Heartbreak Ridge

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: December 5, 1986

DVD Release Date: October 1, 2002

Plot 411: An old war horse whips some unruly Marines into shape despite their slacking ways.

Review: Gunnery Sergeant Highway (Clint Eastwood) avoids forced retirement by being sent back to his old unit. There he is assigned the task of turning a platoon of Marines into real soldiers. The group under his command includes Stitch (Mario Van Peebles), a wannabe rocker, Profile (Tom Villard), a geeky radio man and a muscle-bound Swede (Peter Koch). Highway works to cure their disobedience through routine exercise and keeping them on their toes with his unpredictable behavior. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit despite the fact that there wasn't much action. Even though it's a military flick, most of the movie takes place on base as Highway trains the men. Eastwood is convincing as this old school Marine who seems to clash with the younger men and newer techniques. His age and style are a point of contention for the upper brass.

Watch It: For multiple scenes of Van Peebles singing.

Skip It: If you're looking for a hardcore war movie. I prefer the likes of Apocalypse Now, Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket.

The Hurt Locker

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: September 4, 2008 (Brazil) / June 26, 2009 (USA)

DVD Release Date: January 12, 2010

Plot 411: An Army bomb squad team count down their days to rotation in 2004 Iraq.

Review: Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant James, an explosive ordinance disposal team leader who joins Bravo company midway through their rotation. His team is made of Sergeant Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Unlike their previous leader, James is a reckless cowboy and Sanborn and Eldridge don't know what to make of his style. As the men proceed through different missions, the audience is able to see what makes each character tick, learn their motivating factors and experience what it might be like to be caught in the middle of a war. The movie was truly a wonderful piece of work, if you can call a war movie wonderful. It shot like a documentary with its gritty feel. The heat of the location came through in the sweat of the actors. Despite being fictitious, the movie had a lot of elements that made it very believable. The constant battle between James and Sanborn brought an interesting dynamic to the group. James liked to do things his way and one could argue that his actions put his team in jeopardy. Sanborn disagreed with his methods, but he wasn't the one face-to-face with an explosive. Even though there was a difference of opinion, James, Sanborn and Eldrige were a team and you had to trust your team with your life. I guess this is an example of intense situations bringing people together. I'm totally amazed that this movie didn't win any major awards.

Watch It: For a realistic portrayal of the war in Iraq and an interesting psychological study of the character. It's hard to understand what would make a person volunteer for this particular job?

Skip It: If you like your war movies to include lots of flying bullets, conflicts and dead bodies. This isn't Saving Private Ryan.