G.I. Jane (1997) User Reviews

Where I think this movie fails.

[deliaj · 5/10 · 7 August 2003]

G.I. Jane has some good points, good scenes, and (some)good acting. However, I saw its main point as trying to promote a "can-do" scenario for women in the military (I am a female veteran of 24 years) and I think several things in the movie do just the opposite. If the idea, problem, or goal is to prove that women can succeed in a traditionally male career, task, or training, then that should be presented while maintaining the woman's gender. What I mean is, O'Neil doesn't succeed until she shaves her head (shorter than the men's - and unnecessary), bulks up to the point where her body fat falls below normal and she ceases to menstruate, and generally becomes "one of the boys." The point is, she's a woman, not a man. She shouldn't have to become a man to prove she can succeed with a group of men. This is painfully clear when she screams "Suck my dick," at the Sergeant. The obvious point is that, since she's a woman, she doesn't have one of those. Nor should she need to metaphorically develop one in order to succeed. Another point I'd like to make is that her dialogue as a prisoner of war was ridiculous. The object is to survive. If you don't, your mission has failed. Taunting, bragging, and arguing with captors is a big NO-NO. Her, "I'm sorry, am I supposed to be afraid?" line would have gotten her stripped naked and suspended under a water hose for hours. There are no cadets that are tougher than the captors(instructors). Bringing unhappy attention to oneself in that situation is inescapably stupid. It is not tough. Her worst line, though, is "I'm going in." CLICHE!!

Demi Moore goes hard core

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 20 January 2015]

Senator DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) pressures the Navy to be gender blind. They accept as long as a woman test case can measure up to the men's standards. They figure on the U.S. Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team which has a 60% wash out rate. DeHaven picks Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore) out of the approved candidates for her looks. Command Master Chief John James Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen) is their trainer. She has to overcome expectations, sexism, politics and the pressure of the program to succeed.

There is nothing surprising or original in this movie. It's got all the training and director Ridley Scott is an expert at jazzing up those 'action' scenes. The most compelling originality comes from Demi Moore shaving her hair. I do have to say that she looks fierce with the bald head. She looks fierce generally and Scott has her exercising up a storm. The movie probably needs some of the other characters to step up but nobody can ever be on the same level as Demi.

Gee, I Don't Like Jane

[zardoz-13 · 5/10 · 16 September 2009]

Actress Demi Moore shaves her head, dons fatigues, and totes a machine gun in British director Ridley Scott's opportune but exploitative "G.I. Jane," a sexual equality polemic about the first female to graduate as a Navy SEAL. This lackluster basic training epic serves up a volatile but exemplary message about equal rights and the armed forces that cost the filmmakers the aid of the Department of Defense. When "G.I. Jane" isn't preaching gender parity, this cynical but slickly done "Top Gun" clone is gung ho on showing Moore kicking butt in the kind of role her husband Bruce Willis excels. Sadly, "G.I. Jane's" melodramatic storyline combines with its juvenile heroics to undermine what little credibility it musters as a socially conscious exercise in political correctness.

Writers David ("The Fugitive")Twohy and Danielle Alexandra collaborated on what can only be called a prefabricated screenplay. "G.I. Jane" marches to the familiar beat that has characterized the formulaic military service picture since the 1920s. Movies such as "Courage Under Fire," "Heartbreak Ridge," and "Stripes." have done what "G.I. Jane" tries to do. Moreover, they have done it better. Basically, the plots and the heroics in military pictures remain the same, only the sex of the hero has changed with "G.I. Jane." The Twohy-Alexandra script alternates between Congressional and Naval brainstorming sessions about Lt. O'Neil and the obstacles she confronts at the SEAL training base in Florida. A shrewd but slippery Texas Senator, Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft), cuts a deal with the future Secretary of the Navy Theodore Hayes (Daniel Von Bergan). He'll snag her vote of approval if the Navy opens its elite SEAL commando school to a woman. Secretary Hayes caves in to Senator DeHaven's request, but squirms when she demands approval of the SEAL candidate.

