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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Colonels leading movement to contacts or assaults, firing laws inside a house or vehicle, blowing up bridges and buildings with 2lbs of C4, and adding a bullshit story line to an already heroic story, as in Lone Survivor, Battle of the Bulge or Pearl Harbor.
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SGT (Join to see)
Pearl Harbor...I had such high hopes for that movie. And then I saw it.
Damn. Just damn.
Damn. Just damn.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
SGT (Join to see) - Oh, and I forgot "The Great Raid". They inserted the love story with Margaret Utinsky to bring her storyline into the movie when it wasn't a factual or a factual part of the mission.
Margaret's story deserves a movie in it's own right, but it didn't belong in this one.
Margaret's story deserves a movie in it's own right, but it didn't belong in this one.
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the whole John Wayne radio... saying over after every transmission. Thats one. TWO: the poorly based idea of Battleship.... the boarding team would not be just 2 people you need an entire 9 man team plus coxswain and engineer/240 gunner. The endless amounts of ammo in the same magazines. Last time i check military uses 30 round 5.56 mags and 15 round 9mm mags, but yet in movies it is an endless amount of Rambo ammo.
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Cpl Phil Hsueh
As someone whose MOS involved spending a lot of time on radios I can say that saying "over" after every transmission is correct procedure, it was what I was taught and what I did and everybody else in my unit also did. We also used the phrase "how copy?", we would say it whenever we were passing on information so we'd say, "how copy?" to check to see if the person we were talking got the info and understood what was said.
What Hollywood does often get wrong when depicting military personnel talking on radios is having talk constantly like they're on the phone. I was taught to speak only in roughly 3 second "bursts" in order to give the person on the other end to break in, if necessary, and to mess with anybody trying to either eavesdrop on or triangulate our transmissions.
The other thing they get wrong is saying "repeat" all the time instead of "say again". Although I did hear it once or twice during my time it's not said nearly as much as it is in Hollywood.
What Hollywood does often get wrong when depicting military personnel talking on radios is having talk constantly like they're on the phone. I was taught to speak only in roughly 3 second "bursts" in order to give the person on the other end to break in, if necessary, and to mess with anybody trying to either eavesdrop on or triangulate our transmissions.
The other thing they get wrong is saying "repeat" all the time instead of "say again". Although I did hear it once or twice during my time it's not said nearly as much as it is in Hollywood.
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1LT William Clardy
I used "repeat" quite a bit on the radio, Cpl Phil Hsueh, and heard it used even more. Of course, that transmission was usually followed by someone yelling out some number of rounds and an elevation.
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MSG John Wirts
Yes! over is a break in transmission to all reply from other end, more to follow, out is the end of transmission nothing to follow. Also 5 by or 5 by 5 was transmission clear 1 by was not understood!
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There is always something that has driven me crazy. In the movie "Heartbreak Ridge" the character of Gunny Highway supposedly has a Medal of Honor. When he reports to his new C.O. the guy gives him a world of gruff. This guy must be tottally ignorant. By right the award (the person wearint it) requires a sulute first. B.T.W. while he is in dress blues should should he (Gunny Highway) be wearing the medal around his neck vs. the simple ribbon on his chest?
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SPC Joseph Falco
Excellent points. I loved Heartbreak Ridge as a kid but it's so hard to watch now because of the things you pointed out and more.
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Cpl Phil Hsueh
I would think that it would depend on whether the Gunny was wearing Blue Alphas or Bravos. With Blue Alphas, then yes, he should be wearing the medal. If Bravos then the ribbon would be appropriate.
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For me, it's the basics. Getting the salute wrong always annoys me, but the long hair, facial hair and uniforms are the easiest things to get right. The technical stuff and special effects I can let slide because it's a movie or tv show. But at least try to look the part.
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The uniforms. Jon Cena in "the Marine" first thing wearing an army cap not a marine cover. Took the DVD out and returned to Redbox.
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The Sergeant or Staff Sergeant who looks old enough to be Sergeant Major.
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grenades hand or launcher, that when they explode look like someone blew up a gas tank, explosions are dirty and shrapnel is the enemy not the big ball of Hollywood fire.
Umm miniguns that sound or shoot like M60’s... it’s a mini gun! Why take anything away from it.
Over the top motto bullshit, movies that are so unrealistic that you know a fobbit was the military consultant or director.
Uniforms and gear. Oh look a soldier wearing marine digi’s. Calling marines soldiers, seeing multi-cam, tiger strip, ACU, BDU mash ups.
Umm miniguns that sound or shoot like M60’s... it’s a mini gun! Why take anything away from it.
Over the top motto bullshit, movies that are so unrealistic that you know a fobbit was the military consultant or director.
Uniforms and gear. Oh look a soldier wearing marine digi’s. Calling marines soldiers, seeing multi-cam, tiger strip, ACU, BDU mash ups.
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MAJ Peter Andreoli
Part of that is the special effects. In movies, gasoline is frequently used to simulate explosions.
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Most of the things that tick me off have been mentioned, but one thing that ticks me off is seeing the actor or actors in uniform outdoors, with the leading actors all uncovered. I know it’s Hollywood and the actor needs to be seen and recognized, but how many active duty military people actually run around outdoors uncovered while on duty? It was noted in an earlier post that the grooming does not meet military standards, and removing the cap/hat sure doesn’t help!
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