Sgt. Bilko
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.49 You Save: $6.46 (65%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.46 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Sgt. Bilko
Movie Review: Outstanding in all regards.
Summary: 4 Stars
Many people have criticized the 1996 movie "SGT Bilko" for being a poor attempt at imitating the genius of Phil Silvers, saying it simply can't be done right by anyone but the genuine article. I have heard similar arguments about "The Pink Panther" films- old vs new- and oddly enough Steve Martin is the main man in each newer film(s). I do believe those people have a point. They are loyal to the old work, and don't like to see it recreated in any way because, in their minds, none will ever be so great as the original. I can very well understand that, since similar arguments have been made in the automotive field. When efforts were made a few years ago to revive Packard- those attempts have since fallen shorter than a round from a paintball gun whose barrel's fallen off- a prominent member of a Packard enthusiast club said "They should leave the Packard name alone and let people enjoy how they used to be made. I wouldn't buy a new one."
And you'll also hear loud complaints from enthusiasts of a book that is adapted to film in a way they don't like. I wanted to rip the script apart when I saw "The Mist", for example. I know I do go on, but my point is that some folks dismiss newer or adapted works straight away out of loyalty to the original, and while I can respect that attitude it can also cause you to miss out.
I have seen the Phil Silvers Show, and I agree. No one could ever replace "The King of Chutzpah". But much as "Black Cadillac" does with "Duel", I believe that the 1996 movie "SGT Bilko" is not an effort to disrespect the original actor and his work. I believe that it is, rather, an effort to bring his work to life again. And rather than try to imitate Silvers directly, which would have angered me as well as many others, they did something different. Something that made "SGT Bilko" the wonderful, enjoyable film it is. The makers of this movie decided, to take the essence of the character MSG Bilko and have him portrayed by one of my favorite actors of all time, Steve Martin, who adds a whole new flair and flavor to the personality of Sergeant Bilko. Like Steve Martin's potrayal of Clouseau in the new "Pink Panther" films, the effort to bring back a well-loved old character is sincere and can truly work if you give it a chance.
When a straight-out-of-basic Private First Class Wally Holbrook arrives for his first duty station at Fort Baxter, California he initially sees what you'd expect: a busy Army post, with troops moving about, conducting drills, and so on. But a soldier working in the base commander's office jumps up when she sees what unit he's assigned to, and says, "You're going straight to the Colonel!" "Colonel? What'd I do?" Holbrook asks, bewildered. He then meets Colonel John T. Hall, Bronze Star (with Valor Device) and Legion of Merit recipient who is played by Dan Aykroyd and commander of Fort Baxter. He asks, looking very nervous, if PFC Holbrook actually intends to take the $700 in cash he has with him into the barracks of his platoon sergeant, Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko. PFC Holbrook says he does, and the Colonel shakes his hand, wishes him good luck and Godspeed, and then closes the door in his face, whistling cheerily as he goes back to work.
Enter one Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Steve Martin), boss of Fort Baxter's motor pool and, like COL Hall he has a Bronze Star with Valor Device. There's not an officer to be seen, and PFC Holbrook is stunned to fined PVT's, Sergeants and Corporals all hanging around, gambling, and not at all doing the sort of things or displaying the sort of attitudes his drill sergeants made him expect. The cheery and totally unpredictable MSG Bilko soon snatches PFC Holbrook's duffel bag and hands it off to his men, who immediately begin emptying it out for whatever reason. Just as 'Wally' as he comes to be known is trying to figure what to do about this, he is asked if he has a driver's license. Without waiting for an answer, MSG Bilko cheerily replies, "Because if you don't, we can make one up!" In PFC Holbrook's first- hour, say- on base, he sees an overweight Private Doberman win a Bilko-rigged tug-of-war with a horse and hears his new boss cheerfully announce that a daycare center could be opened at the motorpool, with the slogan "They won't die". And of course, with a man like Bilko, you know that's the case. He may be able to smell the very presence of money and its potential for unorthodox Army use, and he may want to remove that money from your wallet while shaking your hand, but he's still more trustworthy than a lot of people I've met.
Something I found very interesting is that MSG Bilko and his men are visibly offended when, while being shown around and introduced, an annoyed PFC Holbrook declares that he doesn't believe Bilko or any of his men take their service oaths seriously. Their reaction to it- kill Wally- does two things. It shows how well a PFC straight out of Basic can fight, and it shows that however lazy and out-of-line Bilko and his men may be, they are not disloyal. They'd probably be in a lot of trouble if the Russians ever attacked, but fortunately for all involved it is 1996, and the USSR went broke and shut down a few years back.
Wally, being straightforward and military, is not at all liked by the rest of the motorpool, but when one Major Thorn from the Pentagon arrives and begins to both investigate Fort Baxter and search for ways to settle an old score with Bilko personally, Wally steps up beside the rest of Bilko's beloved platoon and helps make possible the functionality of a new prototype hovertank, a demonstration of which to numerous military and political officials is sure to save Fort Baxter from being closed- it's been 20 years since the testing base had a successful test. Major Thorn, who hates Bilko for getting him framed and shipped off to Greenland years ago, wants to bring him down so much that he attempts to sabotage a tank that didn't really work anyway, and fakes finance records to force the dim-witted Colonel Hall to ship Bilko to Greenland. He also tries to steal Bilko's longtime girlfriend, Rita Robbins, who has been waiting seven years for Bilko to actually marry her and has finally decided to give him 30 days or it's over for good. For a while, it seems that Bilko and the fort are in serious trouble, but with a little help from the new guy and from Major Thorn's own hot temper, all is well by the end, with Major Thorn back in Greenland and Fort Baxter still open.
