VA Benefits: Nine Soldier Movies
War is one of the most popular subjects for film; something about the combination of somber reflections of morality and stuff blowin’ up real good hits popular consciousness well. Unfortunately, most war movies focus on just that: the war. Individuals tend to get treated either as literal cannon fodder or broadly drawn archetypes. Frankly, the average grunt gets about as much sway in a film as he does on the battlefield. Strange as it is to say, there are whole facets of a soldier’s life that aren’t paid much attention in most films- there’s the training and proverbial KP, there’s the shore leave and the dull hours between battles, the petty arguments that can swell up between people expected to save each other’s lives eventually. In honor of Veteran’s Day, we present nine films that contain the whole spectrum of a soldier’s life…
The Good:
From Here to Eternity (dir. Fred Zinnemann)
Adapted from the weighty epic by James Jones (who also penned The Thin Red Line), From Here to Eternity is perhaps the perfect soldier movie; the war doesn’t even begin until the bombing of Pearl Harbor at the tail end of the film. Instead, the plot focuses on the tribulations and personalities of a handful of grunts in Hawaii- Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine are just a few. While the story is shortened and fitted to the mores of 1953 America (for example, a main female character’s case of the clap is transformed into a miscarriage- apparently a better avenue at the time), the broad range of personalities, Lancaster’s stern sergeant, Clift’s brilliant malcontent, Sinatra’s drunken mischief maker and Borgnine’s sadistic MP all come together to a powerful and unforgettable story. Winning eight Academy Awards and ensuring a place for film soldiers outside of war, From Here to Eternity is a true classic.
The Dirty Dozen (dir. Robert Aldrich)
Has there ever been an uglier, scruffier suicide squad? Probably, but these were the originals. As the old saying goes, any movies that has Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson must be good; not to mention Donald Sutherland, John Cassavettes and Telly Savalas, all chewing up the scenery in various states of filth. The plot is basically a group of sociopathic army washouts being secretly trained to kill German officers (and their civilian companions) at a posh resort, but it all comes down to the sharply drawn characters. Sutherland is goofy and dimwitted, Bronson taciturn but affable and Savalas is a misogynistic, religious zealot. It’s a dark film, devoid of heroes or patriotism; these guys didn’t want to defend their country, but they’ll hang if they don’t.
Stripes (dir. Ivan Reitman)
Stripes is basically the comedic version of The Dirty Dozen- misfits bullied together into a crack unit by a stern sergeant (Warren Oates) for a secret mission. Only, this time Bill Murray (in early sardonic, slacker mode), Harold Ramis, a not yet insane Sean Young, Judge Reinhold and John Candy lampoon the whole experience of joining the Army. They’re not the best and the brightest; in fact, they’re the furthest things from it- Candy’s catatonic stumble after received a military grade buzzcut is possibly the best shellshock spoof ever. Reitman’s relaxed attitude to filming (much of the dialogue is improvised) matches the loose and easy atmosphere perfectly. It’s just like The Dirty Dozen, except with kinky foreplay involving spatulas.
The Bad:
Pearl Harbor (dir. Michael Bay)
Oh, Michael Bay. Three syllables, yet so much dread contained therein. In fairness, when he sticks to glossy hyper-action movies (The Rock, Bad Boys II), his work is enjoyable as a big bag of cotton candy. When he tries to get serious, things just go kamikaze (too soon?). Whatever Jon Voight and Alec Baldwin add in gravitas, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett as two friends stationed at Pearl Harbor strip it away. It says something that in a film (historically inaccurate as it may be) based on one of the most infamous attacks in American history, dyslexia is considered one of the major crises. While Bay and company valiantly try to add personality to the stick figures, it was and remains a piece of Hollywood fluff.
Crimson Tide (dir. Tony Scott)
The premise is fine- the battle-hardened vs. the book-smart, but on a submarine! Grizzled veteran Gene Hackman and Harvard-educated (shorthand for inexperienced) Denzel Washington fight it out whether to launch a nuclear attack on Russia (in 1995?) when their communications are disabled. The only problem, both of the leads seem to be playing caricatures of themselves- Hackman seethes and rumbles and Washington is so earnest and thoughtful that he can not only talk down a cabin-fever fight in the mess, he does so while hailing Stan Lee as the only true Silver Surfer writer (yeah, screw Ron Marz). Despite some uncredited Tarantino dialogue, Crimson Tide never really pulls it off- anyone thinking they rented a sequel to The Hunt for Red October is going to be seriously disappointed.
Enemy at the Gates (dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud)
The Battle of Stalingrad is one of the true tragedies of humanity- with nearly two million casualties, it is by far the bloodiest battle in history. Unfortunately, Enemy at the Gates does nothing to honor that. Jude Law’s expressionless portrayal of a Russian sniper, combined with inaccuracies so egregious that Stalingrad veterans protested the film in Russia, result in a movie that mistakes gore for tragedy and love triangles for characterization. A bewildering subplot foreshadowing the Palestinian conflict and a glassy-eyed villain turn from the usually dependable Ed Harris write the film off- not even Bob Hoskins in a brilliant, fiery cameo as Khrushchev can save this one.
The Ugly:
Top Gun (dir. Tony Scott)
What more can be said about Top Gun? The film that launched a thousand nicknames (nobody ever wants to be Goose)? The film that has not one, but two Kenny Loggins songs in its soundtrack? The film that even Quentin Tarantino thought was homoerotic? Not much. For sheer ridiculousness, Top Gun is required viewing; practically every speaking role is a stock character, every twist can be seen a mile away. If you watch carefully, you can pinpoint the moment when Tom Cruise achieves the perfect blend of boyish charm/smarm and carefree dental artistry- it takes your breath away.
Dances with Wolves (dir. Kevin Costner)
Everyone likes Dances with Wolves; that’s a given. It makes you feel both good for empathizing with the sad fate of the American West and bad for your Western consumer ways. In that sense, it’s the perfect polemic film- as a film about a Civil War veteran warring with his own dissatisfaction and traumas, it’s queasy. Nearly every white man is crazy, dirty, stupid or just plain evil, while even the antagonistic Pawnee are dignified in their villainy. Costner knows what he’s doing as a director- the cinematography is beautiful and there are heartbreaking moments scattered through the film, but it’s crippled by its own weight. It fails to become a movie about a man, only a movie about a message.
Operation Dumbo Drop (dir. Simon Wincer)
OK, I couldn’t resist throwing this one in there- it’s the Citizen Kane of parachuting elephant movies. And that cast! Danny Glover! Ray Liotta! Denis Leary! Doug E. Doug? Glover plays a lifelong soldier about to retire (does he ever not play someone about to retire? He’s getting too old for that shit) who has to replace the sole elephant in a Vietnamese village. Enough said. In any case, you can never ask for a movie that gives more personality to an elephant in need. Except the actual Dumbo.
by Nathan Kamal
