September 29th The Guardian

[Just_A_Mom]

"The Guardian" opens at a theater near you!
All you kids out there "borrow" a few extra bucks from Mom or Dad, grab some friends or your team and settle in for some good Coast Guard action.

Post your reviews and at what point in the movie you decide to make the Coast Guard your life!

[bossf51]

Ha ha. From all reports from the CGA it is a great movie! Can't wait to see it myself. :shake:

[Whistle Pig]

Makes 3 of us!

Is it a takeoff on the Perfect Storm?

[bossf51]

Not exactly...it's more like Top Gun in blue trops.

[soccer1458]

According to Admiral Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, it is Top Gun meets the Perfect Storm. He said it was an accurate portrayal of the Coast Guard, and that he was impressed. Go see it!

[hhsxc]

I loved the movie! The rescues were pretty cool. It was a little long, but I don't see anything that could of been taken out. I'm definetly getting a copy when it comes out.

[The Commissioner]

The romance subplots seemed to be inspired by An Officer and a Gentleman and Heartbreak Ridge.

My son saw a preview at AIM last summer and he liked the whole movie. I think the portrayal of USGC professionalism further inspired him to seek admission at the Academy.

As someone working on the Hurricane Katrina cleanup project, I noticed the exchange in the movie where the crewman was telling the rescue swimmer students about how uniform and standardized training contributed to the Coast Guard's success in New Orleans because crews knew instinctively what to do even though crew members may have been unfamiliar with each other.

[Just_A_Mom]

We had "Girls Night Out" on Saturday. The movie was long but fast paced. Well Done. Some of the plot was predictable but those rescue scenes were worth watching.
We noticed the Katrina references as well. How about those digs on the Navy?? Priceless!
I'm not going to spoil it for anyone on here.

[jamzmom]

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb: Three thumbs up! Not too over the top except the cheesy love story thing but sat on the edge of my seat during the rescues & some of the training. JAM, you & I were chuckling at the same parts I think. They did dig just a little :D

Beat Annapolis hands down! LOL Atleast this was real.

[USNA69]

How about those digs on the Navy?? Priceless!
I'm not going to spoil it for anyone on here.


They did dig just a little
Beat Annapolis hands down! LOL At least this was real.

I guess you guys are going to make an old retired Navy SAR pilot go see a worthless propaganda recruiting movie just so he can set straight all the incorrect digs, huh?:shake:

Jamz, please don't compare anything to Annapolis. USNA wasn't even the setting for the screenplay. They just changed a few things around to make it fit. It was a horrible movie from all I've heard. I think our Admissions Office was petrified that parents and candidates might believe it.

Wikipedia, which, as we are well aware, is not always correct, claims Navy recruiting results gained 500% after Topgun. Sounds like the Coast Guard has a similiar recruiting tool. Topgun, even though the F-14 is gone, still seems to hang on. However, one candidate's parent reminded me recently that the movie is 20 years old and that her children probably didn't even know what it was about. Hopefully, The Guardian will have a similiar run. Great free recruiting.

[RetNavyHM]

Man, it was 20 years ago wasn't it! I was at boot camp in San Diego when they were filming the movie, and we were able to take an hour to watch them film. Pretty interesting stuff.

I may have to join USNA69 in breaking down and going to watch the movie. All the reviews I've heard have been positive, and thats from Army and AF active and retired members.

[jamzmom]

Yeah, you navy guys open those wallets for a ticket & popcorn. My kid called at 4am this morning to tell me how great he thought it was. Can't remember what he said exactly as I was SLEEPING :unhappy: but I knew he would love it. The USNR Coastie wanna-be he is. Don't think he'll be doing any rescue swimming through. Had a hard enough time with survival swimming class. LOL

[bossf51]

Ha ha I must be the only person in America with an interest in the CG or service academies who hasn't seen it. I usually wait for the dvd as I hate movie theaters. I may have to make an exception in this case.:redface:

[Just_A_Mom]

Come On Boss! You have to see it on the big screen. It is worth the $8.50 or would it be $10 by now up in Conn.?

This movie makes Top Gun look like fluff.

[USNA69]

I may have to join USNA69 in breaking down and going to watch the movie. All the reviews I've heard have been positive, and thats from Army and AF active and retired members.

HM, you do know that it is going to take a couple of impartial old Navy guys to put this piece of propaganda in it's proper prospective. Army and Air Force, with the exception maybe of the combat SAR guys, don't have a clue. I'm penciling in Thursday nite. We'll hit 'em Friday.

"Top Gun look like fluff". Jeez. Probably not even worth the ticket price, much less the popcorn.

[RetNavyHM]

"Top Gun look like fluff". Jeez. Probably not even worth the ticket price, much less the popcorn.

I'll get there sometime before Monday (good excuse to take the wife out as well!). If it turns out to be as cheesy as I think its gonna be, we may have to hit up jamzmom and Just_A_Mom for refunds! :shake:

[USNA69]

The USNR Coastie wanna-be he is. Don't think he'll be doing any rescue swimming through. Had a hard enough time with survival swimming class. LOL

Don't worry, mom. All the SAR swimmer billets are enlisted.

[USNA69]

I'll get there sometime before Monday (good excuse to take the wife out as well!). If it turns out to be as cheesy as I think its gonna be, we may have to hit up jamzmom and Just_A_Mom for refunds!

Doc, We may be covered. jamzmom says she doesn't like cheesy and Just A Mom didn't like Top Gun and the only thing in it not to like was it's cheesiness. So maybe it's not too cheesy. My bet is that it stretches the realm of belivability beyond our wildest imagination.

