G.I. JANE
*** (out of ****)
Hollywood / 1997 / 2:08 / R Cast: Demi Moore; Viggo Mortensen; Jason Beghe; Anne Bancroft; Lucinda Jenny; David Vadim; Morris Chestnut; Scott Wilson; Josh Hopkins Director: Ridley Scott Screenplay: Danielle Alexandra; David Twohy
A buff, tawny Demi Moore shaves her head and goes Navy in "G.I. Jane," and the unanticipated result is a well-crafted drama that will do more for strong women's roles than her turn as Hester Prynne in 1995's "The Scarlet Letter" ever did. "Jane"'ll likely win her audience raves (and she deserves them), thus covering up the box office sting started by "Letter" and continued by last summer's "Striptease."
Moore's "G.I. Jane" role is that of Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil. Gutsy Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) handpicks her to play a major part in a study that will hopefully reform the military's guidelines of restricting women in combat. The trial she faces is to pass the rigorous Navy SEAL training, a task that more than half of the men who attempt to succeed end up dropping out of. But O'Neil faces her challenge with optimism, telling DeHaven, "I expect a certain amount of pain" from the proceedings.
Upon her arrival at Catalano Naval Base in Florida, her statement is put to the test. Her drill instructor for the duration, Master Chief John Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen), immediately tells her what the best thing about pain is -- "It lets you know you're not dead yet." Ouch. Her presence is immediately met with prejudice not only from Urgayle and all of the SEALs-in-training, but also from the base commander (Scott Wilson). Even her boyfriend (Ed Harris-lookalike Jason Beghe), also in the military, doesn't think she'll last long. But last she does, and upon learning that she has been given a certain amount of leeway because of her sex, O'Neil demands equal treatment, no matter how rough things get. And things do get rough.
Rather than hop on a preachy feminist bandwagon, "G.I. Jane" stays extremely accessible. Because O'Neil is a strong part -- and because Moore compensates with strong acting -- there's no problem in rooting for her. Director Ridley Scott knows a thing or two about female heroines -- his "Alien" turned Sigourney Weaver into one of filmdom's first and finest -- and thus Jordan O'Neil is as convincing and potent as either one of the leads from his "Thelma & Louise."
A solid supporting cast backs Moore up. Mortensen makes his mark by fleshing out a role that could have been the embodiment of evil chauvinism. The sequences he and Moore share -- especially a shockingly violent episode that comes late in O'Neil's training -- are among the movie's most riveting. Bancroft is exceptional as a powerful political figure who may or may not be using the press surrounding the controversy to her advantage. The actors who make up O'Neil's squadron are uniformly good even though none of them are really allowed to develop a personality, and Beghe, although eventually a plot convenience, creates an interesting character.
As it stands, "G.I. Jane" is a good movie, but what keeps it from being a better one is a problematic undoing it shares with "Air Force One" -- it's allowed to play on for about 25 minutes too long. Had "Jane" stuck to its cerebral battle-of-wills, it could have achieved greatness (and another half-star). But it feels the need to add on a silly, shakily-shot action climax for no other reason than to disprove a sexist remark made to O'Neil by Urgayle. The jiggling camera work is well-utilized during earlier parts of the film, but in the finale becomes headache-inducing.
"G.I. Jane" has its flaws, but I don't mean to suggest by any means that it is an ineffective movie. It provides a fine showcase for Moore, who gives a daring, noble performance, and a distinctly change-of-pace project for Scott, who's most well known for his deep impact on the science fiction genre. Executed with intelligence and importance, "G.I. Jane" is thought-provoking, bold and one of the summer's best surprises.
© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Website: www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/
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