An Officer and a Gentleman V First Knight

AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

Summary 

Gere decides to join the Navy to get away from his Dad who is played by Tom Hanks's boss in Big. In Big he was a loveable old man who champions Tom Hank's whacky ideas and jumps around on a floor piano. Here he plays a right twat.

Robert Loggia on the right.

He is such a good actor I had to google him to see if he is still alive. Not only is he still alive, he is still working well into his 80's. His name is Robert Loggia and he is a wonderful screen presence and deserves some props.

Now Officer and a Gentleman is effectively a film about a holiday romance. Gere and Gibson get it on knowing they have a 13 week window to cram in as much horizontal jogging as possible. Gere was without doubt one of the most visually striking leading men in his day, (some argue he still is) and in this film he is the best cadet in his class. However his character is flawed because he is a bit of a cold-hearted bastard. He has no respect for his authority and even calls his drill instructor (played by Louis Gossett Jr) a Mother Fucker! Louis Gossett Jr doesn't take too kindly to that and gives Gere a swift round house to the jacobs.

I GOT NOWHERE ELSE TO GO 

Gere does redeem himself when he helps out his team mate make it over the wall in the krypton factor assault course. The films climax is semi poignant now with the recent passing of Joe Cocker as Gere goes to sweep up Debra Winger in the factory to the sound of Where we Belong. It was very moving for me and I bet at the time of this release, there wasn't a dry vagina in the house. As a side note, I have worked in many factories in the course of my life. I've done steel, willow, alcohol, and even cereal bars. Let me tell you something for free, if Richard Gere rocked up to my factory and swept me up in his arms he would get zero protest from me.


Of course he wouldn't make it pass the front door these days without a high vis jacket. Health and Safety bollocks wasn't around in the early 80's apparently.

Pointless IMDB trivia

This script sat on the shelf for 8 years because the Navy didn't back it.

TOMATO METER 81% (critics)

TOMATO METER 81% (audience)

PETER METER 85% 

First Knight

 

Summary

Maid Marian - 'Lancelot is a man who fears nothing and has nothing to lose'. 

King Arthur - 'Lacnssshalot. I can schee you are man who fearssh nothing and hassh nothing to looshe'. 

Me - 'I fucking get it already, he has nowt and fears nowt, lets fucking move on please people'. 

I imagine that Gere in the 80 and 90's must have walked on to every film set and thought, 'Well I'm easily the best looking mother f*cker here.'  That little inner thought must have been on a loop for 20 fucking years. Gere makes no attempt to put on an English accent, and when he is not telling everyone how much of a loner he is, how he fears nothing, and has nothing to lose, he is unashamedly trying to "lance" Connery's misses.

Eventually Lady Guinevere yields to Gere's dreamy ways, and gets busted in the act by Connery. Connery really does only have himself to blame though. He marries a girl 3 times his junior, and invites a Calvin Klein model from a crowd of herberts to be on his round table. Which leads to one of my favourite clips of from the movie. WHYYYYYYY!! (below)

 

The sword play was terrible, the dialogue at times, utterly unforgivable, and had it not been for Connery coming in and showing Gere how to act, this could have been a First Knight to forget. (Thanks). But in truth the set pieces were handled well, it romps along and for some reason or other, I enjoy the shit out of this film.

Pointless IMDB Trivia 

Former James Bond director Terence Young was supposed to direct, but he died during early pre-production. It would have reunited him and James Bond actor Sean Connery after 30 years. Their last movie together was Thunderball.
 

TOMATO METER - 47% (critics)

TOMATO METER - 55% (critics)

PETER METER - 79%

VERDICT

First off a message to Andy the Sandwich man who gave me a DVD to watch and review. I'm sorry I couldn't convince the whole family to watch Bad Boy Bubby as it does involve torture and incest (albeit consensual incest). But its on the list buddy. I have no recommendations for you this week film wise, but I implore you to watch this montage of sexy bits from First Knight below. So WATCH the sexy bits of First Knight and NOT An Officer and a Gentleman OR First Knight.