MovieChat Forums > Hart's War (2002) Discussion > Tommy's relationship with his father

Tommy's relationship with his father

posted 21 years ago by lschow310
16 replies | jump to latest

There was a scene in which Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) pulls out his watch and looks at it in hesitation before handing it over another soldier to gain his cooperation.

The sense was that the watch meant something to Lt. Hart, like the watch was the only connection he had left to his father. This suggests that some kind of separation had taken place between him and his father. Whether the separation was physical (the father had passed away) or emotional (distant father-son relationship) was unclear.

In other scenes, there also seems to be indication that Lt. Hart is ashamed to be a senator's son and ashamed of the privileges that come with being a senator's son. I don't exactly understand why.

Anyone have any thoughts?

[–] hozo2003 21 years ago

i was thinking that too... I wonder what his relationship with his father was...i don't think he is dead though.. i wish there was more of it in the movie

[–] canadian_movie_freak 21 years ago

I think that he had a very good releationship with his father. I don't know why he is ashamed to be his son though...

[–] retrobaby 21 years ago

I think he wasn't ashamed to "be his son" but he was ashamed that he had gotten captured thus bringing shame to the family. Sort of "I'm a horrible son, I should have known better cos I'm the senator's son." I think he was more embrassed to have everyone know he was the son of a senator cos they made fun of him and gave him a hard time about it.

[–] lschow310 21 years ago

>I think he wasn't ashamed to "be his son" but he was ashamed that he had gotten captured thus bringing shame to the family.

Actually, I just saw the movie again. His shame is not only in being captured. Notice again the beginning scene in which he was transporting another soldier. That soldier starts talking about these battle experiences, and Hart didn't understand what he was talking about because he has never been there. Then the soldier says, "Don't be ashamed. I'd love to have a father like that." Hart then looks at him with an expression of having been offended.

[–] Rocker500 18 years ago

lschow310:
"Don't be ashamed. I'd love to have a father like that."

I'm not saying this in a hostile way, I'd just like to point this out.

I've seen the movie so many times, I practically have it memorized, and that's not how the line goes.

It goes like this:

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, son.(or soldier, I can't remember)That's a hell of a father to have!"

[–] dmbfan598 21 years ago

What im wondering if there is any relationship between Bruce Willis's character, McNamara, and the famed idiot generar in Vietnam McNamara. I know its dumb butits odd that they picked that name and mentioned a military history in his family.

[–] lschow310 21 years ago

The name, McNamara, comes from the book Hart's War by John Katzenbach. The setting is in the early 1940s (I believe 1940-1943), so that was before the Vietnam War. Katzenbach didn't give that much of a background on McNamara (who was by the way, LEWIS McNamara, not William McNamara as in the movie) other than his personality.

Bruce Willis hit that personality dead on.

[–] mmikeyjake 21 years ago

I doubt if it's coincidence. John's father was Attorney General of the United States during the Vietnam War and a close associate of General Creighton Abrams. I'm sure John knows a LOT of things about the real McNamara.

[–] gary_overman 18 years ago

>I doubt if it's coincidence. John's father was Attorney General of the United States during the Vietnam War and a close associate of General Creighton Abrams. I'm sure John knows a LOT of things about the real McNamara.<
Are you for certain that you don't mean Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara?

[–] Scanner_man 21 years ago

I always thought he (Hart) was ashamed of being the senator`s son because his father had the political power out of any sticky situations. For example, when Macnamara (sp?) told Tommy that a report was to be sent out to the US military telling them who was a POW (I`m a little sketchy on that, it`s been a while since I`ve seen the movie), and Hart asks him if he "had" to be reported. I believe he didn`t want his father to know because he(being a senator) would have the power to do whatever it takes to get his son back. Tommy was of that ashamed because he would be recieving special attention, even though he didn`t do any fighting and there were casualties and prisoners of the war who were in far more desperate need, but he was a bigger priority because his father was important. Those are my 2 cents anyways.

[–] lschow310 21 years ago

That does make a whole lot of sense.

Thanks for your two cents.

[–] 21 years ago

[deleted]

[–] allie-hearts-canada 21 years ago

Well, I think he's ashamed about what he was doing in the war, or not doing in the war, because of his father. All of the other soldiers had been in actual combat, and he had been way behind the front lines, and he happened to run into a few german soldiers. Compared to the people he was surrounded by, he was a pansy.

[–] Rocker500 18 years ago

Well it wasn't his fault; he didn't exactly have a Thompson SMG or anything, the only weapon they had in that jeep was that Colt 1911A1 .45 ACP.

[–] armyranger007 18 years ago

thank you, rocker 500, for listing every freaking element of that gun's make and model. We're all very impressed that you KNOW THAT WWII OFFICERS CARRIED 1911's!!!!!!

[–] Rocker500 18 years ago

um.....ok.....what's your point?