DeHaven picks Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore) for her physical agility and her keen mind. O'Neil is the kind of woman who makes men nervous. When we first meet her, she is monitoring a satellite transmission with a commando unit trying to escape from enemy country. She arouses the hostility of her male superior officer when she provides the best solution to the extraction problem. But Lt. O'Neil is not a person easily ignored. Neither Senator DeHaven nor Secretary Hayes expects her to finish the course. After all, Navy SEALs are the most demanding and merciless elite combat force in the world. Sixty percent of the recruits who enter the program wash out.

When the press snaps photos of O'Neil on SEAL maneuvers, a controversy erupts in both the Pentagon and Congress. Secretary Hayes and Senator DeHaven sought to keep the project under wraps, but the news wants to interview O'Neil. Suddenly, O'Neil finds herself caught in the middle of a JAG investigation.

Guys will relish the last half-hour of "G.I. Jane." That's when the bullets start to fly. During a training exercise in the Mediterranean Sea, the SEALs get to help out U.S. troops retrieving a fallen satellite in Libya. This part of the script is straight out of a "Star Trek" movie because the SEAL recruits are the only force close enough to respond to the situation. Nobody else can rescue these troops, so the Master Chief (Viggo Mortensen) takes his recruits into battle. Unfortunately, things go sour and the Master Chief catches a bullet. He sends O'Neil packing, but she refuses to leave him to his fate. Instead, O'Neil figures out the master chief's escape plan and stages an ambush to wipe out his adversaries. Not since World War II Nazi movies have the enemy been so gullible and easy to kill. These Libyan soldiers present about as much a threat to the SEALs as the Iraqi soldiers did to Charlie Sheen in the "Hot Shots" movies.

Demi Moore knocks herself out as Navy Intelligence officer Lt. Jordan O'Neil. Even her character's name has a masculine quality to it. When Demi isn't trying to impress us with her brains, she displays her feminine brawn. The calisthenics that she performs in her tight undies defy gravity. The one-armed push-ups are enough to make you break into a sweat. All of this resembles the grunge side of last summer's idiotic opus "Striptease," except that frontal nudity is avoided. Moore's performance, to her credit here, is both straight-forward and serious even when O'Neil plays toy soldier in the last reel.

Veteran actress Anne Bancroft of "Point of No Return" shines as the crafty Texas senator whose willing to use as well as abuse Lt. O'Neil to save her own congressional bacon. This is Bancroft's juiciest role in years, and she plays it to the hilt. Her best scene with O'Neil has Bancroft's cagey Senator explaining why women in combat will remain a hot issue. According to DeHaven, lawmakers fear the political suicide that television images of dead women being shipped home in body bags would prompt. Director Ridley Scott pulls some slick optical tricks to bolster "G. I. Jane," but they don't beef up the action. Jiggling his camera during the combat scenes may create disorientation in audience, but it doesn't trigger a rush of adrenalin. This artsy gimmick doesn't generate either tension or suspense. Anyway, you know that Demi Moore isn't going to get a scratch on her because she's smart enough to dodge the bullets that stupid men are firing at her.

Simply, Scott doesn't make "G.I. Jane" rock and roll. The grueling training sequences are okay, but the final combat scenes resemble Boy Scout antics, compared with even a marginal effort like "In The Army Now." Ridley Scott has produced some memorable films that deploy women in gender stretching roles, such as "Alien" and "Thelma & Louise." "G.I. Jane" boasts none of the art, hype, or viscera of those movies. In the commercially oriented market place, if the next movie doesn't top the last, trouble lies ahead. Compared with last summer's dignified masterpiece "Courage Under Fire," "G.I. Jane" amounts to sheer hokum.

a surprisingly good Demi Moore movie

[coza_usa · 15 July 2003]

Demi Moore gave a good performance to a role that suited her really well. I can understand where her character was coming from when she said that she did not want to become a poster figure for women's advancement in the military and society at large. However, being that she was the only woman in the NAVY Seal training camp, it was sort of inevitable for that to happen. Hence, her character's comments were unnecessary.

