Charlie Sheen's 'Navy Seals' Was Supposed To Attract Recruits, But It Made Real Navy SEALs Mad

Remember the action flick Navy SEALs? No? Well, the 1990 military movie divided both critics and audiences, with many deeming it to be a Top Gun rip-off. But do you know who it bothered the most? Navy SEALs. That’s right: real-life navy special forces weren’t at all impressed with the movie. In fact, it made them pretty mad! Here’s why...

Mixed reception

With a screenplay penned by retired service member Chuck Pfarrer, it was hoped that the film would help draw new recruits into real-life special operations force the United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams — better known as Navy SEALS. After all, 1986’s Top Gun had triggered a rush on U.S. fighter pilot sign-ups. But even though some have embraced the flick for its all-out action, most have sniggered at or dismissed it. And chief among those detractors are the SEALs themselves.

Action fest

Whether you love it or hate it, Lewis Teague’s 1990 film sure is fun! It’s loaded to the hilt with gun-toting, freefall-parachuting, underwater combat-filled action. Which, for fans of the genre, pretty much ticks all the boxes. The movie boasts some pretty decent star power, too, in Charlie Sheen, Bill Paxton, and Michael Biehn.

Stars align

Biehn and Sheen, as SEALs James Curran and Dale Hawkins respectively, head up the special operations crew tasked with destroying some American surface-to-air missiles seized by Middle-Eastern terrorists. Sheen had already established a name for himself by 1990, having starred in blockbusters Platoon (1986) and Wall Street (1987). And he’d go on to become one of the highest-paid actors of the 2000s, as the lead in hit sit-com Two and a Half Men.

Cult hero

Biehn, meanwhile, had gained cult hero status as Reese in The Terminator (1984) and Hicks in Aliens (1986). In both films he co-starred with Paxton, and the two would work together yet again on the classic 1993 Western Tombstone. Despite looking set for superstardom, though, Biehn didn’t quite manage to sustain the success of his early career.