The World of The Gunny

Spoiler warning...

Any one seen the movie Saints and Soliders? It's really good in my opinion, however some might say I only say so since the medic is the only on that survives that mission Oh, that might be a spolier if you haven't seen it already so, if so you should have paid attention to the warning

Well if you havn't seen it here is a short layout of the plot:

A group of american soliders are captured by the Natzies in France. However during the search of the captives something goes terribly wrong and it ends up with complete confusion and the Natzis fireing into the group of soliders.
Miraculessly enough though, 4 men make it out alive. - They are several miles into enemy territory and the only thing standing between them and the enemy is a mauser rifle with four bullets.

Well, tell me if you have seen it or see it

I would rate it a soild four out of five stars myself

Zed, sounds like my kind of movie. I will have to keep an eye out for it.

Who stars in it?




Cheers, Thorgrimm

No one famous this one was done all low key. The vehicles and uniforms and Germans for that matter are all re-enactors. The big crew (important like director, writers, producer, etc) are all Morman and it was filmed in Utah.

Its an awesome movie and I'm glad I bought it.

Wolf, glad to see you back. With that recommendation I will move it up to the head of the line for purchase.




Cheers, Thorgrimm

Ah, glad more of us liked it

Its more a purely human story than it is a war story. Though just like "A Midnight Clear" and some other movies, it uses the war as an excellent conveyance for the story.

Sounds good. As I always liked the human element in the outstanding war flicks more than just a shoot 'em up. Give me a good character play against the backdrop of war.

One I liked for that was the original production of Eric Maria Remarque's All Quiet in the Western Front. A damned good movie set in the Western Front of WW1.




Cheers, Thorgrimm

I might have to get that one too now wolf.

Btw what was the name of that other movie when a troop of seals escort a batch of refugees away from a missionary station and into the neighbouring country taking a lot of casulties? I believe it was called something close to "Under the sun...." ?

It has a actor looking much like Bruce Willies in the lead as Seargent I think. (Hell it might even be Bruce Willies, it's a heck of a long time since I saw it last.)

Tears of the Sun

Thought it was good obviously more story focused than anything. Just like Flags of Our Fathers (My all time favorite, in fact about half of my top ten movies are Eastwood directed) and I'm waiting for Letters from Iwo Jima.

I don't think I have seen an movie directed by eastwood unless he directed any of his old westerns...

Oh, and btw thanks for fishing out the name for me.

One of his best was Unforgiven, a character study set in the old west. An outstanding movie IMO.

Of course how could anybody say they have never seen Kelly's Heroes? One of his first directorial attempts.




Cheers, Thorgrimm

The names seems familiar enough but I can't say I remember the films having only that to go on.

Yeah, i really liked Saints and Soldiers. good movie.

I havent seen flags of our fathers... seems a little too, well, patriotic for my tastes (just remember i'm not a yank).

two really, really good movies are "Kokoda" (about a group of Aussie irregulars on the Kokoda trail in WW2) and "Brotherhood of War", which is about some korean brothers who get drafted into the korean war.

when i finished watching brotherhood of war i discovered that i'd been crying. it's a really good movie. subtitles, though.

Benno, well guess what, Flags will do the same, for it is not just a patriotic flag waver, so don't just dismiss it due to some 'tude you have against Yank patriotism , but a good character story for it tells you what happened to the raisers of the flag on Iwo, and one hint, it is NOT a pretty tale for the raisers.




Cheers Thorgrimm

*shouldn't be anything that will spoil the movie*

I've heard a lot of Americans and foreigners talking about how Flags is a bunch of flag-waving and patriotism and it over glorifies the troops and the characters are cliched.

To the first half, yes to a point its patriotic, only to match the story, Adam Beach's acting as Ira Hayes is enoguh to counter all the patriotic stuff in the movie, and eventually the other flag raisers realise it as well in their own way.

To the cliched part. How can it be cliched? It is a true story. Adam Beach is again an argument with his "slippage to alcohol" which is a "cliche" when its a true story! My grandma told my dad that when she watched news reels of them touring it was quite apparent what was happening to him later in the tours, and she always said he was "the fated one". I won't say anything about that not to spoil it.

And Wolf, don't forget what happened to Rene Gagnon, his story was not the best either, and I 100% agree with you. Also considering that three of the raiser were dead even before the Iwo campaign finished in itself is also a point against it being just a flag waving movie.

Like most combat vets in ANY nation will tell you, you may start out fighting for your country, but in the end you end up fighting for your buddy to your left and to your right, not a bunch of propaganda thrown your way.

Flags highlights that point most elequontley(SP?).




Cheers, Thorgrimm

I'll admit I was balling my eyes out. The movie got a point across crystal clear, the heroes are not the men that were picked by the media because of a chance photo. It was every man and woman that served. Veterans are treated like shit nowadays and that pisses me off.

I felt bad balling my eyes out at the end and while the credits were rolling. Especially with my best friend (a fellow Marine) sitting right by me the entire time, people trying to get out of a packed theatre. We were the last to leave and she didn't say a word about it until we got back to her car.

I think Eastwood hit the mark of the entertaining arts with this one. He conveyed a sense of feeling and emotion, not stunning visuals, excellent writing or awesome acting. It was all enough to get a point across. And I think that is the art form at its highest.

yeah that pisses me off too. Although, i think it may be a case of "war is bad, therefore those who fight wars must also be bad". the people who do it arent stupid, just ignorant and biased.

Benno I think it is more that they are misguided and niaeve than ignorant. Their leaders tell them they can cozy up with dictators and evil men so wars and warriors are not needed and they believe that with all their cowardly souls.

Being the good little sheep they are they bleat against the wolves and when their leaders tell them they can ignore the wolves they will go away, they believe them, to the detriment of the next generation of lambs.




Cheers, Thorgrimm

Lt. General Hal Moore said it best after 'Nam.

"Hate the war but love the American Warrior."