Viggo Mortensen was excellent as Master Chief. I found myself still liking his character after he beat the crap out of Demi Moore's in a training game gone wrong. That scene was brutal but very necessary. In this case, the social message was that equality in the military does not just mean that men and women get an equal share of the pie but also that they both get an equal share of the pain.

SPOILER: I would have liked to see Anne Bancroft's character on Moore's side towards the end but as politics goes, she only cared about getting re-elected. It was a good reality check for the viewer.

I recommend this movie.

An excellent movie except for the last 25 minutes.

[LydiaOLydia · 7/10 · 6 September 2013]

I finally got around to seeing GI Jane. Quite a good movie - the brutality of the training bits really puts into context what women might face in combat and the "real", not theoretical brutality they face.

Unfortunately, an otherwise excellent movie loses out due to a tacked-on and militarily nonsensical battle scene which occupies the last 25 minutes. The movie should have ended after Demi gave the Senator an ultimatum and she is seen, in the distance, rejoining her unit in training. By that point, all of the major hurdles and challenges will have been overcome, and we would know that the future would be there as she was to make it. It would have been a fitting ending. The dumb battle scene in the end was just awful on many levels.

No problem with it, it just could have been 30 minutes shorter

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 26 March 2007]

I was really looking forward to G.I. Jane, because I always tried to think of it when I was renting movies, but it always slipped my mind, then I just saw I love the 90's on VH1 and was reminded one more time, so I just stuck it in my head and finally watched it tonite. I have to say that actually I enjoyed G.I. Jane, I think that the rating on IMDb is a little unfair, but I can let it go. My problem with the film was the way it ended, it just turned into those big twist stories that wasn't really needed, because you are just rooting for Demi to make it throughout training and there is always some kind of block to make the audience "interested".

Jorden O'Neil has been given a very special assignment, the army does not feel the need for equal opportunity for women when it comes to their jobs. But Sen. Lillian DeHaven wishes for them to give one woman a chance to prove herself that she can do a man's job, she gives this assignment to Jorden, Jorden isn't just given any average boot camp, but the SEALS, which is the toughest boot camp around. Of course no one will accept her into their teams, but she pulls her way through to prove that no one will hold her down.

I loved how hard Jorden kept pushing herself, Demi did a great job in showing the hardships of what it is still like to be the outsider in a man's world. Like I said, the only main problem was that it just didn't need a little twist, you'll see what I mean, it just could have been cut like 30 minutes shorter. But I would still recommend this movie, it was a good one to watch.

7/10

Entertaining chic flic

[CharltonBoy · 7/10 · 15 September 1999]

G.I.Jane was better than I was expecting. Demi Moore plays a female officer who is trying to become a Navy SEAL and has to battle against the odds against tha sexism, politics amd physical toughness to make the grade. Although totaly predictable in every way I quite enjoyed it.

While, this movie was somewhat uplifting. 'G.I Jane' just didn't quite get my seal of approval. It was very mediocre.

[ironhorse_iv · 6/10 · 4 June 2018]

