Fucking annoying war film fad

[Vympel]

[RANT]I've seen it in two films, so now it's become a fad, and an extremely annoying one at that:

What am I talking about?

Larger than life officers, who happen to have a magical forcefield around them.

I'm talking of course, about Black Hawk Down, where that whatshisface Italian guy who's also in Saving Private Ryan, walks around, standing straight up, in the middle of a free fire zone, barks orders left and right, and doesn't get killed.

I'm also talking of course about We Were Soldiers, where Mel Gibson and his gruff shithead 82nd Airborne 2nd in command, walk around, standing straight up, in the middle of a FAR WORSE free fire zone, barks orders left and right, and doesn't get killed.

Let's get fucking real, shall we? In REAL war, officers who stand up straight and bark orders, point fingers, and all that other stuff are identified by the enemy as what they are- PRIME TARGETS. Any dumbfuck can spot an officer who acts like that and plug him full of holes.

Do we see this in these latest war films? Nope. Instead, we have these cockheads who deserve to get killed striding about the battlefield like titans, immune to the effects of such insignificant things as enemy fire. In fact, it's the smart soldiers who stick close to the dirt who get blown away.

If only EVERY soldier stood up, that way, all the bullets would magically avoid them like they do for these moronic officers.

The worst thing about this trend is that it shows that these fucking moron filmakers, even though they probably have military advisers with them (honestly- in we were soldiers especially what excuse could they possibly have), think that standing up in the middle of a modern battle is a sign of bravery and should be rewarded, instead of letting them be shot and killed in seconds as evidence of their incredible stupidity.[/RANT]

[weemadando]

Come to the darkside and join me in Fallout Tactics mod development...

With such perks/flaws/whatever as:

"RPG Magnet" - explosive weapons have a greater chance of hitting but do FAR less damage, just look at Grimes in Black Hawk Down.

"Ignorant/Impervious" - stance does not affect "to hit" percentages. All shots count as being aimed at a prone person. This is Tom Sizemores character.

"Character Shields" - an uber-perk, they simply cannot die. They can get beaten all the way to hell taking every injury etc, but they cannot die. For examples of this, see John McLane, Riggs, and every other action film hero.

Among many many others.

If only I could figure out how to fucking well implement them...

[Vympel]

OOOH good idea!

Believe it or not- I found FOT most enjoyable. Don't know why so many people hated it.

But nothing will ever beat Jagged Alliance.

[weemadando]

OOOH good idea! :)

Believe it or not- I found FOT most enjoyable. Don't know why so many people hated it.

But nothing will ever beat Jagged Alliance.

*throws self onto ground*

We're not worthy! We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

Man, JA and JA2 were some of the most awesome games ever made.

And JA2 has a pretty damn good online mod community. User-campaigns are GO!

[Cpt_Frank]

OOOH good idea!

Believe it or not- I found FOT most enjoyable. Don't know why so many people hated it.

But nothing will ever beat Jagged Alliance.

*throws self onto ground*

We're not worthy! We're not worthy! We're not worthy!

Man, JA and JA2 were some of the most awesome games ever made.

And JA2 has a pretty damn good online mod community. User-campaigns are GO!

Hey more JA fans!

[weemadando]

Tell me another game that allows me to trap my enemy between myself and a pair of angry bloodcats.

Thats never pretty.

My only bitch is that you have the generic "start under-equipped" thing. I mean, what merc company honestly sends in a bunch of green operatives with REVOLVERS to take a fucken' island.

[Vympel]

Indeed. There was also the issue of revolvers taking much more points to fire than rifles ... you'd figure the reverse would be true- so as when you're close quarters and you don't have enough time/ space for your rifle you can whip out your pistol and fire away.

But who cares, bloody minor nitpick.

[Cpt_Frank]

Tell me another game that allows me to trap my enemy between myself and a pair of angry bloodcats.

Thats never pretty.

My only bitch is that you have the generic "start under-equipped" thing. I mean, what merc company honestly sends in a bunch of green operatives with REVOLVERS to take a fucken' island.

