top-notch performance.