When Demi Moore, appeared on the red carpet with a bald head and a muscular built, for the premiere of 1996 'Striptease'. There was a lot of good buzz for her next big film, 1997's 'G.I Jane'. However, once the public got a hold of the film directed by Ridley Scott. The buzz turn into negative press. Without spoiling the well-shot movie, too much, one of the reasons, why this film didn't do so well at the box office, was, because viewers and critics, alike were under the impression that was going to be, a very realistic depiction of what life is like, for a woman to go through Navy SEALS training. However, the film wasn't like that. Actually, the movie was heavily fictional story of a Navy servicewoman, Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore) being the first woman to enrolled in the Armed Force's 'the Combined Reconnaissance Team' (CRT) training program; a fictitious special operations until, that brings together operators from across all branches of the military into one group. Because of that, all the marketing for this film, including the trailers were misleading. It's hardly about Navy Seals at all! No wonder, why, this movie was called 'G.I Jane', despite the fact that the acronym is mostly used to describe the soldiers not sailors. 'The CRT' sounds like a team that a toy company like Hasbro would create, rather than the Department of Defense. Despite that outrageous figment artistic license, the movie training story is still not very well told. One such example is the out of the blue force action scene, toward the end of the movie. The idea that a national emergency situation, would require trainee's support, over years upon years, of well-trained, ready to go, Armed Force's special operation personnel is highly illogical. Not only that, but wouldn't it, make more sense, that the team that should support the U.S Army Rangers, in their mission, shouldn't be the trainees, but the Army's own, Delta Force or Green Berets. After all they're all in the same reconnaissance branch. Also, in real-life, any special operation trainee in any branch would probably take up to 2 years of training before, they ever saw combat. Such is the case with the real Navy Seals recruits. For them, they first have to go to Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School for 8 weeks; before advancing into BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), training for another six months; follow up with another 3 weeks in parachute jump school/ plus 26 week course in SEAL Qualification Training (SQT), before finally, finishing off with SEAL Tactical Training (STT) that, normal workup or pre-deployment workup, including SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) is a 12- to 18-month cycle divided into three phases with them going to many different locations. The idea that this film is presenting, with a trainee skipping school programs and leapfrog toward any training site, within a few months, with the same instructors, plus go to war, with them, is not bound in any reality. No wonder, Moore went so far as to call then-President Bill Clinton to try to get advice from the Pentagon for the movie script. It's clear that screenwriters, David Twohy and Danielle Alexandra, had no clue, in what, they were doing. Despite the unrealistic inaccurate depiction of how the United States military operates their training courses, I still have to give Moore, some praise. While, her acting in this movie was alright; Demi really did look the part. Because of that, I highly disagree with critics, with her deserving a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for this film. If anything, Anne Bancroft's performance as Senator Lillian DeHaven was the worst. It was hammy and way too over-the-top for the character she's playing. As for Viggo Mortensen. He does a pretty damn good job of portraying Command Master Chief John James Urgayle. However, the idea that his character would trumped up charges of O'Neil being a lesbian (violating the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy), seem a bit, out of character, but once again, that's the writer's fault, not the actor. It's lazy writing. As for the infamous POW scene, where the Master Chief beats her up and threatens her with rape. Surprisingly, those acts are justified. That's is what would happen if she was indeed captured by the enemy. While, there are those, who particular annoyed by this, because instructors are not supposed to physically abuse recruits. Under SERE-C, it's possible that it could happen, however, very unlikely under regular SERE training. Especially if the trainee outrank the Master Chief; such as O'Neil being a Lieutenant. So that was a bit odd. As for her having mistreatment from other recruits. It also could happens, as shown in real-life scandals like 'Tailhook', but it's likewise very rare, due to trust and teamwork being so vital in the military. Still, no one can deny, there is some sexism in the Armed Forces; after all, women weren't allowed to serve in any special operation roles, until January 2016; which is kinda depressing, because, when it comes to utilizing women in those fields; the United States is in the dark ages, compare to countries; which already had a number of female soldiers holding their own, reaching and surpassing the standards of their duties. As of this date of this writing, there has yet to be a natural born female to join the Navy Seals; which is sad, because everybody should had the fighting chance to serve their nation, if they want to. The idea of women having not enough brawn power to be in special operation is really outdate excuse. The majority of missions don't fail, because of the lack of man power. They flop, because the lack of smart strategies and misused of resources. Much like this movie. Regardless, of that, I hope, this movie's positive message would encouraged women to fight. Maybe, one day, there will be a good real-life 'G.I Jane' story to tell than this fictional half-ass version. One can hope.

A political cartoon!

[recrdman-2 · 1/10 · 30 May 2002]

This film's basic premise is a political cartoon. I suppose for those who know nothing about the realities of the military this is probably a "feel-good" film on gender equality. Indeed a recent commentator stated: "it lets women know that they can do anything they want to do." What claptrap! No one, man or woman can do anything they want to do, and unfortunately Demi Moore "buffing" up for SEAL Hell Week in the early 27 week BUD/S program by a few sessions at the local gym and her desire alone to be a SEAL is simply not going to make it so. There is approximately an 80% dropout rate in what is arguably THE roughest military training program - those are the ones who voluntarily drop out, can't compete on a physical level, suffer frequent physical injury during the training or can't handle the psychological harassment. I never got beyond the shallowness of the contrived, purported message of this film. In the real world, Demi wouldn't last the first 24 hours in this harsh and sustained physical training. Wishing alone won't do it. Skip this film as wishful thinking, and better spend your time reading "The Warrior Elite" by Dick Couch (Crown, New York 2001)for the best description as to what really goes on in this training. Ring the bell, Demi!

