Talk:Heartbreak Ridge

Army vs Marines
The Wiki article correctly points out the "Battle of Heartbreak Ridge" connection. However as best I can recall, the movie does not make clear that Gunny Highway was in the Army at that time (as stated in the Wiki article). In reality (from what I understand) few Marines participated in that battle. Also, the lack of discipline in the "recon platoon" is NOT characteristic of a US Marine recon unit. Most Marines in a "recon platoon" would be vying to join Force Recon, which is sort of the Marine's "commando" unit - an elite force similar to the Navy SEALs. In other words, a recon unit would never be a unit of slackers and misfits. This is journalistic or cinemographic license... Engr105th 05:52, 11 July 2007 (UTC)


 * You don't remember the scene where Choozhoo tells Jones about Heartbreak Ridge and how Highway got his Medal of Honor there? He recounts how their sergeant (Mary's husband), upon seeing the ridge for the first time, said something like "Ladies, if it don't kill us, it will surely break our hearts." Choozhoo explicitly stated that he and Highway were still in the regular infantry and hadn't transferred to the Marines at that point. Clarityfiend 06:04, 11 July 2007 (UTC)


 * Hmmm...will take your word for it about the Army to Marine transfer. Been a while since I've seen that movie:)...I really don't recall them specifically mentioning Army...Engr105th 20:54, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
 * Saw it again the other night, for the umpteenth time. They were in the 23rd Infantry, which was there, according to Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. Clarityfiend 07:14, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Regarding the depiction of the Recon unit sitting around playing pool and gaining weight... it's hard to know where to draw the line in terms of pointing out the dramatic license to readers of the Wiki article. Few military films get it right, in terms of avoiding fairly cliche scenes that rarely if ever happen in the actual military. For example, there's Gunny's habit of outwardly insulting his commanding officer, only to conclude with "Sir," as if this would somehow negate what he had just called the Major. Such a thing is common in Hollywood dramas, and it could be a bit unfair to hold one script to a standard of accuracy that others don't have to meet.

The same could be said of the plot involving a tough-guy superior taking over a bunch of burn-outs, and transforming them into the proverbial "elite fighting force." That theme is at least as old as John Wayne in "The Flying Tigers," and it seems that movie-goers expect to see it (as in R. Crowe's Master and Commander, and countless other movies) as much as they are trained to not notice the service-members saluting with the left hand. To the extent that Heartbreak Ridge purports to show actual events, it can be held to a high standard. Where to set the bar, though, is hard to say and would seem to be based on the goals of the Wiki article. C d h 04:25, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

Phone call dispute
I moved these two opposing assertions here because neither is sourced:

A rumor grew that the scene in which the trapped marines call in an air strike over a commercial phone line was based on an actual event. An investigation by the US Department of Defense determined that it was false.

Whomever stated that the scene regarding the Phone Call Air Raid Scene being determined to be false was wrong. When I was in the 3/319th Airborne Field Artillery Bn of the 82nd Airborne Div, I knew the man responsible. His name is Stanley Arnsbarger, and during Operation Urgent Fury, he was a Forward Observer attached to (I believe) 1/504th Parachute Infantry Bn. He didn't have to splice any wiring though. There was a Bell Telephone Booth on the street side of the building. The only phone number he knew was to the CQ Desk at his unit HQ at Ft. Bragg, NC. The operator refused to allow a collect call, so he used his credit card. He called his unit HQ at Ft. Bragg, who then transferred him to 82d Div HQ, who transferred him to CinCLantFlt, who connected him to the USS Independence Operations Center. He gave them grid coordinates for the Air Strike. He received a Bronze Star and was never repaid the cost of the call.

