May 11, 2010

Richard Armitage as John Porter: Mccpepper's 'Not Gonna Get Us'

4 comments:

Sue said...

I think Richard's quote has been taken slightly out of context. I think when he said that he wanted "something more than a war hero" (if he did) then he was referring to creating a multi-faceted character ie. family man, husband, human being and not just the type of John Wayne, Robert Mitchum type war heroes which were very far from what real heroes are if truth be told. Many of those decorated for bravery often act courageously without thinking. It's something of a knee-jerk reaction. It's a kill or be killed situation and there's simply no time to stop and think "what if?". If you see someone hurt then you try and help them without really thinking of the consequences. In other words if you're in the thick of it (a dangerous situation) you simply get on with it and your military training takes over and you instinctively react. I think most army personal would agree with that. I have heard quite a few interviews with Richard and he seems to have wanted a more rounded character, not simply a Sylvestor Stallone's Rocky type personality which truly is make-believe and totally unrealistic. You don't go into combat all guns blazing not caring whether you live or die. Most of the time soldiers are sh*tting themselves. Fear is all part of self-preservation and is a necessary part of survival, it's what keeps us safe.

Sue said...

Sorry I meant Syvestor Stallone's Rambo not Rocky. Hope you still get my drift.

Ricrar said...

Yes, Sue, I get your point but clearly recognize a difference in cultural attitudes toward the military. Majority of American know that Rambo is a caricature/cartoonish figure and never meant to reallistically portray authentic individuals. Perhaps because most Americans have/had many members of their own family active in the military, we've always viewed them as family men who answer the call to duty when necessary for national security. Of course, post traumatic stress syndrome does occur among their ranks, but not in nearly the numbers claimed by the liberal media. Every human being feels stress when forced to witness violence, but until the instigators of world turmoil are completely defanged, it will be necessary to preserve our freedoms by meeting their determination with the even stronger steely backbones of our courageous western warriors.
A frequently heard expression in the USA is 'Freedom is not free'.

Sue said...

I agree with you something like Rambo was meant as pure entertainment and not to reflect what a real soldier feels or acts. It's just sad that so many viewers pick holes in things because they aren't accurate. Personally I say go hand accuracy give me action and a good old Charles Bronson movie which reflects what you'd like to do to thugs and murderers given half the chance, completely unrealistic but it makes for good entertainment.