A real-world view of war movies - Entertainment, Movies - Navy Times

A real-world view of war movies

Most days, Army Col. Kevin McDonnell oversees special operations forces from the Pentagon. But this summer, he will appear on the Military Channel to provide commentary on one of the greatest commando-raid movies ever filmed, “The Dirty Dozen.”

McDonnell, director of U.S. Special Operations Command’s Washington office, is one of more than a dozen active and retired service members chosen to appear with actor Lou Diamond Phillips in “An Officer and a Movie.”

The series, which began April 1 with “The Great Santini,” will feature Phillips and a subject-matter expert during breaks in a classic military movie every Friday night.

“An Officer and a Movie” is designed to provide expert commentary on how each film compares to modern military forces engaging in real-world missions.

The series will show 20 popular guy movies including “Kelly’s Heroes,” “Bridge at Remagen,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “Three Kings” and “Windtalkers.” McDonnell’s movie, “The Dirty Dozen,” is a World War II film about a dozen condemned soldiers in a military prison selected for a commando-style suicide mission.

“The movie is one of my favorites, but I think we made it really clear that this is not the way you recruit special operators today,” he said with a chuckle.

Phillips, 49, grew up in a Navy family, and his father served two tours in the Vietnam War. He told Military Times that he was excited about the project because of the “amazing insight” that his guests bring to the lineup of classic movies.

For McDonnell, “An Officer and a Movie” presents a chance to help the public better understand the type of people who serve in their military.

“The script and the questions they had … were as thoughtfully well-crafted as I could have done if I had written them myself, in terms of the relevance to what my community is doing around the world today,” he said.