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Viggo Mortensen in G.I. Jane
G.I. Jane Cast and CrewViggo Mortensen: Master Chief John James 'Jack' Urgayle Other leading roles: G.I. Jane SynopsisLt. O'Neil (Moore) has been recruited as the first female SEAL trainee through a series of backroom political maneuvers, and must prove her military staying power against formidable odds. Not the least of these is the tyrannical Master Chief Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen) whose job is to put the recruits through hell to ensure that those who finish the program are tough and well-prepared enough to succeed when they face real-world challenges. G.I. Jane Brief ReviewThe movie has been both criticized as sexist trash and acclaimed as a feminist statement, which made me curious to watch it and judge for myself. You may want to do likewise but be forewarned that there are several minutes of brutal physical violence. G.I. Jane Soundtrack1. Goodbye, The Pretenders G.I. Jane Articles & Interviews
Jane Man: Viggo Mortensen - Neon, November 1997 - Berlingske Tidende, November 4, 1997 The Hot New 39-Year-Old - Movieline, August 1998
G. I. Jane Fan Fiction "Autograph," by Dorothy Franklin - Humor. A short follow-on to "Rematch," in which Command Master Chief John James Urgayle seeks to give Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil a special gift. Rated G. "On Hold," by Kay Linne - Drama with a touch of romance. Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil seeks out the injured Command Master Chief John James Urgayle to give him a piece of her mind. Takes place aboard the aircraft carrier, just after the rescue helicopters land with the extraction crew. Rated PG-13 for some coarse language. "Rematch," by Dorothy Franklin - Drama, Romance. Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil contacts Command Master Chief John James Urgayle two weeks after graduating from his SEAL/CRT training class, to ask his advice regarding her new assignment. They decide to explore a relationship but find it isn't easy given their history. Rated PG-13 for coarse language and mild sexual innuendo. "Round Two," by Mithril - Drama, Romance. Explores what might happen if Master Chief John James Urgayle and Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil were to reconnect a few years after the SEAL/CRT training. The author does a great job of exploring both the challenges and the possibilities for a relationship. In sixteen chapters. PG-13 except for one explicit scene. (Originally posted chapter by chapter in the Fan Fiction section of the now defunct Viggo Fan Base forum. Mithril, if you are reading this, I'd love to hear from you!)G. I. Jane @ FanFiction.net - Several stories based on G.I. Jane.
 Master Chief Daily - If you are looking for more fan fiction featuring Master Chief Urgayle from G.I. Jane, consider joining this LiveJournal community. You'll find several stories posted and/or linked from their pages, with a wide variety of approaches. Most are rated R or NC-17.G. I. Jane More Articles and InterviewsG.I. Jane: About The Production - Detailed article about the evolution of G.I. Jane includes interviews with the screenwriter, director Scott and key cast members, and describes the training the cast went through before filming.
 In the Navy: Ridley Scott talks about G.I. Jane - Interview with the G.I. Jane director focuses on how the movie addresses issues of feminism and sexism. Excerpt: "I wanted to make her superior a kind of supreme advocate of what he does as a human being. I wanted to make him a real professional. Him walking into the shower was another test of her ability. If her natural inclination was to cover herself, in a way it would have been a weakness. It was a test." By Matthew Hays for the Montreal Mirror, Aug. 1997.Interview: Hot Shot in Hollywood - Interview with Viggo focuses on G.I. Jane. The following is a small excerpt.
Viggo: "I have a great respect for that Ridley Scott chose not to put in a sex-scene. It would have been too cheap. A sex-scene would somehow signal that Demi gives in to my role. It is important that she doesn't." From Berlingske Tidende, November 1, 1997. Translated from the original Danish by Majken Steen Thomassen. G. I. Jane Other Resources Extended Version - LiveJournal member Pfyre captured images from an extended version of G.I. Jane that was shown on AMC in 2005. This page shows Master Chief Urgayle emerging from the ocean wearing what appears to be a shorty wetsuit, and glaring at O'Neil, who is watching from the beach. A subsequent page shows a scene where Urgayle is teaching at the firing range, wearing yellow safety goggles. Pfyre's journal has many more pages of captures; the above were the only scenes that we are certain were not in the released version of the film.G. I. Jane Military Background Material - Solid references on issues related to women in combat, U.S. Navy SEAL Training, Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) Training, and Fraternization. For those interested in learning more about these subjects or curious about the accuracy of G.I. Jane's portrayal of SEAL and SERE training.
