Rating: 
Summary: What Might Have Happened...
Review: This movie was made during the height of the Cold War. It portrays a fictional invasion of the United States by the Russians, who, according to the film, have suffered their worst harvest ever. They have no choice but to attack the United States. The Russian paratroopers land in a small Colorado town. Patrick Swayze (Jed), C. Thomas Howell (Robert), Charlie Sheen (Matt), Jennifer Gray (Toni), and Lea Thompson (Erica) are the stars of the film. They are forced to flee to the mountains for safety after the Russian invasion. There they form a group of freedom fighters, the "Wolverines". This group continually harasses the Russians by attacking columns of vehicles and troops. The Russians alsways suffered major losses, while the "Wolverines" usually escaped unscathed. Not very realistic. Powers Boothe plays a fighter pilot who is shot down and joins the group. He tries to provide some leadership and ends up falling in love with Erica. Finally, the group's luck begins to run out. Boothe's character is killed during a tank battle, and the losses mount from there. Jed and Matt lead one more attack against the Russians, while Erica heads off across the plains to "Free America", the safe zone. I found this movie to be entertaining, but not very realistic. I felt the acting was good and I enjoyed the battle scenes, but I had a hard time with how the "Wolverines" escaped almost every encounter without anyone suffering so much as a scratch while the Russians lost numerous vehicles and troops. Also, how did the "Wolverines" manage to keep getting re-supplied with such things as RPGs and heavy machine guns? I did, however, enjoy the paratrooper scenes at the beginning, and I thought the intro to the film, which describes the failed Russian harvest, was well done.
Rating:
Summary: enjoyable mind candy
Review: ... It is just another action film and what if scenario. The acting is wooden, and most of the time, the dialogue is a joke, and there are huge plot holes. But if you just sit back and take the movie for what it is, mind candy, and not as propoganda or a serious attempt at art, then you'll probably find this movie to be entertaining. As a dvd it doesn't offer much. The trailer, widescreen, and the film. I did have one problem with the subtitles. I found that during the Spanish and Russian dialogue scenes, I had to turn on the subtitles because otherwise those scenes weren't subtitled. Then when English speaking scenes appeared again, I had to turn the subtitles off.
Rating: 
Summary: likeditgaveitonestartobalanceoutmoronswhotookitseriously
Review: This is just an action movie. Maybe they should have had Arnold or Chuck Norris in it to spell out to you that it is not a serious film. It is slightly less ridiculous than Invasion U.S.A but nonetheless it is ridiculous.
This is hardly some work of cinematic art that served as a left/right "litmus test" or in any way clever catalyst to intelligent political discussion.
I enjoyed watching it. Just as I enjoyed watching Rocky 4 and Rambo II. However, at no point did I draw enlightening lessons about the cold war.
Yes this is different than a typical action movie in that the dialouge opts for cheesey melodrama rather than cheesey machismo. But, that does not equal good. I'm sure if the writers for those made-for-T.V. movies on Lifetime wrote violent war movies they would all turn out very similair to Red Dawn.
The writing is certainly no better than any of those Lifetime movies featuring people like Meredith Baxter with titles like "My baby has a rare disease", "My husband is cheating on me", "My daughter has emotional problems", etc...
And what is this about leftists wanting to bash this movie? What kind of paranoid reactionary feels that strongly about "Red Dawn". There are good war movies out there such as "Platoon", "Apocalypse Now", "Full metal Jacket", or "Jacob's Ladder". One does not have to be some kind of Marxist innsurectionist to realize that "Red Dawn" is not one of these.
"Red Dawn" has all the moral complexity of professional wrestling.
And don't presume I haven't watched this movie carefully. I've seen it at least 5 times.
It is escapism, not realism. It is not insidious nationalist propaganda from the right or a leftist depiction of the horrors of war. it is a stupid movie that should be shown on Tnt's "Movies for guys who like movies". It is dumb, corny, and enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: This is one of the best war movies ever!
Review: Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell reteam from "The Outsiders" which finds them and 6 other teenagers hiding out in the mountains from the russians and the cubans who take over the country and hold the teens' parents hostage. The Eight teens take the name of their football team, "The Wolverines". Co-Stars like Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson and Darren Dalton [who also teamed with the twosome in "The Outsiders"] and the special effects and action make this a good movie. I give it 3 1/2 Stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Great What-if Movie About WW III
Review: I first saw this movie in the theater in 1984 and I loved it then and I still do. Although the movie is dated, it's still a good flick today. As a history major, It's always interesting to see a movie that asks "what if", since the last time foreign troops made war on US soil was in 1815 at the Battle of New Orleans.
The combat scenes are well done, and the Pumas make good stand-ins for Mi-24 Hind As, and the equipment looks very good-in fact, the T-72 replicas even attracted CIA attention, as two agents showed up at the set asking about the T-72 and other
simulated Soviet armor-it looked that real. As for the characters, you see that among the Americans, you find those who resist, eagerly collaborate with the enemy, and those who are trying to make the best of a VERY Bad situation.You also find among the Soviet/Cuban?Nicaraguan forces a mix of types-a professional Spetsnatz officer for whom counterinsurgency is his business (Afghan vet?), A Soviet General who dismisses the guerillas (and pays the supereme penalty later), and a Cuban who has seen and done too much and knows he has a LOT of blood on his hands. There are a few plot holes that could be explained-how did Darrel
get caught and planted with a tracker to lead the Spetznatz to the camp? Where's the rest of the US military? Granted they're pretty busy, but an appearance by Army SF or Rangers, or more USAF activity would have been a good addition to the movie. Or how about some more locals helping out-like the salesgirl who tells Jed about the KGB taking people away. All in all, a great war movie.