Yep at least until you reach Drassen shootouts are pretty boring.

[nechronius]

Indeed. There was also the issue of revolvers taking much more points to fire than rifles ... you'd figure the reverse would be true- so as when you're close quarters and you don't have enough time/ space for your rifle you can whip out your pistol and fire away.

But who cares, bloody minor nitpick.

Reasonable rationale: single action pistols and rifles are easier to fire than a sturdy double action revolver, which is what all of the JA revolvers appeared to be. And while acquiring a target is quicker with a pistol due to lighter weight, a rifle is a more stable firing platform than a pistol and easier to stay on target with.

As for the argument of how much room a pistol takes up vs. a rifle in a room environment, well that's just an entirely different discussion.

JA2 rocked. It wasn't perfect, but still damn close.

[Vympel]

Moving back on topic- can we please join me in ranting now?

Please post more latest war movie BS.

[nechronius]

Improper portrayal of firearms. Even the "uber realistic" Saving Private Ryan was guilty of that. You remember the scene where Caparzo takes a hit from the sniper in that village and god-boy allied sniper pulls out his scope and mounts it on his rifle? Ok, let's just assume for a second that his scope easily re-zeroes on his weapon. But WTF was he doing turning the tube of the scope... adjusting for windage???

And what's with handguns in movies anyway? I think few pictures with pistols properly illustrate just how tough it can be to fire one. The only movie where I can recall a pistol showing proper muzzle flip and recoil was Saving Private Ryan where Tom Hanks was plinking at a tank with his 1911. Most every other movie people are one handing their guns and happily plugging away and hitting many enemies. Puhleeaze.

Fortunately it's easy to break those silly notions by taking a newbie down to the range for the first Time and telling them to shoot a gun. Heck, it's ONLY a 9mm. SURELY you can rapid fire that badboy one handed like in the movies.

[irishmick79]

There are guys who actually do seem to have that halo around them. How many times did you hear stories of guys like General Patton riding right into heavy fire zones and walking away unscathed? As strange and unlikely it is, it does happen.

[nechronius]

One more stupid war movie fad:

Windtalkers.

I hope it was just a one-shot anomaly because there's no room for a Hong Kong opera in my war movies.

[Vympel]

There are guys who actually do seem to have that halo around them. How many times did you hear stories of guys like General Patton riding right into heavy fire zones and walking away unscathed? As strange and unlikely it is, it does happen.

On the front lines, in the middle of a firefight, STANDING UP and basically putting up a big neon sign that says: "I'm a commanding officer, shoot me right now!"

I doubt it.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

It's the same problem many other films have: Minor characters get killed when the first bullet hits them, while a major character either never gets shot, or is only wounded.

[Cal Wright]

This fad wouldn't happen to occur because they're trying to tell a STORY! LoL. Yeah I know you know that. At first that shit would bother me. However, I realized if I go along with it, uber eliteness like that, making said character seemingly invincible against all odds, really makes them shine. More than that, the officers are surviving all of this horror, but have to watch as young men are ruthlessly killed in front of them.

[Sea Skimmer]

Nothing beats Pearl Harbor for poor firearms portrayal. A couple pilots running through a paddy field, in the dark with fog, hitting moving or crouched targets with M1911's!

[Cal Wright]

You win some you lose some. I had a huge problem with that entire film. First off, the first hour should have been totally different. That crap love story just needed to go. Tora Tora Tora kicked it's ass royally. I would like to watch the actual battle again, but the majority of the movie was crap.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Let's get fucking real, shall we? In REAL war, officers who stand up straight and bark orders, point fingers, and all that other stuff are identified by the enemy as what they are- PRIME TARGETS. Any dumbfuck can spot an officer who acts like that and plug him full of holes.

Do we see this in these latest war films? Nope. Instead, we have these cockheads who deserve to get killed striding about the battlefield like titans, immune to the effects of such insignificant things as enemy fire. In fact, it's the smart soldiers who stick close to the dirt who get blown away.