 G.I. Jane Movie Soundtrack - Press release for the original motion picture soundtrack album provides details about the music and the artists, who include the Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde, Tarnation, and Auntie Christ, the "uncompromisingly intense new band led by former X vocalist Exene Cervenkova, X drummer D.J. Bonebrake, and ex-Rancid bassist Matt Freeman." Also included are classics by John Lee Hooker, Bad Company, and Three Dog Night, and instrumental themes from the original score by Trevor Jones. Kevin Gage (Max Pyro) - Official site for Kevin Gage, who played Instructor Max Pyro in G. I. Jane, includes photographs and video clips from most of his films and television appearances, along with information about the actor's other work.Master Chief Daily - Fans of Master Chief John James Urgayle post pictures of the chief in G.I. Jane and share favorite scenes, fantasies, other chat. High fun, irreverence and drool factors.
 MoviesOnCable.com: G.I. Jane - Lists upcoming showtimes for G.I. Jane on US premium cable channels. Site also has a brief review and links to related websites. MovieWeb: G.I. Jane - Eleven nice high-resolution still shots plus basic background information. Site includes movie discussion forum.Original Script for G.I. Jane - The original script for G.I. Jane, which varies quite a bit from the film. Instead of the trumped-up Libya story at the end there is a mechanical failure leading to a rescue, and the political soup is seasoned a bit differently.
Master Chief Urgayle is described as: "His body is 30 years old, his face 40, his eyes 50. An ageless warrior. Somewhere, the blood of Ulysses runs in this guy's veins." WavList.com: G.I. Jane Sound Clips - A dozen good-quality WAV sound clips with quotes from G.I. Jane. One pop-up, not too nasty.
 Wikipedia: G.I. Jane - Summarizes the plot and provides links to information about the cast and director. Also provides trivia and notes information about Demi Moore's training for the role.G. I. Jane ReviewsNot surprisingly, G.I. Jane has stirred up a lot of controversy. Is the movie sexist trash? A feminist statement? Sadistic exploitation? We've tried to collect the most interesting and well-written reviews from each perspective. A few good masochists - Reviewer Dan Craft applauds the film's action and production values but identifies what he sees as a serious flaw: "What prevents 'G.I. Jane' from transcending its otherwise simplistic approach to the subject is the fact that Jordan O'Neil is given absolutely no interior life, no biographical background, no real context for allowing us to understand why she submits herself to the ordeal at hand.... And if we don't know why this woman is doing this -- beyond some unutterable code of proving one's mettle -- how can we possibly appreciate the physical purgatory she puts herself through?"
 All Movie Guide: G.I. Jane - Although neither of the reviewers rank the film highly, Robert Firsching opines that "Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Master Chief John James Urgayle, a steely-eyed, tough-as-nails instructor who somehow finds time to quote D.H. Lawrence when he isn't making people eat garbage and beating O'Neil senseless as part of a training exercise. Mortensen and the believably-buffed Moore are terrific, and their scenes of confrontation are the film's high points." Cinema Review: G.I. Jane - In-depth critic's review, production notes, several photographs, data on viewer reactions. Critic Scott Renshaw is not impressed: "When G.I. JANE isn't monotonous or ridiculous (turning O'Neil's personal training into an excuse for sweaty T&A close-ups), it's just plain insulting." Deep Focus: G.I. Jane - Reviewer Bryant Frazier gives G.I. Jane a mixed review, calling the film "a big, loud, and ferocious gender-bender that plays to the balcony seats." He likes the cinematography: "G.I. Jane is so stylized as to seem otherworldly, which is key to enveloping viewers in its unpleasant milieu without alienating them. Physical training has never seemed so bizarre -- Ridley's recruits do push-ups in the surf at the orders of an apparent madman while a helicopter hovers nearby, like some winged demon." About Viggo's character: "Most extraordinary is Mortensen, playing a frighteningly whacked-out Master Chief." Discussion at Farthest Outpost - Interesting 5-page exchange about G.I. Jane at a forum for Viggo Mortensen fans presents a wide range of views, and opinions from trite to humorous to well thought out. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that they like the shorts.Film Roar: G.I. Jane - Leopoldo at GeekRoar observes that "Viggo's job as Master Chief is to be as sadistic as he can to all the recruits, though he seems to reserve a special 'hard love' for Jordan [O'Neil]. Between applications of savage pain, Viggo lets escape the occasional twinkle in his eye as he gazes on her tank-topped and muscle-ripped body." He summarizes, "Contrived and weak as the plot seems, strong acting and decent writing makes G. I. Jane an interesting movie."