Rating:
Summary: Left Wing Wackos Won't Like This Movie.
Review: The right to bare arms is as American an ideal as the freedom of speech. Those who would say other wise, are the type of people that think The USA should have dealt with the Nations responsible for 9/11, with understanding and diplomacy. This movie is a great representation of the fighting spirit, all true Americans have. To die rather than sub come to the forces that would try to kill our freedom, to fight always, with gun in hand, for the most basic and important right of all...Freedom.
A great movie, from a great era. Watch this movie with your children, and never let them forget that the freedom they enjoy is only as strong as those willing to defend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! a pre-Bin Laden film for it's time.
Review: This is an 80's action Classic and one of my all time favorite action movies, World War III has begun and Russian invaders are taking over America's Heartland but a group of Teenage rebels called " The Wolverines" strike back against the red menace. Entertaining and action packed yet serious movie about terrorism and bravery, it's even got some great patriotic overtones to it .... Also recommended: Arnold Schwartzenger's Commando, Independence Day, Armageddon, Con Air, The Matrix, Starship Troopers, Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot, Braveheart, Behind Enemy Lines, Die Hard, The Rock, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Pearl Harbor, Full Metal Jacket and Platoon.
Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: The plot and characters in Red Dawn are far more complex and subtle ... The fall of the U.S. federal government is not the result of a simple invasion, but a combination of political and military actions over many years. Yes, guns are used (on both sides) but the resulting carnage is also explored and questioned by characters on both sides. The ambiguous feelings of the Cuban (Nicaraguan?) officer towards his teenage enemies in the hills are a masterful twist in the plot. Yes, there is violence, but it is never glorified. The movie poses a rather simple question: how important is freedom to American citizens? For some, the answer is to give in and accept the occupation. The invaders even set up reeducation camps to help them in their transformation. But the main characters decide to fight for their liberty, and the final scenes are as dramatic as any you'll see on film. The technical quality of the DVD could be better, but it's at least equal to my old VHS version.
Rating:
Summary: 3 stars + one or two extra to PO the oneswho give it 1
Review:
Let me talk about the movie before I get into the movie reviews and their writers.
Red Dawn is a pretty good movie. A solid three and a half stars. This movie is about youngsters trying to survive while superpowers destroy the world around them. This 'story' is actually happening everyday around the world in dozens of countries. Red Dawn doesn't do a perfect job of portraying the plight of young partisans, but, as far as I know, it's the only movie that does so in a way that's relevant to a western audience.
The action scenes are a bit dated, but in 1984 they were top notch. The Wolverines end up kicking a little more behind than a unit with their size and training could, but it doesn't destroy the movie. Some of the battle scenarios were a bit contrived, too. Also, it's pretty obvious that this movie isn't portraying a real world scenario, since there has never been a time in which the USA is vulnerable to a massive invasion. The movie is set in America so we have a connection to the guerillas and can undertand where they come from.
All in all, it's an acceptable three star movie. I gave it five stars to PO the people who gave it one star and cried about 'jingoistic patriotism and facism,' and a whole bunch of other stupid knee-jerk reactions to a film that shows Americans and Russians fighting.
I really didn't see much patriotism in this movie. Not once did the Wolverines talk about restoring America or how great their country was. As the defining moment of the movie, when the guerillas are forced to either let a Russian soldier go or kill him, the leader is asked: "What's the difference between them and us?" It's a damn good question. The soldier is their age. It wasn't his choice to come there. So why do they have to kill him? The question shows how difficult and maddening the war is for these kids, how there's no sense in it, but once you're in, it's either kill or be killed.
Guerillas and Partisans are a key element in almost any conflict, and they usually exist anytime one country invades another. Until another movie that comes out showing the life and trials of partisans, this movie gets a good rating in my book. And to anyone that disses this movie on perceived political issues, stick to things that fit your bubbly world view, like Legally Blond and Dude, Where's my Car?
-- JJ Timmins
Rating:
Summary: Red Dawn, Red Scourge
Review: 1984's Red Dawn has been slammed as blistering right-wing propaganda as well as being dismissed as a Cold War relic. And in many ways, it certainly is. And it is not nearly as bad as the Leftwing fanatics make it out to be. Communism is the scourge of humanity, and any film that inspires hatred towards it already has merit. The premise of the film is simple: Latin America falls to the Red Scourge, Leftists have sunk NATO, and Russia wants our wheat fields. All this leads up to an invasion of the United States. John Milius, who wrote Apocalypse Now, uses this fantastic "What If" situation to showcase the frontline Gureilla war tactics that it takes to win wars. The movie illustrates the power of surprise, dedication, and member loyalty within a group. No tyrant or standing army can ever match such a combination. That the group happens to be a bunch of over-acting teenagers is almost incidental. Others insist Red Dawn is a self-delusional fantasy that fosters paranoia. However, those who whine about about how "it couldn't happen here" have missed the point of the film: Red Dawn tried to give Americans a taste of what so many other countries have endured: Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Afghanistan, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, to name a few. But then again, we're talking about people who believe that if it isn't happening in America, it isn't happening anywhere.
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