El don del coraje

I could not stand to read Pat Conroy's book because it upset me so much. The critics who reviewed it said that Colonel Wilbur "Bull" Meechum is the man that you will hate to love but you will. Hogwash! I hated him from the very beginning. Bull Mecham was a monster just like Loren Singer was on JAG. He was a great Marine, but a rotten person, husband and father. I don't know if people realize this or not, but Pat Conroy based the character on his father. I have always wanted to write a book and thought it would be a fun experience, however I pity Pat Conroy. This man is one of our finest authors and a true master with the English language, but I'll bet he has never enjoyed writing any of his books because they deal with the pain of his life and growing up in an abusive family with a father who was much, much worse then Bull Mecham! Robert Duvall and Blythe Danner and Michael O'Keefe as Ben all give wonderful performances. O'Keefe was nominated for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his fine work. I think it is unfair that people think of Danner only as Gwenyth Paltrow's mom because she is a great actress in her own right! I felt so sorry for Lillian and the terrible burden she had to bear with this rotten SON OF A BITCH!!!!Robert Duvall made Mecham a complex character. There were scenes where he was portrayed as caring about his kids. However, I want to tell you something that Pat Conroy wrote in his latest book A Losing Season. He said that when he wrote The Great Santini, he by no means told the truth about his father! Donald Conroy was a monster. He said that his father still haunts his every waking moment. In Fact when his mother finally divorced his father on the grounds of extreme cruelty, she gave the judge at trial a copy of her sons book and said that was how his father really was! I could not stand to watch this movie.

Robert Duvall is magnificent as a classic warrior without a war who moves his family from town to town. Blythe Danner is an excellent match as his wife. And Michael O'Keefe deserves all the kudos he received plus more as Duvall's put-upon son. Lisa Jane Persky strikes a nice balance as the sarcastic-yet-still-loving daughter. Stan Shaw, Paul Mantee, Paul Gleason, and David Keith are flawless in edgy supporting performances. There's perhaps one scene that's slightly overdone which causes me to give it a 9/10 rather than a 10. Otherwise, The Great Santini is an utterly riveting family portrait from start to finish.

This film is one of the finest ever made, in my humble opinion, and the greatest display of Robert Duval's acting abilities. This film is powerful and moving. An "era" piece, it's message resounds regardless.

The cinematography is beautifully done. The acting is top notch. The scenes between Metchum and his son are the most riveting, of course but the scenes between the son and mother are also quite touching and tender, and contrast wonderfully with the other scenes. And while this is a gripping drama, with very well acted round characters, there is humor too, and handled brilliantly.

Truly every movie library should have this film in it's collection.

This movie is excellent for its first half: crisply delivered, well-developed, it takes chances that you don't see in films made today. Characters like Bull Meechum are usually, in contemporary films, greatly exaggerated or treated with utter contempt (the military dad in American Beauty as a typical example). This film delivers all the way through the basketball game episode.

Then it starts to fall apart. The episode with Toomer and Red seems like a mighty big price to pay just to show Bull's lack of sensitivity and empathy, or anything else it intends to show. Not too long after, Bull himself gets yanked right out of the movie. I really would have appreciated seeing all of these interesting characters resolve their differences - or see things come to a head. I just felt that the movie just quit with 30 minutes to go.

The music was also kind of hit and miss in the last half. For example, when Ben confesses that he prayed for his father's death, the music is inappropriately creepy. It resolves into sorrow, but the net result was kind of off-putting.

Hard-nosed military pilot Robert Duvall (Oscar-nominated in the title role) is a nut of epic proportions as he abuses his wife (Blythe Danner) and four kids (led by Oscar-nominee Michael O'Keefe) with verbal outbursts, bully-style antics and cruel behavior. Duvall's over-the-top role is an intensely interesting and volatile character who is full of fire, but also strangely sympathetic and dare I say even likable. The movie takes place just before the Vietnam years and keeps up an intensity because of the events going on in the world around them. Also O'Keefe gets into all kinds of trouble as a high schooler in the newest town the group has moved to. The relationship between Duvall and O'Keefe is the primary focus and the rest of the project is really just window dressing. Duvall is a revelation once again and he is able to keep everything believable and coherent. 4 stars out of 5.