While some critics claim that all war movies are anti-war, that cannot be said about Clint Eastwood’s movies about the American military. Being a war veteran himself, many of his films set during multiple operations conducted by the American military are supportive of the armed forces and, in some way, justify the soldiers’ actions.
However, one of his military dramas got the disapproval of the US Marine Corps due to its realistic depiction of the department and its members. Clint Eastwood’s Heartbreak Ridge was reportedly disowned by senior members of the Marine Corps after they viewed a cut of the movie, but several soldiers reportedly liked it.
Clint Eastwood’s Heartbreak Ridge was disowned by the US Marine Corps, but the soldiers loved it
Clint Eastwood’s films are mostly patriotic. The actor’s politics have been quite clear through not just his movies but also in his public image. The former Mayor of Carmel-by-the-sea has been vocal about his leanings and is largely considered to be libertarian, with some conservative perspectives. His movies, especially the war films, are pro-military.
To anyone who thinks cancel culture is a recent phenomenon, just ask Eastwood about the reactions he got for some of his most iconic movies. Perhaps his most famous movie, Dirty Harry, faced a lot of backlash from various groups for the excessive violence. And, his war movie Heartbreak Ridge, was disowned by the US Marine Corps.
Heartbreak Ridge follows a Gunnery Sergeant named Tom Highway, who is assigned the task of training a Recon Platoon, after their previous trainer let them be undisciplined. Highway’s unorthodox, yet realistic, training methods made him unpopular in the division, but he proved himself by leading them to victory during Operation Grenada.
Initially produced with the full cooperation of the corps, the department, and its senior leaders reportedly disowned the film due to its portrayal of sergeants and soldiers as abusive and brash. Eastwood’s role, too, was widely criticized by the department. Credits to the Marine Corps who played extras and acknowledgments to the department were removed (via LA Times).
While the senior leaders disregarded the film, soldiers of the Marine Corps reportedly liked the portrayal and said that it was completely accurate. The department expressed reservations about Clint Eastwood’s character and the curse words used by the soldiers. However, the soldiers reportedly said that it was accurate.
The film received only middling reviews from critics, earning 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it is considered to be one of Eastwood’s better films.
Clint Eastwood criticized the US Marine Corps for disowning Heartbreak Ridge
Clint Eastwood has been a war veteran himself, serving in the Korean War. He has made several films that can be considered pro-American military, even though he has claimed that his film American Sniper is not so (via THR). However, his film Heartbreak Ridge, which got the Marine Corps’ support while filming, was disowned by them during release.
Eastwood criticized the leadership’s statements about the movie and mentioned that they were taking it all too seriously. He mentioned how their disagreement led to many charity screenings being canceled, and multiple other military-related screenings being vetoed.
It’s a shame that a charity has to lose money because of somebody who’s got a bee under his rear end somewhere…With all these earth-shattering things going on back there [the Iran arms crisis], you wouldn’t think they would spend energy on something like this. It is not something of national security. In the words of Alfred Hitchcock, ‘It’s just a movie.’
Military films have largely been used for recruiting purposes by the US Military, including films like Top Gun. However, the depiction of the Marine Corps in Heartbreak Ridge may not have been on brand for the image that the department wanted to portray, and hence, they may have disowned it.
Heartbreak Ridge is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
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