Clarityfiend 14:46, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

I've updated the article to reflect that, though it probably could be said better than I said it. If I'm not mistaken, a similar situation arose during the military action against Noriega in Panama. Maybe, over time, there were enough anecdotes about what was then the new technology of the calling cards began to blur, so that the real events began to be questioned. C d h 04:14, 25 September 2007 (UTC)


 * I've left it in, but tagged it, as it is still not sourced. Clarityfiend 04:26, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

1983 Beirut barracks bombing Not Metioned
It's unforunate that a film about Marines in October 1983 makes no metion whatsoever of the October 23, 1983 Beirut barracks bombing incident where 241 American sericemen, (most of them Marines), 58 French servicemen, and 6 civilians were killed. They should have included it in the movie. There are scenes that shows the Marines before they go into battle in Grenada. They could have metioned it then. Almost every American movie that is set on or around December 7, 1941 metions Pearl Harbor in it. Ignoring the Marines killed and wounded in Lebanon was a big mistake on the part of the filmakers.74.76.85.68 (talk) 22:47, 2 March 2008 (UTC)Bennett Turk

This movie is about the invasion of Grenada, not the entire Marine Corps in October 1983...at any rate, it's not in the movie, so it has no business being on an article about the movie... Battleax86 (talk) 23:00, 4 May 2009 (UTC)

Gunny
maybe it's just me, but listing that nickname sounds like it was uniquely his, whereas we all know that 'gunny' is a colloquial form of address for any marine corps e-7. much like any navy e-7 is addressed as 'chief', although that's more official. Toyokuni3 (talk) 05:08, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

James Carabatsos and Hamburger Hill
Under the Production section (filming and themes), the article states: "Screenwriter James Carabatsos, a Vietnam veteran of the 1st Cavalry Division, had a previous hit with both the critics and the public in his Vietnam War film Hamburger Hill." I'm curious about this sentence and the usage of the word "previous" in particular, being that Heartbreak Ridge was a 1986 film and Hamburger Hill was a 1987 film. Can anyone explain this? Harry Yelreh (talk) 05:30, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
 * Doesn't make much sense, so I took it out. Clarityfiend (talk) 09:00, 11 June 2010 (UTC)

marine/army "dispute"
You would think, that anyone reading this or any other article about the movie would realize that most, if not all, the "inaccuracies" arise from the movie being originally centered on the ARMY and not the USMC. I suppose most readers do not realize exactly what problems come from re-writing a movie over and over again and sometimes even during filming. IF they had had more time, and a larger budget, and someone who honestly and truly cared, the movie would have been more accurate.

In any case, this movie is a COMEDY/ACTION Movie, much like "Dirty Harry" and the sequels. Clint has a very dry wit, and not everyone gets it at first. Most of Clint's 80's movies were comedies disguised as action movies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.43.18.19 (talk) 23:34, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

The LST in that scene is the USS Sumter LST 1181Ship Name
The article used to list the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) as the amphibious assault ship from which the group launched its assult on Grenada. However, a name plate in the background of one of the shots clearly says the ship is the USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3). I have updated the article accordingly. Kdknigga (talk) 02:15, 2 November 2011 (UTC)

There is a big difference between an LHA and an LPH. The exterior scenes were definitely of an LPH. LPH's have a rounded forward edge of the flight deck, LHA's have a straight forward edge, like a CVA. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.109.244.83 (talk) 05:25, 22 March 2015 (UTC)


 * At least in this movie shot, they used and showed a ship that actually could have been there during that time. Although, according to the wiki, there WAS an Iwo Jima class LHA that was actually there, the USS Guam (LHA-9).  The USS Iwo Jima (LHA-2) wasn't decomissioned until the 90s.  Some movies, they do not pay that close attention to detail, such as an error of this type in Executive Decision (mid-air plane to plane transfer, to refresh your memories).  On the war room screen, they show CVN-69 (USS Eisenhower), and even say the correct name ("Eisenhower Battle Group" if I remember correctly) during the discussion.  However, the flight deck shots later in the movie show hull number 70 (USS Carl Vinson) painted on the island.  32.212.102.239 (talk) 07:20, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

Behind the scenes
The entire Behind the scenes section is messed up, unreadable, irrelevant, and needs to be revised, or preferably, removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.167.210.37 (talk) 00:37, 21 January 2012 (UTC)