 Films of Viggo Mortensen: G.I. Jane - Scroll down below Crimson Tide for two extensive, original reviews of G.I. Jane plus excerpts from several others. The first review says that "Viggo Mortensen challenges the old cliche that no man is an island as the Master Chief Urgayle and poetry is but one tool he uses to bolster the illusion of control he carefully creates from the moment he first speaks to his trainees." The second summarizes: "This film was 'bad mouthed' at the time, but bollocks to that, it's a great movie; exciting, entertaining and experiential." G. I. Jane Reviews & Reflections - William P. Coleman's extensive review focuses primarily on what he sees as Ridley Scott's excellent direction and on the muddied plot lines: "If Ridley Scott had been perspicacious enough to entrust the editing of G.I. Jane to me there would have been a loss of about 15 minutes of footage, involving the deletion of several characters, including Senator DeHaven, the Secretaries of Defense and of the Navy, several admirals, and Jordan O'Neil's unfortunate boyfriend."About the co-stars: "I had no opinion about Demi Moore going in, except that her previous films were ones that I was happy to avoid. In the show-but-don't-tell sense that I was talking about above, her performance is excellent, and essential to the success of the film. Viggo Mortensen is very strong as the only slightly less essential Chief Urgayle." Coleman also discusses the D.H. Lawrence and Neruda references from the film. G.I. Jane *** - Generally positive review by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times. "Urgayle is an intriguing character, played by Mortensen to suggest depths and complications. In [one] scene he is discovered reading a novel by J.M. Coetzee, the dissident South African who is not on the Navy's recommended reading list, and in an early scene he quotes a famous poem by D.H. Lawrence, both for its imagery (of a bird's unattended death) and in order to freak out the trainees by suggesting a streak of subtle madness."
G.I. Jane Film Review by Steve Kong - Mixed review explores the directing techniques of Ridley Scott vs his brother Tony, and comments on the cast and production. "Most interesting in the film is Viggo Mortensen as the Master Chief. He gives a great performance, sometimes overshadowing Moore."
 MichaelDVD.com: G.I. Jane DVD - Detailed review of the DVD extras for various regions, transfer quality and other technical issues. Also provides a generally favorable review of the film itself, beginning: "Directed by Ridley Scott, this is not your average run-of-the-mill military training school story, with a hard-as-nails instructor making every one's life hell, before the flawed and petulant hero finally comes through and saves everyone's lives. Well, ok so maybe that's exactly what it is...."NetPad's Cinema Corner: G.I. Jane - Carol A. Jenkins provides a thoughtful review, focusing on the mental and emotional challenges faced by Lt. O'Neil and the other trainees. About Viggo's role she says, "The toughest battle for her lies in the person of Master Chief John Urgayle (played very well by Viggo Mortensen) whose job it is is to destroy and if they stay, then to build them back up. Urgayle doesn't believe women should be in combat, not because they are not capable but because it distracts the men, forcing them to be protective and therefore vulnerable to assault." She also enjoys the way that the movie explores the team-building that occurs within the group.
 One Woman's War: Demi Moore in G.I. Jane - Sarah Kerr, writing for Slate, analyzes the sexual politics of G.I. Jane and focuses on Moore's performance: "Demi Moore is out in front on this one. She's given us a picture of a pioneer. But like women in combat, she's something we're not prepared to accept." She provides an interesting description of Urgayle: "Command Master Chief John Urgayle (a charismatic, skeletally thin Viggo Mortensen), is a total sadist but also secretly wise, even somewhat mystical. (In his spare time, he reads D.H. Lawrence.) If O'Neil were a man, she would fight with Urgayle like a son with his father. But Urgayle isn't guiding O'Neil down a known path of hurdles into manhood. He just doesn't want her around." Page includes sound and video clips of two scenes from the film. Review: G.I. Jane - Is G.I. Jane a feminist movie? In this reviewer's opinion, "Navy Seal training [is] brutal and harsh and painful [and] there's no way Jordan could have gotten through it without acting [like a man]. We expect male Navy Seals to look like macho, physically powerful stoics for a reason; those reasons don't vanish just because a female joined the team.
