There Mayo and the other young men in his group are pout through their paces by the very able but no nonsense Marine drill sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant Foley. His irascible temper and sharp tongue coupled with the harshness of the demands of the training put a heavy weight upon the minds and souls of the men under him. It is a weight they try to shake off by hanging out with local girls and having a good time. many of these young women come from hard working but low skilled backgrounds, and live close to the poverty line. Thus we get the ever too present notion that the servicemen may be a ticket out of misery, and an officer a ride to happily ever after. This may seem implausible to much of the British public, but I have to say that sadly, it is an often true tale. US military personnel get free or mostly subsidised housing and other benefits attached to their identification cards such as free medical, discounted grocery and general shopping on bases, subsidised day care on base, education, etc. Thus, that i.d. card is often seen as a kind of golden ticket, with an officer being social standing icing on the cake. The truth of the emotional and physical wear and tear of the life and the actually low by comparison wages that cause these benefits to be offered is often overlooked, as the wages can also eclipse those of the local unskilled or unemployed workers.

This is a film of turmoil rather than happy go lucky romance Gritty and unshying, places in the film have the capacity to shock. This is not done so much for thrills, but rather to plumb the emotional depths deep within, serving to move the story along to its next phase. The scenes underscore the solitude that Zack feels, despite those around him, and how he must bridge the gap. The cast each play their parts to perfection, enhancing the mood of the storyline greatly with their performances.

The musical score itself is quite pleasant, with the soppy ballad "Up Where We Belong" being a huge hit from the soundtrack. The rest are not so overly memorable, but does what a soundtrack should in this sort of movie, namely help generate the mood for the scenes they are played in. Interestingly enough, the director hated "Up Where We belong" with a passion and wanted it cut from the film, insisting that it was a dud. The song however went on to number 1 and won music awards, and has remained a wedding, anniversary party, and karoke night mainstay ever since.