VHS release
Surely it came out on video before 1992? I remember renting it in the '80s. The date from the Amazon link is probably just for that particular edition. Tapes got re-released in new packaging all the time. -- Analog Kid (talk) 18:43, 22 July 2012 (UTC)

Real Heartbreak Ridge Medal of Honor
If you look at the MOHs awarded for the timeframe of the real Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, see List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients, the only person who was in the Army's 23rd Infantry Regiment was Herbert K. Pililaau. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:8805:5800:AD00:9C9D:6AB3:CBF8:A317 (talk) 02:11, 15 August 2016 (UTC)

Indieshack (talk) 14:24, 23 May 2018 (UTC)


 * I also take issue with the phrasing used in the movie about Gunny Highway's MOH. This award, besides being the highest military honor there is in the United States, is not won, it is awarded.  It is not a competition where the winner gets a Medal of Honor.  This is said twice by Mario Van Peebles' character Stitch Jones, as well as by Sergeant Major Choozoo, when they were in Little Mary's bar, discussing "Heartbreak Ridge".  32.212.102.239 (talk) 06:44, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

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Role of Fritz Manes
The role of Fritz Manes should probably be expanded, it apparently provided behind-the-scenes drama resulting in his being fired by Eastwood from the Malpaso company, according to Clint: The Life and Legend by Patrick McGilligan.


 * Manes is only mentioned once in the article. Is his role really of any special significance?  And is that bio considered a reliable source? --- The Old Jacobite The '45 15:04, 23 May 2018 (UTC)


 * Yes, I believe so - McGilligan's book is widely quoted. Issues regarding Maines and Heartbreak Ridge are further elaborated on here in this NYT article. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/movies/fritz-manes-producer-of-eastwood-films-dies-at-79.html I believe it to be both relevant and reliably documented, by definition worthy of inclusion in a wikipedia article on the topic. Indieshack (talk) 17:58, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
 * I agree. I just wanted to make sure the bio wasn't of the kind one can buy in the supermarket checkout.  Yes, this should be added to the production section. --- The Old Jacobite The '45 18:38, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

Wrong actor listed
It lists major powers as the op officer and Annapolis graduate when i believe it was actually lieutenant ring. Tirza81 (talk) 00:02, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Whichever it is, it's not particularly relevant, so I've deleted the info. Clarityfiend (talk) 05:38, 25 May 2020 (UTC)

Uniform Error
One glaring uniform error, possibly more, stands out to me during their mission brief while on the carrier, getting ready to head into Grenada. It would seem that Lt. Ring should not be wearing a regular (non-blackened) rank insignia on his cover and collar tabs, as they are in camouflage and heading into a war zone. If he did this real world, it would make it more obvious to the enemy that he is a higher priority target. This is the same reason that the normal military protocol of saluting an officer by an enlisted is not done in those situations, for the same reason.

Now, I was in the Navy, regular fleet enlisted, and active reserves in the Sea Bees, not in the Marines, so there might be other uniform issues I am not aware of, but it also seems like the rest of them with non-blackened jump wings, etc. would be wrong as well. It just, to me, looks like they should also be blackened versions if they are going into battle. On the web page https://www.thebalancecareers.com/army-combat-patch-rules-when-and-how-to-wear-the-patch-3344579 under the heading Color Patches and Subdued Patches, it says that the subdued (no colors) patches will be worn while in the field. Presumably, this would be the same for the metal rank, jump wings, and so on. Just my thoughts on the subject. 32.212.102.239 (talk) 06:39, 12 September 2021 (UTC)

Saluting
Although not required by law or military regulation, members of the uniformed services are encouraged to render salutes to recipients of the Medal of Honor as a matter of respect and courtesy regardless of rank or status, whether or not they are in uniform. This is one of the few instances where a living member of the military will receive salutes from members of a higher rank. According to paragraph 1.6.1.1 of Air Force Instruction 1-1, the United States Air Force requires that salutes be rendered to Medal of Honor recipients. >>> NO salute in the movie :-( 79.221.197.124 (talk) 09:46, 20 August 2022 (UTC)