In movies and series, realism is often sacrificed for entertainment. A former soldier reviewed 10 scenes and rated how close they are to reality.
Who is the expert? Elliot Ackerman is a former soldier of the U.S. Marines and led a Special Forces team. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and appears in a YouTube video by the channel Informer to evaluate various scenes from movies and series.
The focus was primarily on comparing the depicted war scenes and explaining how close they are to reality. Elliot reviewed excerpts from the following productions:
- Full Metal Jacket (Film, 1987)
- Barry (Series with 4 seasons, 2018-2023)
- Generation Kill (Series with one season, 2008)
- Jarhead (Film, 2005)
- The Marine (Film, 2006)
- Heartbreak Ridge (Film, 1986)
- Man Down (Film, 2015)
- Flags Of Our Fathers (Film, 2006)
- Rules Of Engagement (Series with 7 seasons, 2007-2013)
- A Few Good Men (Film, 1992)
He then discussed the scenes and gave ratings between 0-10, with only two films receiving the highest score.
Realism or Entertainment?
Which films received 10 points? One is Full Metal Jacket by Stanley Kubrick, the other A Few Good Men by Rob Reiner.
Full Metal Jacket appeals to the expert particularly because of its accurate portrayal of Marine training. In particular, the commander who frequently berates the soldiers stands out. Ackerman thinks that the behavior of the “Drill Instructor” is quite realistic. Today’s commanders might be a bit gentler, but they must always ensure that there is discipline in the troops and that everyone is in top shape.
In the case of A Few Good Men, the expert appreciates how the military court is depicted in the film. It is also significantly different from other courts in reality, and that has been well portrayed.
Other movies and series, however, face quite a bit of criticism.
What does the expert criticize? One point that keeps coming up concerns the combat actions in films and series. Particularly, The Marine faces the criticism that the action is completely unrealistic. Here, the protagonist storms into a room with his weapon drawn and fires aimlessly while shouting loudly. According to the expert, that would do little to help him hit his target. Ackerman summarizes: “Very entertaining, not very realistic.”
Generally, most movies and series do not accurately depict fights. In reality, these would be quite boring. The action that occurs in the cinema over two hours can actually span over seven months, according to the expert. While Marines are trained in close combat, the fights would not be as cool and casual as portrayed in some films. Another expert has correspondingly reviewed the John Wick film series.
Other soldier actions, like administering first aid, are portrayed incorrectly in the series Barry. Here, a soldier helps another before moving him out of the line of fire to safety. In contrast, Ackerman finds that Generation Kill accurately depicts how to behave in an ambush: Quick decisions must be made, and the dangerous area should be exited as quickly as possible.
What is the expert’s conclusion? Hardly any of the discussed productions are perfect, but some are surprisingly accurate, and it is noticeable that good research was done. However, the expert emphasizes several times in the video that entertainment often comes first, and it is not too bad if movies and series are not 100% realistic. Correspondingly, you might be interested in: An expert on the Middle Ages explains how realistic the weapons and armor in The Lord of the Rings are
