Bill Clinton’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was a progressive compromise. This policy however asserted that queer inclusion in the military would “pose an unreasonable risk to the high levels of morale, good order and discipline and unit cohesion upon which the army’s proficiency is based.” In 2005, he joined as a gay man when it was still illegal. We are exploring The Inspection movie here
Bratton writes this story about himself retrospectively with the protagonist being Ellis French (Jeremy Pope). At this point, we find him at Trenton, New Jersey homeless shelter almost ten years after his mother threw him out onto the streets for religious reasons. Consequently French ends up joining USMC after concluding that he is on a path full of dead ends and starts his basic training with drill sergeant Laws (a suitably nasty Bokeem Woodbine) watching over him. What follows is initially quite familiar—a standard boot camp film complete with lots of shouting, running, pull-ups press-ups and more besides until Joe Wicks cries. Nevertheless it is French who emerges successful from these trials, thriving in his new role where he only just loses squad leader to cocky nepo-grunt Harvey played by McCaul Lombardi.
However French finds himself experiencing mixed emotions amid deeply saturated corps’ hypermasculine atmosphere. He pretends to call his girlfriend while actually calling up his mother before he can allow himself to fantasize about sex – scenes shot through a woozy lavender haze by DOP Lachlan Milne –in public shower areas where men eye each other back seductively after taking showers together like they were in some sort of sex club. In one such day dream fantasy, an unfortunate boner alerts everyone to Bratton’s sexual orientation resulting into a series of planned beatings ostracism abuse among others finally leading to near death experience if not for casualness.
Although sadism and victimization abound throughout the story Full Metal Jacket this is not. Notwithstanding the abuses Bratton’s recollection of boot camp is not simply a tale of woe; instead, there is an undeniable sense of belonging French inevitable gravitates toward — he needs a mission, and identity that will not be tainted by shame. Pope gives a determined performance as he literally refuses to let the military erode his selfhood, whether it comes down to putting on camouflage “heavy with gay” or refusing to bow before his tormentors (“Bootcamp didn’t straighten me out,” Pyle defiantly remarks upon graduating). Even when things are at their lowest ebb for French, a glimmer of hope remains in the form of quiet solidarity with a fellow pariah muslim recruit (Man Esfandi) or through the kindness shown by one instructor (Raúl Castillo) whose relationship defies classification.
Despite its well-trodden path, The Inspection may seem to be so proper but it is sewn around personal experiences and an emotional heart that is felt at home and strikes a chord. No scene in the bookend showing the conversation between Pope and Gabrielle Union who plays French’s mother as beautifully as she does shows this more clearly than others. Physically and mentally broken down by the marines, he just needs her affection most of all; while it is clear that Bratton’s hatred for his mother hurts him more than military prejudice.
Also, Read On Fmovies