The Lords of Discipline 4K 1983 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

A group of white cadets cruelly bully a black guy to force him to leave school.

Review 4K Movie

Today, we're talking about a movie about a place that trains military officers, and not just any abstract school, but a real one in South Carolina. However, studying there—at least in the 1960s—was not at all pleasant, so despite the obvious prestige of this educational institution—and I apologize to my esteemed readers for using this word, but it is unavoidable here—you would definitely not have liked it there. Judge for yourself, is it right when a mandatory condition of education is the humiliation of freshmen by their “elders”? Yes, it's almost written into their charter and even encouraged in every way, because someone decided that a young cadet must be broken, otherwise he will not become a soldier, and they use methods so sadistic that they cause nothing but disgust. And you can't go against the established system. You can try, of course, but how will it end?

The main character of the film, Will MacLean, tried to leave. But why? The film does not explain this, immediately creating the image of a righteous character who is repulsed by all these sadistic antics. Even a reprimand from the general is not enough to make him change. He immediately appears before us as a kind of black sheep who acts extremely nobly, trying to reason with his fellow students who are acting within the established order. And we must not forget the time period in which the film is set; racism was very strong in the United States at that time. No, your humble author does not like it at all when someone is humiliated and almost declared an enemy of the people just because his skin is a different color — what difference does it make whether you are white or black, the main thing is that a person is good. But you can't say that about Will — it's more likely that he doesn't care at all and is only on the side of the black man to show us how good he is. I just don't believe it.

Or maybe there's something wrong with David Keith's acting? Maybe he just couldn't reveal his character, show his integrity and nobility? The way he hates the rules, the way he worries about his comrades who are being bullied - it seemed more like he perceives everything that is happening as some kind of game, encouraging his friends to violate the rules not because of his principles, but just to break something. In the opinion of this humble author, the choice of actor was not a good one—he completely failed to cope with his role. Even the secondary characters played by Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn had much more life and credibility than he did—they were believable, but he, alas, was not.

But if we try to forget about this and imagine that Will is exactly what he was supposed to be, and not what he turned out to be on screen, then we end up with a pretty good drama about a cruel training system. Maybe it is precisely because of this system that we ended up with Vietnam, Korea, Yugoslavia, and Iraq? To forget compassion, to mock those who are weaker, to consider oneself better than others? Not everyone who withstands attempts to break them can retain compassion; more likely, a desire for revenge will arise — let others know too, let them experience what I once had to endure. The circle closes, and despite all attempts and even blackmail, it is impossible to break it. What has been building up for decades cannot be eliminated; rather, it will take on more perverse forms than before.

What a strange situation has arisen—the film is quite good, but for some reason—perhaps because the main character was not at all impressive—your humble author was not thrilled by it. Yes, the rating is quite high, but I will not keep it in my collection.