The Navy Seal trainee

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 28 August 2006]

Not having seen this film when it first was released, we had the opportunity of catching up with it recently. In spite of our misgivings, "G.I. Jane" turned out to be an entertaining picture. Let's not forget this is a Ridley Scott film, which assures the viewer a well crafted product. The screen play is based on a story by Danielle Alexandra, who co-wrote it with David Twohy.

The movie mixes the world of politics and the armed forces, in this case, the US Navy. At the center of it all is Jordan O'Neil, a lieutenant that has seen other people get ahead of her because the Navy rejected her in serving aboard a submarine because at that time there were no facilities for a female in that all male environment.

Jordan is tapped to go into the Navy Seal program because an ambitious US senator, Lillian DeHaven, from Texas, wants to prove a point. She wants to send a female to integrate an exclusive group of the Navy. The Navy Seal is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. As such, Jordan O'Neil must go to a grueling training, in which, only about forty percent of the people that start, will finish. Jordan proves to have what it takes to be accepted at that high classification. However, things get in her way when her own mentor, who has the closing of some bases in her own state to deal with, decides to take indiscreet photographs of Jordan at a beach party with other female personnel.

During the confrontation that ensues, Jordan shows she will not take the senator's BS; Jordan will do anything and will tell the press about what is really happening. Standing up to Sen. DeHaven assures Jordan she will go back to finish what she started.

The casting of Demi Moore for the lead role pays off. Ms. Moore, who is in excellent shape shows she can conquer any obstacles that stand in her way. Viggo Mortensen plays the enigmatic, and brutish, Master Chief Urgayle. This man is hard on everyone under his command, but there is a softer side of him as we watch him reading J. M. Coetzee and D. H. Lawrence's poems. Anne Bancroft plays the ruthless senator with relish. David Vadim and James Cavaziel are seen among the recruits going through the hard training. Scott Wilson plays the Commanding Officer of the base where Jordan undergoes the training and he makes no bones about how much he hates the idea of a female breaking the sex line.

Ridley Scott directs the film in an almost documentary style, since most of the picture depicts the training aspect. Hugh Johnson's cinematography works well with Piero Scalia's editing. There is even some Mozart and Puccini in the background that are not out of place in the context of the movie.

Ridley Scott delivers again in this action packed movie.

A kick in the teeth for women

[C3P0 · 1/10 · 29 August 1999]

Demi Moore's character in the movie was selected for the SEALs because of her looks. That was a bad start and the movie went down from there. The plot was totally unbelievable. The will to make it in a tough military unit is not enough. This movie did not convince me of a woman's physical ability to perform the types of tasks required.

Trying to pretend that women and men are basically the same is an insult to everyone's intelligence. The differences between the sexes are what makes life interesting.

Great movie

[ayimaneg · 10/10 · 6 April 2022]

This movie was really great. I loved every bit of it. The cinematic shots were insane. The protagonist was so bold and strong.

GI Jane 2, can't wait to see!!!

A fanciful look at women in the military.

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 6 February 2000]

A self serving female Senator, played by Anne Bancroft, gets a female placed in the Navy Seals. Demi Moore puts some added muscle to her great looking frame. Ms. Moore is Lt. Jordan O'Neil and she is put in the dubious position of proving that women can keep up with their male counterparts during the rigors of military training. Director Ridley Scott keeps the pace steady enough that you don't want to turn your head. Many situations are convoluted, but make for an interesting movie. This is a serious action/drama that shouldn't be taken too seriously. Other cast members of note are Viggo Mortensen, Kevin Gage, Morris Chestnut and David Vadim. Worth watching more than once.

