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A film review by Steve Kong
Copyright © 1997 Steve Kong
G.I.
Jane, what a wonderfully wrong name for this movie.
Although this film sounds like, and was promoted like, a
drama about women in the military, it doesn't go that
route. The simplest way to describe G.I. Jane is that
it's an action film.
G.I.
Jane is directed by Ridley Scott, from whom one of my
most favorite sci-fi films came from (Blade Runner), but
the film feels suspiciously like a Tony Scott film. (Tony
is Ridley's brother, better known for his action films
like Top Gun, Days of Thunder, and Crimson Tide.) I'll
get to the looks and feel of the film later in this
review.
Demi
Moore is Lt. Jordan O'Neil, an intelligence officer
chosen, unknowingly, to be a pawn in a political game.
The political game? Simple, O'Neil joins the Navy SEALS
in training. O'Neil is put into this position by a fast
talking senator, Lillian DeHaven, who wants to use O'Neil
to get re-elected and to look good to the press. The film
follows O'Neil through her SEAL training and also the
political dealings behind her training. Most interesting
in the film is Viggo Mortensen (Daylight, Crimson Tide)
as the Master Chief. He gives a great performance,
sometimes overshadowing Moore. Moore seems to be reviving
her role from Disclosure, without the hair and with a
gun.
What
I expected walking into the theatre was to see a drama
that explores the implications of females in the US
Military, but what I got was an action film that slightly
touches on these issues. The film is filled with
characters, but unfortunately all of the characters are
flat and unmemorable. The only three characters that are
memorable are O'Neil, the Master Chief, and Anne
Bancroft's DeHaven.
Other
touches that I liked in the film were its heavy use of
military equipment, most especially the helicopters. It
was nice to see so much of the UH-1 Huey in a film, and
also to see the AH-1 Cobra in action. The training shown
in the film looks tough, but does not sound exactly
right. I've seen an interview with a SEAL, on the
Criterion laserdisc of The Rock, that describes the
intense training to become a SEAL, and although some of
the training is shown on the screen, some of the hardest
is only mentioned slightly via dialog or is left out.
The
feel and look of the film seems to be a strange mix
between the two Scott brothers. There's heavy use of fog
and smoke, which is a Ridley thing. But then there are
fast cuts and multiple angles on single actions, which is
a Tony thing. Then the action makes the film feel
completely like a Tony film. Though Ridley did a good job
with the action, later on in the film, he dropped into
the shaky-camera cinematography. For those of you
that don't know, I'm somewhat annoyed to see action
scenes shot with a shaky camera, although sometimes it
works really well, Ridley seemed to overuse it late in
the film. Combine the shaky-camera with the unintentional
zooming, and the action scenes seem to feel more
contrived than they do panicky.
Overall,
G.I. Jane should be seen as an action film more than a
drama. Demi Moore does a good job with her role, but
Viggo Mortensen does his one better. Though this is not a
very strong Ridley Scott film, it is still entertaining.
I hope that Ridley can put out a stronger film soon, on
the vein of Alien, Blade Runner, or Thelma and Louise.
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 "If I want your
opinion, I will
give it to you!"
Comm. John Urgayle
-- (G.I. Jane)
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