I was very shocked when I saw that "The Great Santini" had an overall rating of only 7.2. Clearly, it's one of the best films of its day and it is possibly Robert Duvall's best performance.Duvall plays 'Bull' Meechum--a career officer whose life is the service. He is a Marine pilot first and last. As for his long-suffering family, they clearly don't fit in with his life. Much of the time he's off being deployed somewhere--which is tough on the family. But when he's home--it's much worse!! He treats his family like they are soldiers, but they never signed up for this sort of thing. This is a wonderful character study--very realistic, tough and memorable. Exceptionally well acted, directed and well worth seeing. While it's not always pleasant, it is always compelling.

This movie is not heavily reviewed on this site. Thought I would contribute one more in case some movie fans don't know this film is one of the top 20 films ever made. Not technically brilliant. There are all sorts of audio and sound looping mistakes. There is some deft camera work. During the big game, the camera dollies up and down the court for good capture of action. There are some long composed shots of the beauty of South Carolina. It is mostly medium shots and two shots of dialog. There are no long continuous shots, and it is quite choppy. Kinda like television. The dialog and the story are outstanding. Bull Meechum's speeches are pure military gold. " You are flying with Bull Meecham now. I s**t you not, gentlemen, this is the eye of the storm!" I try to work that into my own speeches to this day. Another one that gets me, when racist Red Petus is shouting at (black) Toomer's back, "Look at me!" It captures his frustration and self-loathing perfectly. The entire scene of Ben's mother explaining the behavior of his father, after the harrowing basketball game, in the dark bedroom is worth watching again and again. Speaking of which, the scene where Bull tortures his son by bouncing the ball off his head is legendary in sports fan's and coaching circles. "One, two, three... Cry!"Great writing makes a great movie- but the acting positively makes this a high point of cinema. In my opinion, Robert Duvall is just as good as Robert DeNiro. His career is littered with high points and classics, but this one is my favorite. Most reviewers here say the character is unsympathetic. Duvall shows much of his tenderness when he wakes up his son at 4AM to describe the day 18 years before when he was born. The entire first 20 minutes show his sense of humor and his playfulness. When I first saw this in 1980 I loved the guy from the get go- and then the abusive basketball game riveted me to my seat. Duvall (and the script) show all sides of The Great Santini- the gift of fury, the love, the pride, the lust, the frustration, the anger, the ignorance,... everything in a father's heart. Maybe it's just something women don't get.Micheal O'Keefe captures high school youth, too. He cries a few times, and it really wrenches your heart. This is Blythe Danner's greatest achievement. I really felt Lillian loved Bull Meechum, and there was a back story there. Of course, we don't get the back story, just like the kids don't. Her scenes with her son Ben had the subtle gritty ring of realism. She says a lot with her hands and her eyes. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent. There are many stories and events in this plot. I wish it could have been longer to explore the younger sister, Mary Jane, and maybe the children's experiences in school with their peers.In conclusion, I would like to say that people who review the film and don't like Bull Meechum tend to not like the movie. That is unfair.(if you watch Taxi Driver over and over you must come to the same conclusion: Travis Bickle is a scumbag, a loser, and a psychopath, but the acting and the movie are extraordinary, nonetheless) Also, I suppose that these people who react strongly never had a tough parent.I appreciated the rougher aspects of this character, and understood how he was missed by his family. His death is symbolic, because his son is now grown and is his own person within the story line. My own father was a tough, old, dinosaur. He didn't die when I was 18. But when I moved out and became a man, he turned into a hell of a guy. Kind, funny, patient... You could say that my 'old father' died. He just felt the best way to prepare your children for the world was through obedience, motivation, respect, and, yes, confrontation.

If you are ever pining for a film that espouses wholesome family values but most of what you find is syrup-y, The Great Santini is the film for you.The theme of this movie is that love is a force of almost limitless, even frightening power, and life is all about the search for qualities to temper this force so that we can do it (love) with more ease, regularity and goodness. That we may get good at it, learn to live in it and speak it.The characters all have a lust for life, act unself-consciously and unapologetically. This is a portrait of a truly loving family.

This was the first "sleeper" movie I ever discovered. I had read _The Water Is Wide_ and seen _Conrack_ but I had never heard of this film when I found it on cable. I was captivated by it from the point where I turned it on and watched it to the end. Then I caught it again and watched it all the way through. I watched it again and again. I tried to find out something about it and found that it was released in theaters under the name _The Ace_ and had bombed. How on earth could there be a movie so wonderful that I had never heard of? I think it's because it is TOO good. Movie audiences want their bad guys to be bad and their good guys to be good. Without the white and black hats to signal who they are supposed to be, the complex, realistic characters confuse general audiences. It was painful in parts, just the same way life is, and just like life, it was joyful, horrifying, funny, gross, wonderful, and hopeful. It was just too real for most people.Pat Conroy is the greatest living writer. This movie is what a movie should be.Because of this movie, I buy every movie channel that the cable company offers. I couldn't miss the blockbusters if I tried. But I find more than my money's worth each month in wonderful movies that were just too good for the general movie-going public.