Heartbreak Ridge

"...the scars run deep."

1986 2h 10m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 1,170

WarDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A hard-nosed, hard-living Marine gunnery sergeant clashes with his superiors and his ex-wife as he takes command of a spoiled recon platoon with a bad attitude.

“...the scars run deep.”

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Cast

Clint Eastwood
Gunnery Sgt. Tom 'Gunny' Highway
Marsha Mason
Aggie
Everett McGill
Major Malcolm A. Powers
Moses Gunn
Staff Sergeant Webster
Mario Van Peebles
Corporal 'Stitch' Jones
Eileen Heckart
Little Mary Jackson
Bo Svenson
Roy Jennings
Boyd Gaines
Lieutenant M.R. Ring

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Clint Eastwood
Writers: Dennis Hackin, James Carabatsos, Joseph Stinson
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Clint Eastwood, shot by Jack N. Green. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lennie Niehaus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Clint Eastwood and Marsha Mason and Everett McGill carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "...the scars run deep.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091187 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Clint Eastwood directs. Jack N. Green behind the camera. Lennie Niehaus scores. Joel Cox cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

140 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
3Directed by Clint Eastwood, shot by Jack N. Green. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lennie Niehaus. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Clint Eastwood and Marsha Mason and Everett McGill carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "...the scars run deep.".
8IMDB entry: tt0091187 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "war veteran", "patriotism", "recruit", "battle assignment".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack N. Green
Original score: Lennie Niehaus
Editing: Joel Cox
Production design: Edward C. Carfagno
Makeup / hair: E. Thomas Case
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Van Horn
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $42,700,000
Return: 285% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

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Clint Eastwood

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-12-18
★ 6/10
A more comedic version of “The Dirty Dozen,” but taking place in 1983 and starring Clint Eastwood Clint Eastwood’s "Heartbreak Ridge" (1986) stars Eastwood as a tough, soon-to-retire Marine gunnery sergeant who conflicts with the brass and his former-wife (Marsha Mason) as he takes command of a spoiled recon squad. The platoon is eventually deployed to Grenada in late October, 1983, in order to prevent a communist takeover and rescue some med students. Thirteen years after “The Dirty Dozen,” Eastwood recycles the plot and adds a lot of hip comedy. Although it’s not a great military flick like “Dozen” it has its points of entertainment, but you have to roll with the odd mixture of believable military training drama with heavy doses of amusement, mainly revolving around the cartoonish character of Cpl. Stitch Jones, played with fervor by Mario Van Peebles. If you can acclimate to this odd mixture, there’s a lot to enjoy here. It helps that the movie hooks you in with the opening jail fight involving the hard-living Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway (Eastwood). His reunion with his ex-wife and their potentially developing relationship is another hook. Some parts are kinda meh, but there’s enough good here if you’re in the mood for a military training flick in the form of “The Dirty Dozen” meeting “Top Gun” (1987) mixed with an edgier version of Gomer Pyle. The film runs 2 hours, 10 minutes and was shot at Camp Pendleton, Southern Cal, as well as Santa Clarita (café), San Clemente (bar), El Toro (airfield homecoming) and Vieques, Puerto Rico (Grenada). GRADE: B-
John Chard2019-04-22
★ 7/10
Crusty Clint is still not to be messed with. One of Clint Eastwood's most accessible 80s movies, Heartbreak Ridge sees the gruff actor on very fine form, this even though the "war is hell" core that fills out the last quarter via a rather silly gun toting rescue mission in Grenada does lack conviction. The film wins its stripes courtesy of James Carabatsos' razor witty script and the sub plot involving ex wife Aggie (Marsha Mason). For all its macho posturing and training routine shenanigans (you will wish we could have stayed at boot camp once Grenada arrives), at its heart is a very tender movie about a man who can't let the career go, and simultaneously the wife (ex) who simply lived hell each day as her man was off at war (Korea/Vietnam et al). That said, it's the comedy that has made the film one of the most quoted film's of big Clint's career. Be it Eastwood himself tossing off witty put downs to his rag tag band of men, or the likes of Mario Van Peebles hilariously looking like some punk version of Michael Jackson, there's a lot of fun to be had in every other frame. There's even a guy here whose thighs are bigger than Sly Stallone! So yes there's many stereotypes here, none more so than Everett McGill's fresh out of school prig Major Powers, and for sure the ending is never in any doubt what so ever. But get in line and enjoy the fun whilst noticing that it does have under the surface themes well worth time investment as well. 7/10
r96sk2022-02-02
★ 7/10
<em>'Heartbreak Ridge'</em> is a rather good war film, one I enjoyed a fair bit. Clint Eastwood, to no-one's surprise, is the best performer from the onscreen talent, though I did like the support cast - namely Mario Van Peebles, Boyd Gaines and Arlen Dean Snyder. The plot is, although obvious in where it is heading, fun and holds one's attention. The score doesn't particularly stand out but there is one part around the middle which is neat. Some of the dialogue is a little cringe, but there are some good lines in there for Mr. Eastwood to quip.