I recently watched the film Heartbreak Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, and whilst in some ways it was really well conceived and filmed… I just wanted (or rather need) to get something off my chest.
In one of the first main battle scenes, you see hundreds of American soldiers being shot, blown up or incapacitated in some horrible way. I wasn’t actually counting but if I had been… I’m guessing the number of casualties depicted would have run into the thirties, fourties or possibly more. However, when the platoon commander is seen reporting back at base a few minutes later, I think he tells his commander that they lost ten men on the ridge.
Is this good continuity? I don’t think so! The fact is I think Mr Gibson is in love with blood and gore and that somewhere along the way the continuity person was either ordered off the set or… took a day or two off!
