Sgt. Bilko (1996)

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I never watched the original show this movie is based off of. Apparently that's a good thing, as many who have say this film does a great disservice to it. This means I can judge the film by its own merits, and I can therefore conclude it isn't very good.The plot basically revolves around Sgt. Bilko manipulating everyone around him so he can engage in gambling and similar activities on a military base. Throughout the entire film I not once sympathized with him as a character. Everything he does is to the detriment of the morale of his troops (who are even portrayed as incompetent in basic military matters) and his own love life is so bad that he forgets his own wedding.Steve Martin feels odd in the role, like he really doesn't want to be in it. Phil Hartman has the only real enthusiastic performance in the film as Thorn, Bilko's nemesis.Speaking of Thorn, he actually comes across as more of a hero than the actual "hero" character of Bilko. His only real "bad" behavior, until the end of the film, is that he actually wants to establish discipline in the army. He ends up getting sent to Greenland (portrayed as the equivalent of Siberian exile in Tsarist times) because of Bilko's own corrupt actions, but has now returned to put a stop to Bilko's activities. He also tries to win over Bilko's love interest (which is portrayed as a bad thing even though he seems much more interested in her than Bilko himself is.) The final confrontation between Bilko and Thorn is so bad. Basically, a hover tank is being tested to show that it can be used in the field. Thorn sabotages the tank by removing a vital part of its machinery, thus making Bilko look bad when it won't fire during the test. However, Bilko is sufficiently unsympathetic as a character to not even bother firing the tank, instead using C4 explosives to detonate the targets so as to give the impression that the tank is firing.Thorn angrily points out that there was no way Bilko could have fired on the targets. Out of desperation he pulls out the very part of the tank that prevents it from working properly, thus exposing his scheme. Also Bilko just happens to have a tape recorder to record Thorn's outburst. Thus Thorn is exiled to Greenland once again and Bilko's manipulative trickery emerges triumphant, even though Thorn clearly showed that the tank could not have fired and that Bilko was very obviously deceiving the military officers and congresspeople assembled to watch the proceedings.Also Thorn's scheme could be fixed by simply reinserting the missing part back into the tank, whereas Bilko's scheme meant the army has to pay for the expenses of targets destroyed by C4 instead of tank shells. So even when Thorn carries out a truly malicious and selfish act, he's *still* not as bad as Bilko.Also this is a comedy and the vast majority of jokes are unfunny.It's not a terrible movie by any means, but I didn't enjoy it.

Sgt. Bilko (1996): Dir: Jonathan Lynn / Cast: Steve Martin, Glenn Headly, Phil Hartman, Dan Aykroyd, John Marshall Jones: Here is a military comedy that should have viewers running out and renting superior types such as Stripes or Private Benjamin. Steve Martin plays Sgt. Ernie Bilko who allows his troops to gamble while authority is unaware of their actions. He is fun loving but his girlfriend longs for marriage so she gives him a month to commit himself before she pulls out and moves on. Trouble arises when Phil Hartman returns bent on revenge after a gambling loss. Seeing the opportunity he moves in on Bilko's girlfriend. While the film contains its share of funny moments the premise is not new and the structure is purely sitcom. Directed by Jonathan Lynn who achieved acclaim with My Cousin Vinny. Martin as Bilko wishes to be one of the crowd and avoid responsibility. Glenn Headly as his girlfriend is rendered the standard romantic who cannot rise above cardboard potential. Hartman makes a great foil for Martin's pratfalls but the ending fails due to actions that punish one factor but never highlights the wrong committed originally by the other. Dan Aykroyd is cast as a superior who looks the other way and the role should be worthy the comic's talent but sadly it is not. It never lacks in entertainment, which is what Bilko lives for but it also never elevates beyond conventions. Score: 4 / 10

Sgt. Bilko (Steve Martin) commands the motor pool at Fort Baxter. He's got gambling, games, and renting out vehicles to earn money. Colonel John Hall (Dan Aykroyd) is willing to overlook his outrageous antics or more likely is too incompetent to find the violations. Private Wally Holbrook is a real mechanic who is new to the base. Bilko keeps forgetting to attend his own wedding to Rita Robbins (Glenne Headly). The Pentagon sends Major Colin Thorn (Phil Hartman) to observe the new hover tank. Thorn had an ugly history with Bilko when his actions banished Thorn to Greenland. The hover tank works poorly. When Thorn finds out that Bilko is on the base, he schemes to take revenge.The movie starts with a lot of fun. Martin's irreverence is terrific. I wish the other characters get more stuff to do. It has a funny guy like Chris Rock and he's nothing more than a stiff shirt. Daryl Mitchell is not funny enough. There seems to be some good comedic actors but this is not a group comedy. This is mostly Martin. Hartman is good. The comedy fades a bit in the second half. The movie has a few good laughs.

Last night, I watched 'Sgt. Bilko (1996)' for the first time in a few years, and was surprised at the number of quotes that have crept their way into my everyday conversation. Just yesterday at the gym, for example, I declared to a struggling friend: "one, we're going for one!"). Directed by Jonathan Lynn, co-creator of the British sitcom "Yes Minister" and its sequel, 'Sgt. Bilko' is a tightly-scripted classic, one of my favourite 90s comedies. The film is a screen adaptation of "The Phil Silvers Show," which ran from 1955 to 1959. I haven't seen the series, so I have no point of comparison, but I would certainly like to at some point.Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Steve Martin) commands the motor pool at Fort Baxter, but his involvement with the army is in name only. Whenever his bewildered commander (Dan Ackroyd) is looking the other way, Bilko dedicates his not-inconsiderable energies towards gambling and other worthwhile pursuits. He has a girlfriend (Glenne Headly) who is mostly on his wavelength, but who perhaps resents being left at the altar on multiple occasions. When an old nemesis (Phil Hartman) arrives on the base, Bilko finds out that army isn't as leisurely as he'd come to believe.'Sgt Bilko' moves along at a headlong pace, with Steve Martin cracking one-liners without even drawing a breath ("All I've ever wanted was an honest week's pay for an honest day's work"). Highlights include the most uneventful boxing match in cinematic history ("For three rounds, nobody hit anybody. It was a dance recital"), a surprise inspection of somebody else's barracks ("It is my understanding that you can no longer ask me these questions, sir"), and Bilko's attempt to dissuade his girlfriend from marrying Major Thorn ("Think of the children. You're a Catholic and he's an arsehole, how will you raise them?").