Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Dawn…is a provocative and interesting movie. On one hand, the actual movie is entertaining, features solid acting from the young cast, and has one of the best introductions to a movie. On the other hand, the political philosophy is quite alarming and nationalistic. When the film was released in 1984, there was an outcry. The film seemed to be an antiwar film with a more conservative feeling, and people felt outraged. That said, I rather thought the film was a decent-enough action film that had some good moments but was rather predictable and overly violent. It is definitely better than the 2012 remake.
The script was written by Kevin Reynolds who also wanted to direct the film, but MGM passed on Reynolds due to his inexperience. Instead, they hired John Milius despite most of the studio not agreeing with this choice. Milius was known to love war and the stories it tends to blossom. The studio feared that the choice of Milius directing a film “about World War III on American soil” could lead to some nasty consequences. Luckily, Milius was tame in that regard. Milius later recounted that the action in the film is what happened during the second World War. Milius essentially gave us Rambo but with kids.
During the cold beginning, schoolchildren look out of their school windows in horror as they see the combined troops from the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Nicaragua land in their schoolyard thus making everyone’s fears come true; The United States has been invaded. During the struggles, a group of kids flee to the mountains. These kids are barely armed, and they have to somehow survive this brutal winter. Trouble finds them when they kill a Soviet patrol. This action leads them to start their own guerrilla war against these countries. Will they prevail?
The film has its young cast going for it. They all do a good job making their characters believable, even if I felt their characters were not entirely fleshed out. The Wolverines were formed with actors like Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. All familiar names, you may notice. This movie was essentially their starting point. On the flip side, we have some solid veteran actors deliver supporting performances like Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Lane Smith. Stanton played one of the kid’s fathers and he had a very beautiful scene involving his sons.
In addition to the overall sentiment of the film, there was one issue that kept clouding my mind. How on earth do these kids, with little training, are able to destroy soldiers that have years of intense training and combat. Sure, the entertainment value reaches it maximum levels, but the credibility took a big nosedive. I mean, yes, it is fun to see, but watching a movie with those thoughts bogging you down is not what you want. I did like the survival during the winter scenes. They, at least, felt real. Sadly, it could not save the movie.
There are some positives to take away. The performances were solid. I liked Basil Poledouris’s score. His score is memorable and patriotic which fit the overall theme of the movie. The beginning of the film is my personal favorite. Watching the parachutes falling from the sky is definitely crazy and properly set up the rest of the film, although the rest of the film couldn’t exactly follow suit.
Overall, Red Dawn was a fun movie. Just barely so. The credibility of many scenes did not work for me. It also felt too nationalistic for my taste. Some may like it, some may hate it, but the violence is very brutal so prepare for a big body count. The film is also a part of history. This is the first film to be rated PG-13, although that is still stretching it by what happens in the film. It could have been worse. Just watch the 2012 remake.
My Grade: C+
Red Dawn…is a provocative and interesting movie. On one hand, the actual movie is entertaining, features solid acting from the young cast, and has one of the best introductions to a movie. On the other hand, the political philosophy is quite alarming and nationalistic. When the film was released in 1984, there was an outcry. The film seemed to be an antiwar film with a more conservative feeling, and people felt outraged. That said, I rather thought the film was a decent-enough action film that had some good moments but was rather predictable and overly violent. It is definitely better than the 2012 remake.
The script was written by Kevin Reynolds who also wanted to direct the film, but MGM passed on Reynolds due to his inexperience. Instead, they hired John Milius despite most of the studio not agreeing with this choice. Milius was known to love war and the stories it tends to blossom. The studio feared that the choice of Milius directing a film “about World War III on American soil” could lead to some nasty consequences. Luckily, Milius was tame in that regard. Milius later recounted that the action in the film is what happened during the second World War. Milius essentially gave us Rambo but with kids.
During the cold beginning, schoolchildren look out of their school windows in horror as they see the combined troops from the Soviet Union, Cuba, and Nicaragua land in their schoolyard thus making everyone’s fears come true; The United States has been invaded. During the struggles, a group of kids flee to the mountains. These kids are barely armed, and they have to somehow survive this brutal winter. Trouble finds them when they kill a Soviet patrol. This action leads them to start their own guerrilla war against these countries. Will they prevail?
The film has its young cast going for it. They all do a good job making their characters believable, even if I felt their characters were not entirely fleshed out. The Wolverines were formed with actors like Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. All familiar names, you may notice. This movie was essentially their starting point. On the flip side, we have some solid veteran actors deliver supporting performances like Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Lane Smith. Stanton played one of the kid’s fathers and he had a very beautiful scene involving his sons.
In addition to the overall sentiment of the film, there was one issue that kept clouding my mind. How on earth do these kids, with little training, are able to destroy soldiers that have years of intense training and combat. Sure, the entertainment value reaches it maximum levels, but the credibility took a big nosedive. I mean, yes, it is fun to see, but watching a movie with those thoughts bogging you down is not what you want. I did like the survival during the winter scenes. They, at least, felt real. Sadly, it could not save the movie.
There are some positives to take away. The performances were solid. I liked Basil Poledouris’s score. His score is memorable and patriotic which fit the overall theme of the movie. The beginning of the film is my personal favorite. Watching the parachutes falling from the sky is definitely crazy and properly set up the rest of the film, although the rest of the film couldn’t exactly follow suit.
Overall, Red Dawn was a fun movie. Just barely so. The credibility of many scenes did not work for me. It also felt too nationalistic for my taste. Some may like it, some may hate it, but the violence is very brutal so prepare for a big body count. The film is also a part of history. This is the first film to be rated PG-13, although that is still stretching it by what happens in the film. It could have been worse. Just watch the 2012 remake.
My Grade: C+
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