I very much enjoyed this movie, from start to finish, particularly because while it portrays the US Army in a way that is totally unrealistic- I doubt any base like FT Baxter has or ever will exist- but does it in a way you can like and enjoy. Adding to the accuracy of the Army details but also to the lack of realism is the fact that, as I previously mentioned, both Colonel Hall and Master Sergeant Bilko have Bronze Stars awarded for combat actions and among other medals both served more than two tours in Vietnam. This completely contradicts the mild, not-at-all warrior-like personality and manner of those two men, but is rather amusing to see that the details and uniforms were put together so well. Hard to imagine Bilko or Hall charging a machine gun nest or something like that.
So the military details are top-notch, albeit rather unrealistic given the decorations of certain characters. The acting is also superb all around- I most enjoyed the portrayal of Bilko, Hall, Holbrook, Thorn and Doberman. The filmmakers even had Cathy Silvers portray one of Major Thorn's hapless agents, and Travis Tritt as himself. Every character, regardless of significance or rank, is well done, and Steve Martin's acting out the brilliant personality of Bilko is nothing short of the best. The soundtrack is not the most remarkable I've ever come across, but I did love the improvised jogging cadence that MSG Bilko comes up with when Thorn forces him to actually start running his platoon, you know, like they're actually in the Army.
Low on plausability, but high on laughs, "SGT Bilko" isn't quite the greatest film I've ever seen- I point to such films as "12 Angry Men" for that- but as the four-star rating indicates it is a good runner-up. Sometimes you need to watch something that doesn't have all the realism in the world, but is plausible and enjoyable enough that it is worth watching again and again. There has hardly ever been a time when, among all the movies I've seen, I've enjoyed watching a film more. I highly recommend it and, like the film's makers, gratefully acknowledge the US Army's total lack of cooperation with the film's production. You haven't seen the full extent of the genius of Steve Martin until you have seen "SGT Bilko".
November 19, 2009 to September 24, 2010- 100 reviews in less than one year.
Movie Review: More a tribute to 70's Steve Martin than Silvers
Summary: 4 Stars
Though based on the famous character in Phil Silver's famous oldie TV show, the new "Sergeant Bilko" is less an homage to that show than it is to the classic Steve Martin of his 1970's days. Though this Bilko (again a shifty and tireless grafter, the evil face of non-coms everywhere) is very much the opportunist that Silvers' character was (he runs the base casino), as shy of risk as Silvers was (the unit's mobilization orders for Desert Storm mysteriously disappeared) and manages to get caught in his own dealings as Silvers had (Bilko botches the fixing of an Army boxing match, unwittingly tricking each boxer to think he's the one who's supposed to take a fall) the screwball zaniness is very much out of Steve Martin's SNL days.
The script has Bilko's unit charged with testing a brand new army weapon - a "hovertank" that is soon to be cancelled because, among other things, it simply doesn't work. That the hovertank's end will spell doom for his own cozy position doesn't seem to bother Bilko, mostly because he lives day-to-day. Things change when the officer charged with evaluating the hovertank turns out to be the fearsome Major Thorn (Phil Hartman). Years earlier, Bilko unwittingly made an enemy of Thorn by accidentally implicating him in one of his bitched schemes. Now a major, Thorne isn't simply content enough to eliminate the Hovertank, but must now axe Bilko as well. They say that desperate times reveal the man, and Bilko is now revealed to be the spineless weasel his troops have come to love. Martin plays Bilko like a character from one of his old SNL skits. It's sort of fun to watch the guy work on material we haven't seen since his more sedate days playing less zany funnymen ("LA Story", "Roxanne") and more mature dramatic roles ("The Spanish Prisoner", "Grand Canyon" and that update of "Silas Marner"). It's light and breezy and you'll probably forget most of the gags, and the script under-uses most of the supporting cast (especially the now late-great Phil Hartman as Bilko's evil nemesis), but it's still fun.
Movie Review: A GREAT COMEDY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY
Summary: 4 Stars
It actually surprises me how many people have never heard of this movie as it is defiantly a classic! The plot of this movie is Sgt. Bilko has this scheme to run the most brilliant illegal gambling operation in the us army. Sgt. Bilko is just the guy everyone loves and he knows how to get a yes out of you, and if you wanting a good bet Sgt Bilko always is game. Wither it is if one of the members in his squadron is Stronger than a horse or the love of his long time girlfriend Rieta. Dan Aykroyd does an excellent job in this movie being the not so bright commander in charge who is really doing everything SGT. Bilko tells him to.Movie Review: martin and hartman clash well
Summary: 4 Stars
it is obvious and clear to anyone that this isnt great film, however, it is great fun. the clash between martin and hartman is classic with comedy of all varieties gluing together their crazy antics. and even dan akroyd serves as a comedic relief within a comedy. it is a great film for wanting to relax and enjoy some not to smart but not to stupid humorMovie Review: Old Laughs
Summary: 4 Stars
You may have forgotten just how funny this one is. It's great for those times when you just want to smile, but aren't sure what to watch. Plus, you have the added benefit that most young people haven't seen it yet! Nothing too objectionable in it, so that's good too.