Ears, Open, Eyeballs, Click.
Review by Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook, HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, Washington
Whether they came from the sand flea-infested swamps of Parris Island or the dusty hills of Camp Pendleton, Marines talk about their boot camp stories long after they leave the depot.
Films like “Full Metal Jacket” and “Stateside” have tried to capture the essence of our introduction to the Corps, some with more success than others. The majority of those films are fiction, aside from a few accurate scenes.
Filmed in the squad bays of San Diego and Camp Pendleton, “Ears, Open. Eyeballs, Click.” follows Platoon 1141 on its transformation from nasty civilians to locked-and-cocked leaders of Marines. For 95 minutes, Canaan Brumley educates those outside of the Corps on the daily activities of recruit training without adding his own spin. Brumley provides us with a non-narrative documentary that every Marine should see at least once.
Spotlighting some of the finer points of the film, viewers have the opportunity to watch how recruits seem incapable of marching as one group when learning drill for the first time.
Then there are the hilarious comments courtesy of the depot drill instructors. I swear, part of drill instructor school must encompass one-liner brain-storming sessions. Saving the best for last is the drill instructor and recruit interaction. With 13 weeks of training to endure, few recruits graduate from boot camp without coming within “one arm’s distance” of their drill instructors or toughing it out on the quarter-deck.
This documentary excels in many areas. However, I have to knock it down half a star for a few poorly edited shots. Overall the film runs smoothly and is quite entertaining, but there are a few scenes that I thought were drawn out. I would’ve dedicated a section of the DVD specifically for bloopers or drill instructor and recruit moments. That being said, I still think it reigns supreme.
To view the trailer or find out more information on the documentary, visit www.canaanbrumley.com.
