Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Everett McGill, Marsha Mason, Moses Gunn
Revealing mistake: As Sgt. Highway turns the dead body with a cigar in the pocket you can see its right arm move to avoid twisting. (01:38:05)
Revealing mistake: Near the end they land on the island. After they cross a bridge a soldier shoots an explosive and blows up a machine gun position. Just after that, look at the muzzle of Highway's rifle. It isn't open like it should be but has a type of plug to ensure only blanks can be used.
Factual error: At the very beginning of the film, Gunny Highway learns that he's being reassigned to the 2nd Marine Division. The 2nd Division, located at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is situated on the NC coast; there are no mountains in the immediate vicinity. However, when the Gunny trains his platoon, he does so in the hills of another Marine training camp located in California. There is a big difference between California and North Carolina.
Gunnery Seargant Thomas Highway: The United States Marines is lookin' for a few good men - and you ain't it.
Chosen answer: Gunny Highway insisted that they all wear the same shirts as he himself was wearing. If they showed up in a different one, he made them go shirtless. The reasons for this were 1) to break through their rebellious attitudes and teach them to follow his orders, 2) to make them look and feel unified, and 3) to develop resourcefulness and adaptability in them.
Chanteuse66
To also display esprit de corp to other units gaining them respect from those units as well as command leadership.