"This is not disempowerment. This is a statement: women can in fact become whatever they want to become. The fact that Jordan's choices are of a nature that many might find repugnant shouldn't keep us from remembering that they were indeed her choices, and that is the feminist core of the movie." Rob's Reviews: G.I. Jane - Curmudgeonly reviewer Rob Gonsalves finds something to dislike in most movies, but he particularly dislikes G.I. Jane, calling it a "rabid piece of militaristic pulp" and "an essay in eroticized brutality and masochism." The one thing he does like? "Viggo Mortensen, whose witty and sinister portrait of sadism is the movie's saving grace."
The Reel Deal Online: G.I. Jane - Although reviewer Jamie Peck finds flaws in the script, he considers the film to be "thought-provoking, bold." About Viggo: "Mortensen makes his mark by fleshing out a role that could have been the embodiment of evil chauvinism. The sequences he and Moore share -- especially a shockingly violent episode that comes late in O'Neil's training -- are among the movie's most riveting."
G. I. Jane Video ClipsThese clips are suitable for a PG-13 audience. You will find a couple of uses of 4-letter words and some bleeding noses but nothing worse.  GIJ-01: Introduction to Urgayle - This well-known clip introduces Master Chief Urgayle to the CRT (SEAL) trainees. He recites a D.H. Lawrence poem, Self-Pity, "I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself....", followed by the uncredited "The ebb and flow of the Atlantic tides, the drift of the continents, the very position of the sun along its ecliptic. These are just a few of the things I control in my world." (01'37, 1.5 MB) GIJ-03: Pain is your friend - Urgayle exhorts the SEAL trainees, "Pain is your friend, your ally. It will tell you when you are seriously injured. It will keep you awake and angry, and remind you to finish the job and get the hell home. But you know the best thing about pain? ... It lets you know you're not dead yet!" (00'41, 936 KB) GIJ-08: Team mate - Urgayle has caught Cortez sabotaging his teammate O'Neil. "Sergeant Cortez, however brief your stay with this command might be, there are two words you will learn to put together. Team. Mate." (00'32, 360 KB) GIJ-09: When I want your opinion - O'Neil doesn't have much luck persuading Urgayle. "Lieutenant O'Neil, when I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." (00'45, 536 KB) Slow connection? Try this shortened version (00'10, 124 KB). GIJ-12a: See the sea - Urgayle quotes from Neruda as the trainees fight to launch rafts in the surf: "When I see the sea once more, will the sea have seen or not seen me?" (00'09, 360 KB). GIJ-17: Don't start something - After temporarily getting the upper hand in the POW simulation, O'Neil mocks the bleeding Urgayle, "don't you look pretty." To which the Master Chief responds, "Don't start something you can't finish." (00'07, 136 KB). GIJ-20: She's not the problem - After the POW interrogation, Master Chief Urgayle and instructor Pyro debrief while Urgayle straightens his broken nose. Urgayle concludes, "She's not the problem. We are." (00'31, 492 KB). GIJ-23: Good to see you too - Lt. O'Neil returns from a silly plot sideline and is greeted by a surly Urgayle. "I don't know what's been going on in the last 48 hours, and frankly I don't give a sh*t." She replies, "good to see you too, Master Chief." (This interplay has an interesting echo in the Hidalgo pre-race exchange between Sakr and Reynolds: "Good luck to you too.") (00'12, 156 KB). GIJ-29: Helicopter evacuation - Composite of 3 short sequences during the helicopter evacuation, in which O'Neil administers morphine to Urgayle, sets up an IV, applies a field dressing and listens to him swear, "what a goat f*ck." (00'30, 584 KB). Also a higher-res version: (00'30, 2.1 MB)G.I. Jane Photo GalleryClick on an image to see a larger version. The little numbers tell you how big it will be (in pixels). Most of these I captured from the DVD. The two larger ones are official studio publicity shots.
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![Beside the cot of Master Chief Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen): a photograph of mother and child, several books including [em]Master and Commander[/em], watch and keys, his Navy Cross medal, and a seashell.](/imglib/galleryimage/thumb/galleryimage_image_166.jpg "Beside the cot of Master Chief Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen): a photograph of mother and child, several books including [em]Master and Commander[/em], watch and keys, his Navy Cross medal, and a seashell.")
