To immerse his men into the world of military discipline, a Marine drill instructor must be relentlessly grim, showing no signs of weakness before his recruits. But what of the drill instructor's private side: his doubts, his needs, his passions? That's the territory director Jack Webb explores in The D.I., a film that moves behind the barked orders and intimidating glares to discover a man who also enjoys gentler pursuits, like chain smoking and hot, black coffee. Webb himself stars as the meanest D.I. on Parris Island, and the man responsible for whipping a series of sorry "boots" into shape. As the film opens, one of his charges, the oversensitive yet ruggedly good-looking Don Dubbins, is giving Webb more trouble than usual. Frequently absenting himself to sick bay with mysterious ailments, and failing to keep up with the other recruits, Dubbins seems determined to get out of the Corps. But Webb sees Dubbins' potential, screw-ups and psychosomatic complaints aside, and what he sees impresses him mightily. "There's a man hidden somewhere under that baby powder," Webb insists to a doubtful superior, and he remains determined to find that man, no matter how much baby powder he has to dig through. Even a night out drinking tomato juice at a nearby nightclub with sultry war widow Jackie Loughery can't avert his laser-like focus on Dubbins. "All your enemy needs is for you to slap at a sand flea," Webb reminds his men. When Dubbins does just that, the entire platoon is forced into night duty, finding and burying the unfortunate flea whose death-by-slapping would have given away their position. (Assuming the U.S. was battling super-attuned man-bats.) Meanwhile, Loughery tries to draw Webb's attention away from the Marines, but she's met with a firm, "Awright, stow it." Soon, Dubbins has reached a breaking point and is prepared to go "over the hill." But just before he makes a run for it, Webb says the words that will put the browbeating, flea-burying, and general abuse of the past in perspective: "Do you think I've made it rough on you 'cause I don't like ya?" With an unspoken "No, sir," Dubbins is ready to rejoin the Corps, and Webb is finally free to give Loughery the hard, closed-mouthed kiss she's ached for throughout the movie.
Most Dugg A.V. Club Articles
Advertisement
- Comments