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“Remember, there are no bad crews, only bad leaders.” – Master Chief John Urgayle
Number of Times Seen – Twice (11 Dec 2012 and 5 Apr 2020)
Brief Synopsis – A female naval officer is chosen to be the first female in a combat unit where things are tougher than everyone expected.
My Take on it – This is a film that is in some ways more relevant today than it was when it was made 23 years ago.
The themes brought up in this film are quite intriguing and ahead of their time.
Demi Moore does a wonderful job in the lead and is able to easily stand her own against the macho and buff soldiers all around her.
The story goes in some very dark directions and there are some scenes that are a bit too reminiscent of Opposing Force (1986) which takes away some of the originality of this film.
Viggo Mortensen has always been a great actor, but in this film, he doesn’t mess very well with the character that he portrays and his performance doesn’t feel genuine enough.
I really like the way that this film is able to give us some great ammunition for both sides of the debate both for and against gender integration in the military.
This adds so much to the issue that has been debated back and forth for decades and allows us to understand both sides of the issue even better.
The overall plot is quite good, but the journey that these characters have to take along the way is a bit weaker than I would have hoped for.
Bottom Line – Interesting theme that brings up some really intriguing idea that are quite ahead of their time. Moore does a nice job in the lead role and easily stands up her own against all of the macho soldiers around her throughout the film. There are parts of this story that are a bit too reminiscent of Opposing Force (1986) and that takes away part of the original feel of things. Mortensen is a great actor, but he doesn’t fit well enough into the character he plays and things don’t feel genuine enough. The story is able to put on the table the obvious issues both for and against gender integration in the military and is able to add so much to both sides of the debate that still rages on more than 23 years after this film was made. Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – While Demi Moore and the rest of the main cast endured a mini-boot camp in Florida, Viggo Mortensen prepared for the role on his own for several months. He observed the actual training in Naval Base Coronado and talked to many active and retired Navy S.E.A.L.s. Some of the other cast members, with the exception of Moore, were angry that Mortensen didn’t go through what the others had to go through. That’s what Mortensen wanted. (From IMDB)
Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)
