Synopsis:
A hard-hitting Marine drill instructor (Jack Webb) falls for a sexy local (Jackie Loughery) while refusing to give up on a seemingly hopeless recruit (Don Dubbins).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Jack Webb Films
• Military
• Ruthless Leaders

Review:
Jack Webb is so inextricably linked to his iconic role as Joe Friday on “Dragnet” that it’s somewhat surprising to find he was actually a busy auteur, producing and directing a handful of films and T.V. shows from the 1950s-1970s. This pre-cursor to Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) begins with a literal bang, as Marine recruits knock on the door of a hard-nosed (what else?) Drill Instructor whose job is to use any means necessary to toughen these men for combat. Webb consistently utilizes creative, stylized framing and cinematography to heighten dramatic tension and highlight power differentials; the film is never boring to look at, even when the screenplay goes soppy during obligatory romantic interludes meant to show us Webb’s “softer side”. While profanity is noticeably absent, many IMDb users have noted how refreshingly authentic this film still comes across today, and others have stated that this film was responsible for their eventual application to the Marines (!). Interestingly, part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ willingness to cooperate so readily in the making of this movie was in response to a tragic occurrence in 1955 known as the “Ribbon Creek” incident — and recent news of the death of a new recruit at Parris Island further reminds us about the intensity of such infamously brutal training.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jack Webb as Sergeant Moore
  
• Creative direction
  
  
  
  
  
• Fine cinematography
  
  
• Good use of realistic locales (albeit at Camp Pendleton and on sets rather than Parris Island) and actual Marines in key roles
  
• A hard-hitting script:
  

  “There’s a man hidden somewhere under that baby powder.”
  “Tell me Castro, did your mother ever have any children that lived?”
  “What was it you just said, you miserable clown?”

Must See?
Yes, as a unique cult favorite.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review