Six stars. Rounded up. It got the round-up because Clint is cool enough to
pull off the hard-a$$ marine six-striper in his mid-50s. And because Marsha
Mason is such a great actress. It needed the round-up because it used Grenada
as its climax point. The US adventurism in Grenada was outright embarrasing. I recall thinking, then, that it was the most pathetic red-meat to the
electorate sideshow in decades. A real low-point in American foreign
relations. And it shines light on Clint's biggest flaw as a director -- his
films ALWAYS suffer when he brings his politics into them. It's a shame,
because he really does know how to direct a good action thriller. And, while
I'm beating up on the film, I'll also point out that the "villain" was just a
bit too cartoonish and pathetic. It would have helped if he hadn't been such
a useless caricature. I've already praised Clint's general coolness. And I'll
add that, despite all his limitations as an actor, he really has a flair for
this sort of part. He was perfect as a tough-as-nails guy at the end of his career,
trying to go out on a good note, and trying to figure out what the rest of his
life was going to be. And Mason was brilliant (as always) as his ex-wife. She
gave an honest portrayal of someone who knew what a disappointment Tom could
be, but still carried a torch for him. I also thought the whole pulling
together of the squad was done well. It's tricky to get that right, and not
have it come off too easy. Most of their acting was okay, but nothing special
And the looey part was idiotic. It was resolved well, but he, once again, was
too cartoonish. If you can overlook the absurdity of making a rah-rah event
out of something as pathetic as Grenada, and if you don't expect more than a
well-directed action thriller, you'll like it. 31 October 2022.
Review of Heartbreak Ridge