G.I. Jane (1997)

[Boromir007 · 1/10 · 31 October 2005]

This is easily the worst Ridley Scott film. Ridley Scott is a wonderful director. But this film is a black mark on his career. Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen, both totally miscast in an overaggressive film about a girl going to the army. Very stupid. And there is never one scene that is convincing in any way. It is really not difficult to make a film such as this. Everything the crew makes could have been an idea of just anybody. The writers didn't have much inspiration either; many foolish dialogs that made no sense at all; and some brainless action. I strongly recommend to stay away from this rubbish. I hope that the many talented persons involved in this project realize this type of film does not deserve their attention, and that in the future they will work on more honorable and more intelligent movies than this useless mess.

Apprenticeship

[tedg · 11 January 2002]

Spoilers herein.

I have a lot of respect for Ridley's filmmaking. He shoots high and the stuff he does takes learning. This and White Squall are practice for Gladiator, all people striving under impossible external constraints.

You can see it here, where he works on the character to personalize each scene. He still hasn't mastered the art of projecting a scene into the next. Moore can carry the focus, but not the focus to come in anticipation. (Crowe can.)

I first saw this in a theater near the SEAL base. SEALs train two blocks from my house. This film doesn't capture how crazy these guys are made to be.

Best female protagonist

[agentk-77301 · 7/10 · 1 December 2017]

This is how I love my protagonist. Badass, hardass, and above all, struggling. Throughout the film, our protagonist struggled- Against her own biology, against her social status and even against politics! The struggles, her outstanding evolution throughout the film, the support cast, it's all very well executed.

Usually, female protagonist will always fall for a man throughout the movie and it will usually have a major part in the plot. Well not here! Her connection to her lover did not change almost anything (in regarding the general plot), which is great. No "lovey dovey mushy tushy" sh*t! It's all her. No "power of love", one of the worst tropes in movies.

Still, it's not a 10/10 movie. Everything was intense, but at a certain point nothing is intense. It reached it's peak and stayed there- No cool down or another, higher peak.

Cons: At a certain point it's not exciting as it first was. The finale wasn't that exciting either. Plot feels too simple at times.

Pros: Great acting Best feminist propaganda I've seen in years Funny, wholesome and badass moments. many of them (and maybe too many)

An Enjoyable Flick

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 7 January 2007]

Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore) is selected to be the first female to enter the rigorous Navy S.E.A.L.S. training program, that has a 80% drop out rate.

Although the story is difficult to take too seriously, it is done with plenty of believable looking scenes, good direction and a feel good, well dramatised screenplay. G.I. Jane is pretty enjoyable and can be entertaining for everyone not just feminists, as the theme of the movie would suggest.

Watchable and fun, but it just has too many flaws to ever be anything more.

6/10

Melodramatic Fiction

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 4 June 2013]

This one was bound to raise many Red Flags in a lot of Quarters. It is a Movie with a target on its back daring you to shoot. Taking a "Women in Combat" controversy, although it seems less so Today", and shoving it in your Face like a Drill Sergeant daring you to speak out.

This Movie is a Noble effort, but it may have aimed a bit too high. The concept here, (just give us an equal chance to be equal) would have been more realistic if Ridley Scott and Writer David Twohy had not chosen the prestigious Navy Seals with its famous dropout rate, and the Elite of the Elite status, as a Battleground for Politics.

That takes it to a level of arguable absurdity. It would have been more believable and may have quieted the Nay-Sayers somewhat, if it was simply the U.S. Marines or any other simply difficult and grueling group of the Military's Might.

But given that Melodramatic Fiction (see below), this can be inspirational and Entertaining in a Hollywood Underdog Story that it does so well. It is one of Demi Moore's best efforts.

THIS IS FROM NAVY.COM......by law there are two communities that women are not allowed to join: the Navy SEAL and Navy SWCC communities.

