In celebration of the release of Starship Troopers: Invasion, out now on Blu-ray and DVD (but not the horribly conceived remake), I decided to dust off my army fatigues, oil up my manly bossoms and set my face into a smug but defiant grimace and trawl the annals of action and war film history to rediscover the greatest bad-ass military outfits ever committed to film. Some you will agree with, some you may not, but you can't deny that any normal human facing off against any of the following corps would feel honoured to die on their end of their hail of bullets. Which isn't so much of a problem considering the direct correlation between being a bad-ass in a war-time situation on screen and being killed in unfairly gruesome or untimely manner. There's only ever room for one hero just ask Arnie and as a result far too many of the most bad-ass army units in the history of film have been decimated by casualties and fatalities, as if the Gods of War wouldn't reward the virtues of machismo and stoney-faced bravery. But then, nothing quite wrenches the adrenaline soaked guts of an action or war movie fan like the glorious screaming death of a charismatic, bravado-filled anti-hero supporting character. And as a double bonus it invariably helps add emotional piquancy and heroism to the consequent triumph of the character the script wants us to root for. So without further ado, here are the glorious few, the trigger-happy, boastful and utterly bad-ass band of brothers and sisters who make up this auspicious list...
10. Hot Shots: Part Deux
They might be a comedy troupe, pulled out of a spoof war film and heavily armed with puns and silliness, but the Hot Shots Part Deux rescue mission crew faced a perilous mission behind enemy lines against a skilled and motivated enemy force and managed to overcome the odds and triumph despite being farcically stupid. Riffing on Apocalypse Now and Rambo among others along the way, the small specialist team is easily one of the most underrated team-ups in Hollywood history, and their mirth-making is only matched nu their prowess with heavy weaponry and their supreme adaptability under pressure. A truly great ensemble from a wonderfully funny film... http://youtu.be/zZs-1JR4SF0