And in REAL war, 19 U.S. Rangers, Delta Force members, and pilots died during that battle. As sheer luck would have it, Lt. Col. McKnight wasn't one of them. He deserved to die? I'd beg to differ, but then again, being a U.S. citizen has me somewhat biased.

[Sea Skimmer]

Let's get fucking real, shall we? In REAL war, officers who stand up straight and bark orders, point fingers, and all that other stuff are identified by the enemy as what they are- PRIME TARGETS. Any dumbfuck can spot an officer who acts like that and plug him full of holes.

Do we see this in these latest war films? Nope. Instead, we have these cockheads who deserve to get killed striding about the battlefield like titans, immune to the effects of such insignificant things as enemy fire. In fact, it's the smart soldiers who stick close to the dirt who get blown away.

And in REAL war, 19 U.S. Rangers, Delta Force members, and pilots died during that battle. As sheer luck would have it, Lt. Col. McKnight wasn't one of them. He deserved to die? I'd beg to differ, but then again, being a U.S. citizen has me somewhat biased.

18 died. The movie counts a man who died several days later from a mortar shell fired at the base.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Let's get fucking real, shall we? In REAL war, officers who stand up straight and bark orders, point fingers, and all that other stuff are identified by the enemy as what they are- PRIME TARGETS. Any dumbfuck can spot an officer who acts like that and plug him full of holes.

Do we see this in these latest war films? Nope. Instead, we have these cockheads who deserve to get killed striding about the battlefield like titans, immune to the effects of such insignificant things as enemy fire. In fact, it's the smart soldiers who stick close to the dirt who get blown away.

And in REAL war, 19 U.S. Rangers, Delta Force members, and pilots died during that battle. As sheer luck would have it, Lt. Col. McKnight wasn't one of them. He deserved to die? I'd beg to differ, but then again, being a U.S. citizen has me somewhat biased.

18 died. The movie counts a man who died several days later from a mortar shell fired at the base.

I stand corrected.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Actually, the one that really annoys me is the Sex Comedy/War Movie. Father What did you do During the War, Capt. Corelli's Mandolin, La Belle Apoch, etc.

They try to be Romance, they try to be comedy, they try to be about the seriousness of war, you can't do that at the same time people.

[Rubberanvil]

I would like to watch the actual battle again, but the majority of the movie was crap.

You're not missing much it is horribliby(sp?) edited.

[Wicked Pilot]

I'm talking of course, about Black Hawk Down, where that whatshisface Italian guy who's also in Saving Private Ryan, walks around, standing straight up, in the middle of a free fire zone, barks orders left and right, and doesn't get killed.

Most of the time he was near a HUMVEE, with soldiers at all four courners keeping the enemy down. The only shots the Somalis could get at the convey were random "arm over the wall" shots. None of them could take the time to identify the colonel, and then aim and fire without being picked off by a Ranger.

I'm also talking of course about We Were Soldiers, where Mel Gibson and his gruff shithead 82nd Airborne 2nd in command, walk around, standing straight up, in the middle of a FAR WORSE free fire zone, barks orders left and right, and doesn't get killed.

The colonel there was beyond the range of the enemy. His platoons were out on the defensive perimeter holding the NVA off. He was in the center directing airstrikes/reinforcements/etc. Even if the NVA could see him, they could never identify him from his NCOs and other soldiers in the vacinity.

Let's get fucking real, shall we?

Real? Just what service do you belong to? What is your occupational speciality? What rank have you achieved? Not that your opinion doesn't count or anything, but I'd much prefer someone like jegs2 telling me what is "real."

In REAL war, officers who stand up straight and bark orders, point fingers, and all that other stuff are identified by the enemy as what they are- PRIME TARGETS.

Really, at a hundred yards, pinned down my enemy fire, do you think you could identify an officer in BDUs and pick them off?

Any dumbfuck can spot an officer who acts like that and plug him full of holes.

See above

[The Yosemite Bear]

Hey, I can even enjoy surrealist war flicks like "Kelly's Heroes" and not get pissed off. I take it that we civilians are making wonderful monday morning quarterbacks again....