NICE Hollywood Story, but unrealistic Ideals

[jcmann01 · 6/10 · 20 September 2012]

The Whole Concept Addressed: This movie must have been put out by some feminist organization trying to promote women in the military into more combat positions. Personally, I don't mind women in the military, but I am against women directly in combat. It's nasty business and no woman should be slinging a gun, going toe and fist; knife in hand on a combat field only to get captured, raped, and tortured by the enemy. What woman in her right mind would want to do this anyway? As for the plot; it was so glamorized by Hollywood & unrealistic, I laughed. Real SEAL CRT Training has little resemblance to the way it is portrayed in this movie. However, the movie keeps you entertained, esp with HOTTIE, Demi Moore. I would say it is worth seeing.

A Better alternative to this movie: Act of Valor is about real Navy SEALS in action. Now that is a good movie!

Beyond good and evil

[noodles-13 · 1/10 · 20 November 2001]

One of the worst movies I have ever seen. Surely,the worst war-military movie. It is very difficult to have an opinion about a movie that appears to be completely void, really beyond nice and ugly, good and evil. Everything is conventional, the plot (if any) is as interesting as a porn movie plot (and the story might be porn-some as well: one sole girl in a military base). Embarrassing acting completes the disaster, not to mention the famous "suck my @@@@", which seems to be the distinctive note of the movie. It is probably what any spectator said while leaving the theater.

Luckily, I watched it on tv for free. Needless to say, rated 1 (zero is not available).

I liked it... that's all I can say

[dalton2 · 7/10 · 16 August 1998]

It's disconcerting to see Demi Moore in such a different role in her career. You can't imagine the main actress from Ghost as an elite military corps member until you see her. But the fact is that she does it, and I must say I don't dislike her work at all. Of course, this isn't a film for every taste (it's not a pacifist movie...), but you'll enjoy it if you like the films in the line of First Blood or The Dirty Dozen. At this point I can even say that this film is better to me than First Blood in some sense (for example, its perspective isn't so epic, and the characters are more human). The only things I don't like are the continuous zoom effects in the last part of the film. I still don't know what they are supposed to be... But there's good acting, good tempo, appropriate music, and, why not, another good production from Ridley Scott with which you don't have time to get bored. I also must say that after having watched the film I don't feel like joining the elite forces at all :-), but anyway my rating is 7 out of 10.

Don't believe the rating

[jasp0002 · 9/10 · 21 May 2004]

OK this is going to be a bit long... but it will be good food for discussions.

Yes, this movie is "Hollywood". The Plot line is predictable, but it is the concepts that the director explores along the way that make it interesting an thought-provoking, assuming you pay attention and didn't just rent it for the bang-bang, or a chance to see Demi in a wet T-shirt. Ridley make some mistakes, but he does some really good things too. Let me comment on what some other people have said, and talk about what I think Ridley does well with this film.

I think Mr. Scott gets a really excellent performance from Demi. I feel this is her best film, but I haven't seen to many, because she usually gets on my nerves. However, she is believable in the role of a woman who just wants to prove to herself that she can do this. I believe her when she says she doesn't want to be a poster child for women's rights... and the Commander is right in telling her that she's gonna have to wear that hat anyway.

Viggo is great too. I don't think too many people knew who he was when this movie came out, but he was even billed above Anne Bancroft. Someone said he looks embarrassed in every scene... hogwash. He looks like a very tough character in a very difficult situation. He knows that the issue is not whether a woman can make it, many can. This isn't about women's rights... this is about how men, mainly YOUNG men, relate to women in stressful situations. If all soldiers were in their late thirties, emotionally and psychologically, then the issue would be much smaller. Most of these guys are young, dumb and full of... you know the rhyme. I was there too, once upon a time. Viggo is excellent, he reacts the way many military instructors would... trying to stop the inevitable, fighting against politicians way over his head who have never been in the crap, but think they know better. Pay attention, you can just see that he respects LT O'Neil. But he believes he has to make an example out of her. Ms. Bancroft is excellent as well, some people say over the top, they obviously haven't had to deal with high level politics before. Perhaps she is a bit rough for reality, but remember, it is a movie, making a point, and being entertaining, things have to be gritty... and Senate will always be more vicious than any military training. I find her performance fun and a joy to watch.

