Navy Seals: Les Meilleurs

As far as some action films go, "Navy Seals", the 1990 film directed by Lewis Teague, doesn't deserve most of the criticism that some contributors to this forum have expressed. While it doesn't add anything to the genre, it is a movie targeted to a certain audience, who will no doubt react to it.

On the other hand, watching it on cable the other night, it proved to be the entertainment it's meant to be and nothing more. Let's hope the real Navy Seals will be more selective in picking someone that is as misguided and egocentric as Lt. Hawkins, who disobeys his orders and causes the death of a man that shouldn't have died.

This film appears to be a vehicle for Charlie Sheen who was at the height of his intense period. Michael Biehn plays the man in command, Lt. Curran with flair. Joanne Whalley is seen only briefly. The rest of the cast, notably, S. Ephata Merkerson and Dennis Haysbert contributed to make the film better than it is.

All in all, this is a film for action fans with not a lot of expectations.

First off, I'd like to correct the poster below me who said that God "Had a sniper rifle that fired tiny grenades." God was armed with a Barrett M-82A1 .50 caliber BMG. It is a current special forces rifle and is fully capable of (and often used for) putting a bullet all the way through a truck's engine, a foot of solid metal plate, or, as often shown in the movie, wimpy little concrete or cement block walls.

Anyway...

This movie is certainly not a feast for the brain, but neither is it intellectually devoid. The issue with the journalist in the movie is startlingly relevant in today's world, for example. I doubt it was intentional; it's likely that it was put in as a weak attempt at adding conflict and depth to a flat script. But hey, take what you can get, right?

The real strong point of this movie, for me, is the set design. This was shot back in the old days, when neat backdrops couldn't just be drawn in with computers over a bluescreen. The Beirut scene at the end of "Navy SEALs" has some of the best *real* urban combat sets I've ever seen, right up there with the Hue scene at the end of "Full Metal Jacket"... though not quite as good.

I don't know if the sets alone make this movie worth watching, but they do for me. It's generally mindless action, but that doesn't mean that it's without substance; just because "Navy SEALs" doesn't meet the standards of a "great" movie, with well-developed characters and all that junk, doesn't mean it's awful. "Navy SEALs" doesn't include much script depth because it really doesn't need to. That isn't the point. Do you think that real Navy SEALs would make well-rounded characters in the Hollywood sense? These soldiers *can't* have strife within the team, *can't* have little internal conflicts that, in most movies, would be considered interesting. That just isn't realistic.

This was a really good movie with style, action, and amusement! I'll never forget it 'cause Michael Biehn is my favorite actor. Even though he played very well in Terminator, he played much better in this movie! He stopped showing his jaw as much! Anyway, I got sucked into the story quickly but the only bad part was that they brought some stuff up out of no where!!! Besides that, it's a movie that u've gotta see!

This is a rah-rah, gung-ho actioner and as long as that's what you're looking for, you'll have a good time watching this fast-paced story of the white hats versus the black hats.

Sheen, Biehn, Whalley, Kadi, and Paxton do workmanlike jobs with stereotypical roles. The plot is all formula but treated in a slightly unusual way and the action sequences are excellent. U.S. Navy SEALS (The good guys) stumble on a cache of weapons in the hands of mideastern terrorists (the bad guys.) The first attempt to get the goods fails, and in the process of tracking down the cache, everybody's best buddy dies (see if you can guess who THAT would be!) There are more tragic deaths before the finale, which, of course, includes hand-to-hand combat between boss baddie and our hero.

This is very definitely a promo for the U.S. Navy, with terrific shots of U.S. weapons, heroic depictions of our boys in action, and simple, demonized baddies. But if that kind of thing sets you off, it should be pretty obvious that this is not the film for you!

If you're interested in seeing Charlie Sheen in one of his most coked up, one-liner driven performances, I highly recommend this film (if not you have problems) Also, behold the greatest, and only action-movie/golf-course hijinks scene of all time. This of course leads directly to Sheen in hot pursuit of his towed convertible while riding a Schwinn. Pure NAVY Seal adrenaline.