G.I. Jane is a 1997 action film that tells the fictional story of the first woman to undergo training in U.S. Navy Special Warfare Group. Although often believed to be U.S. Navy SEAL training, the character of Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil (played by Demi Moore) is selected to undergo SEAL/CRT Training for U.S. Navy SEAL training. The SEAL/CRT (Combined Reconnaissance Team) course depicted in the film is offered at Coronado Naval Amphibious Base in California. O'Neil is hand-picked by U.S. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) to go through the rigorous training right along with the men. O'Neil faces sexism and physical challenges as well as the horse-trading by the Senator who selected her for the experimental program.
Because the movie centers around the U.S. Navy, the title may be considered a misnomer. "G.I.," while a reference to members of the U.S. Military, traditionally refers to U.S. Army Soldiers.
Plot
The film begins with the public interview, by the Senate Armed Services Committee, of a candidate for the position of Secretary of the Navy. Senator Lillian DeHaven (Anne Bancroft) from Texas criticizes the fact that the Navy is not gender-neutral. Behind the curtains, a deal is struck: If women compare favorably with men in a series of test cases, the military will integrate women fully into all branches of the Navy. The first test case is for the training course of the U.S. Navy Combined Reconnaissance Team (similar to U.S. Navy SEAL BUD/S). Senator DeHaven hand-picks Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore), because she is physically more feminine than the other, more "butch" candidates.
To make the grade, Jordan has to survive a grueling selection process, often called "hell week," in which 60 percent of all candidates wash out. The enigmatic Command Master Chief John Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen) runs the brutal training program that involves 20-hour days of grueling physical tasks designed to wear down recruits' physical and mental strength, running, marching, and crawling through obstacle courses under the worst weather conditions while carrying landing rafts - not to mention eating out of a garbage can during breaks. O'Neil must repeatedly ask to be held to the same standard as the male trainees. Along with the best of the men, O'Neil handles the brutal training, including a vicious beating from Master Chief during SERE training, during which he tries to convince the other trainees that the presence of a woman will make them more vulnerable during actual combat. O'Neil fights back against the Master Chief and wins the respect of her team.
Others, also confident that a woman would quickly drop out, become concerned as Jordan's ability to handle training becomes evident. The situation becomes even more awkward as the civilian media learns about Jordan's training and how well she is doing, thus becoming a sensation known as "G.I. Jane." Soon she must contend with trumped-up charges that she is a lesbian, and is fraternizing with women. O'Neil is told that she will be given a desk job during the investigation and, if cleared, will need to repeat training to earn SEAL status. She decides to "ring out" (she rings the bell three times, signaling her voluntary withdrawal from training) than accept the desk job. It is later revealed that the evidence of her fraternization came from Senator DeHaven's office, who never intended for O'Neil to succeed, but only pushed for her training to use her as a bargaining chip to prevent military base closings in her home state (Texas). Jordan threatens to expose DeHaven, who then restores O'Neil's SEAL trainee status.
The final phase of training (an operational readiness exercise) is interrupted by an emergency situation that requires the SEAL trainees' support. The situation involves a reconnaissance satellite powered by weapons grade plutonium that fell into the Libyan desert. A team of U.S. Army Rangers, Task Unit Scorpion, is dispatched to retrieve the plutonium, but their evacuation plan fails, and the SEAL trainees, under the command of Command Master Chief Urgayle, are sent to assist the Rangers. During the mission, O'Neil displays a definitive ability in leadership and strategy while rescuing the injured Master Chief, who she personally pulls out of an explosives-laden "kill zone."
Upon their return, all those who participated in the mission are accepted to the Combined Reconnaissance Team. CMDMC Urgayle gives Jordan his Navy Cross and a book of poetry as acknowledgment of accomplishment and in gratitude for rescuing him.
Cast
References
External links