I don't know if Mr. Scott has any military training, but he does a better job of conveying the realities of it to the screen than most. Yes, the SERE segment goes farther than real SERE training would go... but not by much. Talk to someone who's been through it. It would not have been the same group of instructors... it's a very specialized field and the instructors have extensive psychological screening and training. However, I'll give that one to Ridley, he's trying not to complicate the plot, and he needs the scene with Master Chief Urgayle. BTW Women do go through SERE sometimes... and the instructors do use them against the men's emotions.

As for other Militray stuff, much of the language, feelings about chain of command, frustration with training constraints and political a**-covering was /On The Spot/. I speak from 6 years of experience as an Army officer (some of the stuff you see on active duty is amazing, but in the end it all balances out and the US Armed Forces are still the best in the world). Even the way Ridley has to frig with the plot to put the trainees in a an actual firefight was plausible... not possible, but plausible. Remember, it is a movie, he's got to have a real combat situation to entertain the dumber audience who just came to see the boom. But Ridley even goes far enough to give the Master Chief a chance to back out. It is a group of Navy SEAL trainees, deep into their training cycle, with a buttload of prior experience (IF you pay attention you will note that one of the trainees is a US Army Ranger, one a Marine, probably from RECON, these are guys who know the job already, and this is true to reality). You are also talking about a straight forward mission facilitating extraction of US Army Rangers from the deep inland mission. Ridley even has that right, this would be a Ranger mission, and the Spec-ops community may do a joint op where the SEALS secure the sea-side extraction point.

Quite frankly... the movie is better than most people could have done. Matter of fact, I think it was a tough challenge for Mr. Scott and don't think anyone could have done much better. One bad point I agree with is that artistically, the movie is shot entirely too dark.. that's about the worst thing I can say about it though. As for plot predictability... how often do you REALLY see an original plotline?

One last comment. I was at the Army Officer's Advance Course when this movie came out. There was a group of Officer's that were gong to see this movie, ostensibly to have a good laugh. These were Ranger-qualified Infantry guys, a Marine officer from RECON, a couple guys going to or coming from SF training... all Type A's. The next day they weren't laughing... they just said "you know what, that wasn't half bad." That don't sound like much, but it's high praise from that group.

Probably why this has such a poor rating is because it isn't Hollywood enough for the lowest-common-denominator crowd.

Enjoy the film.

Good until final act

[Jim-288 · 6/10 · 16 December 1999]

The film was actually very good--until the final act. The "tacked" on battle was gratuitous and did little to serve the story. I'd read that Ridley originally shot Moore's character dying in action, which would have reinforced the idea that she was a political pawn

Silly Feminist Fantasy Movie

[russd-863-263873 · 1/10 · 5 October 2010]

Well, it's no surprise that this movie not only lost money but hurt Demi Moore's career in the process.

GI Jane is a ridiculous feminist Propaganda piece that plays make believe that women and men can become functionally equivalent if they just choose to be.

Ridley Scott has a fetish for 'masculinizing' women and the attempt here was to turn poor Demi into the action star equivalent of her then husband Bruce Willis.

The movie is both unrealistic and inaccurate to the point of being little more than a painfully predictable cartoon. The film itself is shot dark and grainy and the dreaded shaky camera sequences are used to imply action.

Nothing more needs to be said than women are not men, sorry Mr. Scott, get over it, and that this movie is an insult to any thinking person who knows BS when they see it.

Unbelievable ideological movie

[Antonius-5 · 26 June 2000]

It's easy to film a star faking the Navy Seal training. The key line of the movie is uttered by Demi Moore when she is beaten to a bloody pulp by Master Chief in training while the rest of the trainees watch. She gets up and spits out "suck my dick" thereby claiming a virtual penis so that she can offer the ultimate insult to Master Chief and become an honorary male to the cheers of the men. At no point does the movie ever deal with the way men would really react to a good looking woman in their midst while undergoing a trial which most of them fail in real life. This is feminist propaganda turned into sensational Hollywood entertainment that belies the truth and turns GI Jane into a another racist she male who can gun down expendable lesser breeds such as Arabs with the best of them on their secret mission to Libya.