Clint Eastwood’s most iconic 1986 war film has some flaws when it comes to accuracy, according to an Army expert

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Clint Eastwood’s most iconic 1986 war film has some flaws when it comes to accuracy, according to an Army expert

Clint Eastwood
remains one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood history and has worked regularly in films for 70 years. Although he remains perhaps best known for appearing in Westerns, with the classic Dollars Trilogy The good, the bad and the ugly (1966) with special emphasis, he also worked extensively in other genres, taking on the crime thriller with Dirty Harry (1971), and appearing in war films such as Where eagles dare (1968) and Kelly’s Heroes (1970). Eventually, of course, Eastwood would also move on to direct.

Eastwood, now 94, directed 45 films throughout his careeryour first being Play Misty for me (1971). Eastwood’s most iconic directorial efforts, however, would come a little later in his Hollywood journey, and include films like Unforgivable (1992), Million Dollar Baby (2004), American sniper (2014), and Stain (2016). Eastwood also frequently starred in his directorial efforts, including a 1986 war film chronicling the American invasion of Grenada.

Iconic scenes from Clint Eastwood’s Heartbreak Ridge earn a middling accuracy score

Gunnery Sergeant Highway makes some crucial mistakes


Clint Eastwood grimacing as Tom Highway in Heartbreak Ridge

Despite featuring one of Eastwood’s most iconic lines, Mountain range of heartbreak presents some major inaccuracies. Eastwood stars in the 1986 war film as Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Tom Highway, following the gruff military leader as he returns to his old unit to train a new batch of rambunctious recruits into a formidable fighting force for Operation Urgent Fury, the American invasion of Grenada. in 1983. The film received lukewarm reviews, but was a box office success, and features some classic Eastwood lines as he tries to whip his recruits into shape.

In a recent video for Insiderretired U.S. Army Sergeant Lamont Christian analyzes two scenes from Mountain range of heartbreakincluding a scene where Highway fires live rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle around his recruits to scare them. Eastwood then delivers a memorable line identifying the weapon and how it favors the “enemy.”

Christian questions the use of live rounds during training, which is prohibitedbut also points out inaccuracies in another scene in which Highway fights a police officer. This fight scene, Christian explains, would fracture the recruits’ loyalty. Check out his full analysis and the film’s score out of 10 below:

This is an iconic clip. Many people will often repeat this specific quote from Clint Eastwood in this film. One of the things that the US military doesn’t do is integrate live fire training, where we shoot our people at close range like this just for the safety factor, right? I’m not saying it didn’t happen. It is definitely something that is not tolerated.

Definitely something that could happen where they would fight in the pit during that period. I think they were actually around the period of [Operation Urgent Fury, the U.S. invasion of Grenada]my father was actually one of the participants in this. He was serving with the 82nd at the time. They’re in PT, they’re doing physical training, some warrior-based training, warrior ethos, it’s all about demonstrating that they’re prepared to go to war.

For a senior non-commissioned officer to fight an officer, it would likely create a good order and discipline problem in that organization because the ranks would begin to crumble. You would have those who would follow behind the officer, then those who could follow behind the Gunnery Sergeant Highway.

In the context of the period of the battle they were preparing to fight in Granada, I would say it’s probably about five [out of 10]. Again, only because when he was shooting at them with live ammunition.

Our opinion on Heartbreak Ridge’s lack of accuracy

How much does it really matter?


Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge

One of Eastwood’s greatest attractions as an actor is his severity and harshness. He often plays down-to-earth characters, making clever jokes with a grunt while looking cool in the process. Gunnery Sergeant Highway may not be as memorable as Dirty Harry, but His firing of live ammunition around his recruits immediately tells the audience what kind of character he is, and his speech later states that this is a military man with great combat experience..

There have been relatively few films about Operation Urgent Fury, and the film had the opportunity to present a semi-realistic view of the conflict and the soldiers who fought in it.

While Mountain range of heartbreakThe vagueness of may not be a hindrance from an entertainment and story perspective; It’s a disappointment in another way. There have been relatively few films about Operation Urgent Fury, and the film had the opportunity to present a semi-realistic view of the conflict and the soldiers who fought in it. Films, however, are ultimately meant to entertain and not necessarily educate, and Eastwood’s performance in Mountain range of heartbreak It’s still fun all these years later.

Source: Insider

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