Usually associated with satire and set during either war or within the military during peacetime, most military comedies have traditionally acted as anti-war statements, skewering the ridiculous, jingoistic mindset in which the rich and powerful send men off to die in battle. The other half of this brand of comedy uses the military as an oppressive structure where protagonists (usually low-ranking) lose their free will within a structure that demands compliance without question. This brand of film usually ridicules high-ranking officials as the enemy whose tight rules and regulations are presented absurdly to the point of surrealism. More often than not, rebellious soldiers pose a threat to such ideology and either win a small psychological battle against their superiors or are beaten down, demonstrating the inability to sustain individuality in such conditions. Such examples includes M*A*S*H, Mr. Roberts, Private Benjamin, Caught in the Draft, Stripes, Catch-22, Dr. Strangelove, Biloxi Blues and, to a much-darker extent, Full Metal Jacket. |