G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writers (WGA):

Stuart Beattie (screenplay) and
David Elliot (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

When All Else Fails, They Don't

Plot:

An elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit, takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer. |

Plot Keywords:

Military | Arms Dealer | Gi Joe | Ninja | Monk

Cast

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje	...	Heavy Duty
Christopher Eccleston	...	James McCullen / Destro
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	The Doctor / Rex Lewis
Byung-hun Lee	...	Storm Shadow
Sienna Miller	...	Anastasia 'Ana' DeCobray / Baroness
Rachel Nichols	...	Shana 'Scarlett' O'Hara
Ray Park	...	Snake Eyes
Jonathan Pryce	...	U.S. President
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Breaker
Channing Tatum	...	Captain Duke Hauser
Arnold Vosloo	...	Zartan
Marlon Wayans	...	Ripcord
Dennis Quaid	...	General Hawk
Grégory Fitoussi	...	Baron de Cobray
Leo Howard	...	Young Snake Eyes

Also Known As:

Dark Sky: First Strike (USA) (fake working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for strong sequences of action violence and mayhem throughout.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA | Czech Republic

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:12A | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13 (certificate #45055) | UK:12A | Finland:K-13 | Japan:G | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Norway:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Australia:M | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Mexico:B | Sweden:11 | Chile:14 | Turkey:13A

Filming Locations:

Arctic

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

David Murray was cast as Destro, but dropped it when he had problems with his visa. He was replaced by Christopher Eccleston; however, the character was named James McCullen XXIV, thus enabling Murray to film a flashback scene as the first Destro, James McCullen I.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Scarlett makes the suggestion that the aircraft Ripcord pilots needs verbal commands in the Celtic language. The Celts were a group of tribal societies that spread over much of western Europe, and consequently the original proto-Celtic language split into several different local languages. However given that Destro is Scottish, Scarlett could've easily narrowed it down to Goidelic Celtic, which is the root of the modern Scottish Gaelic language. If the Celtic didn't work, modern Gaelic would've been an obvious alternative.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bastille Prison Warden: James McCullen, you Scottish pig, you've been found guilty of treason for the sale of military arms to the enemies of our Lord, King Louis XIII, even whilst you sold arms to our Lord himself.
James McCullen - 1641: Your king is a vile bag of filth who murders his own allies. I should have charged him double.
Bastille Prison Warden: You tried to overthrow the Crown in conspiracy with its enemies.
James McCullen - 1641: Unlike your simpleton king, his enemies know that is the true McCullen destiny not simple to supply arms, but to run the wars!
Bastille Prison Warden: Do you anything else to say before the sentence is carried out?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of "G.I. Joe" (1985)

Soundtrack:

For He's A Jolly Good Fellow

The Critics should remove the Stick!

I just saw G.I. Joe, and I must say that I actually enjoyed it. This is NOT a masterpiece. This is a fun, Summer action flick. The so-called professional critics who obviously miss that point do not deserve their cushy jobs. The action is unbelievable, non-stop, breathless, and requires a total suspension of disbelief. The critics that have a problem with that should remember one thing. This is a movie based on a cartoon that's sole purpose was to sell a set of toys to 5-12 year old boys. Nothing more. Expecting "War and Peace" from this source material shows a lack of insight and intelligence from most of the reviews that I have read. If you like action films, you will enjoy this one. If you want angst-ridden characters stopping every five minutes to discuss their feelings... pull the stick out and move along to a sappy low-budget romance; this isn't your kind of film.