MovieChat Forums > The Hurt Locker (2009) Discussion > So this is what Americans think of the B...

So this is what Americans think of the British military?

posted 12 years ago by DeutschlandUberAlles
27 replies | jump to latest

A bunch of incompetent pansies who need big tough Americans to save them because even their SAS is so weak they haven't got anything on US Army infantry.

It's not just this movie either, a whole load of American films portray Brits in this way, being a bunch of weak, pathetic pansies who are more suited to sipping tea and eating scones then doing real men's work.

So, would you say this is generally what Americans think of the British military?

[–] james-337 12 years ago

As I've pointed out elsewhere, they're not SAS, they're private military contractors. And I saw no implication at all that they were incompetent pansies who needed the Americans to bail them out. The Americans simply came upon them by chance and provided much-needed support.

[–] RodneyAnonymous 12 years ago

...portray [the British military as] being a bunch of weak, pathetic pansies who are more suited to sipping tea and eating scones then doing real men's work.

So, would you say this is generally what Americans think of the British military?

No, not at all, but it's certainly how I view the majority of British posters on IMDb. :)

O praeclarum custodem ovium lupum!

[–] dubyahsrobotminion 12 years ago

Good one Rodney.

Warmonger by day, poet by night!

[–] Slew_Foot 12 years ago

And the win goes to Rodney!

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] IvarTB 10 years ago

No, not at all, but it's certainly how I view the majority of British posters on IMDb. :)

Quite what I think of most Americans on Imdb- immature, racist and xenophobic little pricks.

[–] RodneyAnonymous 10 years ago

Well, at least you didn't go off on how the US didn't contribute anything to WWII... :)

Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.

[–] Reminisce_PartOne 12 years ago

Why do so many people assume they were SAS? Or any branch of the British military... which they were not.

They were independent contractors collecting a bounty... both of which were mentioned in the scene.

They were dressed in bloody rags! There was no military insignia in there get up anywhere.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... the celtic soul brothers and the strong devoted!"

[–] David_Blue 12 years ago

TabacoSmoker: "It's not just this movie either, a whole load of American films portray Brits in this way, being a bunch of weak, pathetic pansies who are more suited to sipping tea and eating scones then doing real men's work."

Emphasis on "films" not "America".

There's also a lot of films that portray White Southerners as inbred crazed monsters who probably ought to be exterminated on general principles.

It's not that Americans think that, except to the extent that Hollywood influences American perceptions. It's that Hollywood, which is very different from the rest of America, thinks that, or has no scruples about putting that sort of insulting view of traditional allies into other people's mouths.

[–] HelveticaFont 12 years ago

They didn't seem like any kind of soldiers. They seemed more like a news crew who got access to guns.

[–] MrsCetrone 11 years ago

It was pretty obvious to me they weren't military.

[–] ronfirv 11 years ago

Me too, and I'm a Brit!
Where did the SAS rumour come from?

[–] club49 11 years ago

Wait, Great Britian has a military?

[–] HelveticaFont 11 years ago

Ha!

I could be horrible and say that the US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq use them for target practice but I won't.

[–] BuddyLove63 10 years ago

Wait, Great Britian has a military?

Yes silly. It has one of only 3 Blue Water navies in the world, its army is amongst the best trained and most professional in the world and it's Air Force is excellent.

This is why the USA are often asking Britain for military help and assistance and have done so since WW2.

[–] rob2661 11 years ago

They didn't save a one of them anyway. So the Americans didn't really come across as great rescuers.

[–] ctsamados 11 years ago

Actually the US EOD soldiers didn't come off looking to good in this scene either. Why didn't they just call in an airstrike on the building? Also why didn't Sandborn just put another bullet in the potentially not dead sniper hanging out of the window?

[–] natbmw2-161-449157 11 years ago

After getting hit with a .50 Caliber round at that distance even if he was still alive he would have bleed out, not like anyone could come to his aid out there.

As for this topic in general, I already read the other thread. Since Call of Duty came out everyone assumes anything British with a rifle is SAS! While SAS and other SOF forces in many countries dont have as tight uniform restrictions these guys were wayyyyy out of spec and it was mentioned they were looking for rewards. Jeremy Renners character is a Ranger and was in the 3rd Ranger Battalion BTW for those who paid attention its a Special Operations force but if you didnt catch that you likely didnt catch the mentions of the Brits being contractors. Being an Army Ranger + EOD probably made him qualified to use the rifle pretty damn well, the Barret M82/M107 is an anti-material rifle and is used to take out materials so that would be well within his scope of EOD training plus general familiarity.

Not everyone is a super bad ass....

[–] Striker99 10 years ago

You seem to be confusing Renner's character with Mackie's character. It was Sandborn who was operating the Barret M82 not James. James was spotting, not shooting.

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