While Heartbreak Ridge can be appreciated both as a love story (between an impenetrable sergeant and his embittered ex-wife) and as a combat film set amid the Grenada invasion, the latter component is a greater triumph when you consider the movie was filmed on a low budget in under eight weeks. Director and star Clint Eastwood accomplished more despite those constraints than most do with a lot more time and lot more money. This would prove to be the norm for Clint as he went on to make other great works under similarly confining pressures: Unforgiven and Mystic River were each created in 39 days apiece.  But Eastwood's not the only tough guy out there making movies in relatively no time. Here are a few other underdogs who've wrung the most tension out of the least amount of shooting time:

1. Danny Boyle: Trainspotting in 7.5 weeks.
2. Spike Lee: Inside Man in 6 weeks.
3. Bryan Singer: The Usual Suspects in 36 days.
4. Robert Rodriguez: El Mariachi in two weeks.
5. Joel Schumacher: Phone Booth in just 12 days!

You can see how Clint's speedy process translates tonight, January 10 when Heartbreak Ridge is broadcast on AMC at 8 p.m. EST | 7C.