Posted on Oct 13, 2014
What ONE incorrectly depicted thing pisses you off most about military movies?
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My question is really no more complicated than that.
For me, it is the rendering of the salute. Hands down. No second place. This pisses me off to no end!
In my opinion, this is THE most important of all military courtesies, and it should always be given with the most possible precision and exacting attention to detail.
FFS! It is something that is taught to every 'cruit in week 1 of basic training! It is perfected throughout training! In a military movie, this should be the EASIEST thing to get right!
It seems to me, that if an actor or actress can spend weeks or months learning hundreds, if not thousands of lines of dialog for a movie, they can at least spend an afternoon or a day, practicing with the advisor (there is ALWAYS an advisor who is a Vet or SM) on the set until they get it right.
I know there are bigger, or more obvious problems with some military movies. Weapons or uniforms or lingo that is anachronistic to the time period of the battle on screen...but DAMMIT, getting the salute wrong in any time period just frosts my shorts!
Usually, it's a fail with what I call the, "I'm shading my eyes from the sun" salute. Your f'n hand doesn't belong on your forehead like you're trying to watch the right fielder shag the fly ball! It belongs where you were TAUGHT to place it!
I find myself commenting out loud to friends, while watching movies that jack this up...they don't seem to understand why it pisses me off so much.
What does it for you?
For me, it is the rendering of the salute. Hands down. No second place. This pisses me off to no end!
In my opinion, this is THE most important of all military courtesies, and it should always be given with the most possible precision and exacting attention to detail.
FFS! It is something that is taught to every 'cruit in week 1 of basic training! It is perfected throughout training! In a military movie, this should be the EASIEST thing to get right!
It seems to me, that if an actor or actress can spend weeks or months learning hundreds, if not thousands of lines of dialog for a movie, they can at least spend an afternoon or a day, practicing with the advisor (there is ALWAYS an advisor who is a Vet or SM) on the set until they get it right.
I know there are bigger, or more obvious problems with some military movies. Weapons or uniforms or lingo that is anachronistic to the time period of the battle on screen...but DAMMIT, getting the salute wrong in any time period just frosts my shorts!
Usually, it's a fail with what I call the, "I'm shading my eyes from the sun" salute. Your f'n hand doesn't belong on your forehead like you're trying to watch the right fielder shag the fly ball! It belongs where you were TAUGHT to place it!
I find myself commenting out loud to friends, while watching movies that jack this up...they don't seem to understand why it pisses me off so much.
What does it for you?
Saluting
Movies
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 264
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For me it how they wear the ACUs. They always put the collar up and use the Velcro. That annoys the hell out of me. That and the many uniform violations. If the movie set has an advisor then they need to be fired.
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MAJ Chris Ballard
That one kills me. You don't even need a military advisor for that, just google "soldier" and look at the pictures!
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MAJ (Join to see)
I have been binge watching Last Man Standing lately. Tim Allen's daughter, Eve, was in ROTC and the Velcro flap was hanging down several times as well as the collar being jacked up. Drove me crazy!!
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CPT Zachary Brooks
I actually have some information on this recently. Unless it is official military footage they cannot wear the uniform as we would. Had a friend, a MSG, making some Army videos and was told since they were not "official" his team would have to wear ACUs "wrong".
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How is it that the aircraft rushing to provide Close Air Support have slick wings as they are on the way and then deploy every weapon in the US inventory, always having the correct weapon left for the last target. Or the loaded planes that have a major dogfight on the way to target.
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Improper rendering of the salute. All the production company would need to do is hire ANY veteran and he/she would be able to train the actors on how to properly salute.
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Here's something that nobody's brought up yet, people who look either too old or too young for their rank. While Clint was the poster child for a Gunny in Heartbreak Ridge he was rather old to be a Gunny with 20+ years in. Likewise, Aaron Eckhart was very old looking Staff Sgt. when most Marine Staff Sgts are in their late 20 to mid thirties at oldest. I can't think of any examples of people being too young for their rank at the moment but I'm pretty certain that I've seen some very young looking officers in movies and on TV.
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Scenes where a mortar or artillery shell impacts a few feet away, blowing the soldier through the air. The Soldier then gets up, dusts himself off, and is back in the fight.
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Not using proper military time. O is a letter Zero is a number. GET IT RIGHT.
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SPC Lindsay Siegfried
I have to say, for my entire time in, I probably heard "Oh seven hundred" 4 out of 5 times, rather than "Zero Seven Hundred." Maybe it was a regional thing, but it sure seemed more prominent to say Oh than Zero.
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SGT (Join to see)
I never liked the movie and TV stereotype of the constantly-emotionally-distraught and sorta-kinda-pacifist medic. My first MOS was medic. I knew lots and lots of medics. I didn't know of a single one that resembled the Hollywood depiction of "the medic".
Similarly, the clerk in Saving Private Ryan (and the medic, come to think of it) - didn't like.
Similarly, the clerk in Saving Private Ryan (and the medic, come to think of it) - didn't like.
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SGT Carl Blas
SGT (Join to see) - The real medics I worked with looked like in my picture, a good bunch of guys, just like the MP's attached with our platoon.
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LTC Jeff Shearer
Confused, using AK frame weapon vs using AR/M4 frame?
Cause just looking at the pic all I see is a real operator and an Ak frame weapon??? Hahaha
Cause just looking at the pic all I see is a real operator and an Ak frame weapon??? Hahaha
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SFC (Join to see)
Lol oh LTC Jeff Shearer Sir, that’s just a model in a picture advertisement. But everyone seems to think that operative woman are half naked running the biggest guns out there kicking ass and taking names!! Ha!
Well, you were a CO, you know what a real woman operative was capable of. We didn’t usually get called in unless it was of a real importance! Men don’t fear half naked models holding prototypes Sir! Just sayin
Well, you were a CO, you know what a real woman operative was capable of. We didn’t usually get called in unless it was of a real importance! Men don’t fear half naked models holding prototypes Sir! Just sayin
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SFC (Join to see)
Lol right James MacKenzie that’s all it is. Models making soldiering look sexy when really it should be the real female soldier making it look good!
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One thing that chaps my ass is in the Rambo movies he fires the M60 single handedly.
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