This was before his big breakthrough in The Terminator, the following year. And he doesent dissapoint. Neither does David Keith in the lead (who looks exactly like a young Patrick Swayze) Bill Paxton and Rick Rossovich (in his biggest movie role as an actor (ever) are quite good as well.
Biehn who is very young here plays the main villain as the leader of a group of kadets in a military academy in 1964, known as the ten. Who kidnap and torture new privates to make them leave the academy. Biehn shows already here what a great actor he is. Being a very convincing menacing bully with out much more more than a mean smile here and there.
Bonus info. Biehn , Paxton and Rossovich were great friends, who probably met on the set of this movie. And throughout the 80'ies and up till 1993 they always appeared in Biehns movies.
Rossovich and Paxton had small parts in The Terminator, where Biehn played the heroic lead. Paxton played one of the leads alongside Biehn in Aliens. In Navy Seals, where Biehn played one of the leads, Rossovich and Paxton once more played supporting characters. And finally in Tombstone, where Biehn played one of the main villains, Paxton appeared one last time in a supporting role.
As for this movie, apart from one brutal torture scene, this felt like a lighter version of the much better Full Metal Jacket, that came out four years later. Which was obviousdly inspired by this movie, but took it to a more menacing level. F.M.J. is of course also a war movie, but its impossible not top compare the two. Especially, because one of the victims of the ten, reminds me a lot of the bullied fat private in F.M.J.
There are severeal plotholes, that doesnt make sense. But if you can look past them, you might enjoy this movie.
And its not a bad movie, but unless youre a Biehn fan, like me, you will probably find it boring.
Biehn who is very young here plays the main villain as the leader of a group of kadets in a military academy in 1964, known as the ten. Who kidnap and torture new privates to make them leave the academy. Biehn shows already here what a great actor he is. Being a very convincing menacing bully with out much more more than a mean smile here and there.
Bonus info. Biehn , Paxton and Rossovich were great friends, who probably met on the set of this movie. And throughout the 80'ies and up till 1993 they always appeared in Biehns movies.
Rossovich and Paxton had small parts in The Terminator, where Biehn played the heroic lead. Paxton played one of the leads alongside Biehn in Aliens. In Navy Seals, where Biehn played one of the leads, Rossovich and Paxton once more played supporting characters. And finally in Tombstone, where Biehn played one of the main villains, Paxton appeared one last time in a supporting role.
As for this movie, apart from one brutal torture scene, this felt like a lighter version of the much better Full Metal Jacket, that came out four years later. Which was obviousdly inspired by this movie, but took it to a more menacing level. F.M.J. is of course also a war movie, but its impossible not top compare the two. Especially, because one of the victims of the ten, reminds me a lot of the bullied fat private in F.M.J.
There are severeal plotholes, that doesnt make sense. But if you can look past them, you might enjoy this movie.
And its not a bad movie, but unless youre a Biehn fan, like me, you will probably find it boring.