They seem to be pretty silent on the ticket refund so I guess the popcorn refund would be out too.

[jamzmom]

Hey Hey Hey now.... No refunds! Ya'll just go and like it like I told you. And don't just get popcorn you silly men. I missed 3.26 minutes of the movie because hubby didn't get the M&Ms like I told him too. Its ok. I got him back by stepping on his foot REAL good when I snuck out. Then I didn't share.

Enlisted huh? I learn something new everyday. I knew the guys in the movie were enlisted but in real life, officers can't get that billet? I guess I just assumed that anyone who could cut it, could try for it. Is it the same with SEALS/BUDS? And nobody laugh at my question! I'm confused enough having a USNR/MMR Coastie wanna-be who could possibly go Army, Airforce, Navy, Marines, National Guard in three more years.

[USNA69]

Enlisted huh? I learn something new everyday. I knew the guys in the movie were enlisted but in real life, officers can't get that billet? I guess I just assumed that anyone who could cut it, could try for it. Is it the same with SEALS/BUDS?

SEAL teams are self-contained units and do have officer leaders. For search and rescue, the mission commander is usually the helicopter aircraft commander (HAC), the senior pilot on board. For larger missions, there will be an orbiting fixed wing overhead that assumes the mission commander role.

Midshipmen who went to see Top Gun could actually become Naval Aviators.:shake:

[bossf51]

The pilots are officers. For the current 1/c class, they are going to pick 10% of the graduating class to become pilots. That is up from the usual 5% in the past. There are so many applying the competition is fierce.

[USNA69]

The pilots are officers. For the current 1/c class, they are going to pick 10% of the graduating class to become pilots. That is up from the usual 5% in the past. There are so many applying the competition is fierce.

The Coast Guard gets a substantial number of it's pilots from the Navy. At times during the past, it has been as high as 50%. Since it costs in the neighborhood of one million dollars to train a pilot, it is a substantial savings to the Coast Guard budget. In a way, it is a win-win situation. Pilots who cannot endure the rigors of Naval Aviation continue flying and the Coast Guard doesn't have to train them. However, I wonder how many would have stayed in the Navy had the Coast Guard transition not been available to them

[Just_A_Mom]

Getting back to the topic:

Yes, Jamzmom, I do think we were chuckling at the same parts in the movie! Those Navy guys seem a little sensitive - don't ya think? haha

I hope they bring their sense of humor with them to the theater.

It certainly is nice to see a branch of service that is so often taken for granted get its "15 minutes" of fame.

[USNA69]

Those Navy guys seem a little sensitive - don't ya think? haha
I hope they bring their sense of humor with them to the theater.
It certainly is nice to see a branch of service that is so often taken for granted get its "15 minutes" of fame.

The "Official" Service Academy Forum NAVY Review:shake:

Great movie. If it's primary purpose was to portray the professionalism, dedication, and devotion of wet swimmers, it did a fantastic job. If there are any 50 year old swimmers out there, I'm sure Costner played them perfectly. Perhaps the Wild Turkey-Vicodin diet was a little far fetched.

There aren't many professions in the world other than professional sports where harnessed cockiness is an asset. Certain jobs in the military is the other. Rescue swimmers is one of those. The Kutcher character plays it perfectly.

The recruit class welcoming address by the school CO was hilarious. Even he admitted that he was "on a roll" to the Costner character when he finished. The "Navy" comment should be taken in the same spirit as the "God reaching down and sweeping homes off their foundation" comment. I loved it, including the Navy "jab", which of course isn't true. Go to Norfolk during a hurricane alert and the piers are empty. As taxpayers we should applaud this. The Navy's mission is to protect their assets for wartime, not provide rescue.

Harnessing the cockiness has to happen. I suppose a bar scene was as good a way of doing it as any. However, I don't think there are any "Navy" bars in Lousiana anything like the one in the movie. And the Navy was totally misrepresented. Navy chiefs will probably take offense. From the outside it was a biker bar, and from the inside, totally Navy. My big question; did the overweight Navy Captain arrive on a Harley or the chopped hot rod?

I think the movie portrays the character of the swimmers to perfection. One has to have a screw loose to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft into the cold dark sea. And that is what it is. Very few boats founder on nice warm sunny days. The portrayal of the seas in the movie was outstanding. Additionally, most boat crews think they have things under control until the fear of the unknown of darkness grips them. A large proportion of rescues are at night in the exact sea conditions as seen in the movie.

Everything else in the movie could probably have used some technical assistance:
-Cutters with landing and refueling decks are at sea constantly in the Bering Sea. Low fuel states made the missions seem more dangerous than they actually need to be.
-RCCs (Rescue Coordination Centers) are nothing like what was portrayed, unless things have changed drastically in the last few years. It would probably be manned by a LT and a few enlisted, definitely not the CO of the base.
-I think the portrayal of the numbers lost is exaggerated. The "22" though was worth the improper portrayal.
-I don't think I would ever allow a swimmer to go inside a sinking vessel. Probably by now there are standardization rules to this effect.
-It was a movie about rescue swimmers, not aircrew in general so my statement that every pilot in the movie deserved to have either his wings pulled or be court martialled should detract nothing from the enjoyment of the movie. One of the instructors during the A-school portion was using Katrina as an example of the benefits of standardization. The pilots in the movie however seemed to go to great lengths to insert non-standard unnecessarily unsafe procedures into each mission. The last mission alone violated nearly every reg in their book, I'm sure. However it was necessary to set up the ending.

Great movie, though. I agree with whoever said it was an USCG "Top Gun" except Kutcher plays Tom Cruise better than Tom Cruise plays Tom Cruise. Don't wait for the DVD.