Rating: 
Summary: Flight of The Intruder is an outstanding movie
Review: A great movie if you like acition and adventure. The kind of movie you can watch over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing adaptation of an excellent book
Review: After reading and rereading the book "Flight of the Intruder," at some point I became curious enough to actually watch the movie. Unfortunately, the movie did not at all live up to what I wanted to see. Understandably, a novel has to be boiled down in order to translate into a movie of acceptable length, but in this case, nothing but a skeleton remains, and the movie utterly failed to engross me like the book did. The book is full of well-formed characters; the movie sports cliched actors spitting lines, occasionally interjecting good one-liners from the book; at least, they were good in the book. In the movie, they don't have the same effect. In the book, when Cole refers to himself as "naturally blabby," it's amusing because of what the reader knows about Cole. In the movie, the irony simply does not show through. The muddy characterization fits in well with the muddy nature of the movie. Surely this could have been done better. And, finally, the crowning touch of everything- the movie completely twists the plot of the book around. The movie basically reduces the primary plot to Grafton and Camparelli deciding that they like each other after all (after Grafton saves Camparelli's life- awwwww...). The final scenes are cheesier than the entire state of Wisconsin, in stark contrast with the suspenseful final pages of the book. Perhaps this movie would be enjoyable for a viewer who has not read the book; unfortunately, I cannot view it that way. For anyone who has read the book and loved it, I suspect that they will feel the same utter disappointment when the closing credits of the movie roll, at least if they stay awake that long (I actually fell asleep the first time I tried to watch it).
Rating: 
Summary: Flight of the Intruder
Review: An enjoyable film, although it doesn't fully live up to its potential. Its best moments come in the first half, which has some great flying sequences. It breaks down a bit later on, as it glosses over the book's more complex plot and characterizations. Still, I've watched it several times and will probably want to see it again. Glover and DaFoe are fine, Tom Sizemore has some good moments too.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better . . .
Review: An interesting air war release. Not up to the high standards of MEMPHIS BELLE, THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY, (upcoming movie based on the book)or old classics like 633 SQUADRON OR THE BLUE MAX, but there are few enough air war movies as it is so this one is worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Intruder anything but DULL!
Review: Are you kidding Leonard Maltin? For anyone with even a vague interest in military aviation this movie is a feast. The movie takes us to a place where men and machines went in bad weather to face the most sophisticated air defense network the world has seen. Not only that but it was based on a book by the same name authored by Stephen Coonts, who was there and flew the A-6 intruder in the same type of missions.... although we don't know if he made a run on the Assembly building in downtown Hanoi, and I guess he isn't saying!
Rating:
Summary: Good Action, Some Truth
Review: Because my dad was a A-6 Bombadier/Navigator in Vietnam, I have a bias regarding this movie. It is highly entertaining and action-packed, however, the truth of the story lies somewhere in the middle and there's not much of it in this screenplay.
I'm sure that many of the Navy's aviators in Vietnam grew weary of hitting "suspected" truck parks, oil refineries and missle sites, but I have yet to hear tales from my dad or his buddies about anyone who decided to fight their own war and fly through downtown Hanoi in order to destroy a SAM (surface-to-air missle) storage area all on their own.
Guys got shot down alot during the war, yes, but they were mostly Air Force guys (that's meant to be a dig!), and rarely a Navy A-6. In this movie, we see several from one squadron on the same cruise go down. Not too realistic. The quickly referred to "Operation Linebacker" was a real mission (proud to say that my dad was in the first plane over N Vietnam on that mission) and followed up by Linebacker II later on. It was not, however, inspired because of what the two lead characters in this movie did.
The flying is pretty realistic though and it is nice to see the not-as-sexy-as-a-fighter-jet Grumman A-6 Intruder in a movie; I give it three stars for that. Still...I would rather listen to real bomber pilots and b/n's relate their adventures in 'Nam and aboard ship.
If you want a real Vietnam movie, stick with "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon".
Rating:
Summary: Good Action, Some Truth
Review: Because my dad was a A-6 Bombadier/Navigator in Vietnam, I have a bias regarding this movie. It is highly entertaining and action-packed, however, the truth of the story lies somewhere in the middle and there's not much of it in this screenplay.
I'm sure that many of the Navy's aviators in Vietnam grew weary of hitting "suspected" truck parks, oil refineries and missle sites, but I have yet to hear tales from my dad or his buddies about anyone who decided to fight their own war and fly through downtown Hanoi in order to destroy a SAM (surface-to-air missle) storage area all on their own.
Guys got shot down alot during the war, yes, but they were mostly Air Force guys (that's meant to be a dig!), and rarely a Navy A-6. In this movie, we see several from one squadron on the same cruise go down. Not too realistic. The quickly referred to "Operation Linebacker" was a real mission (proud to say that my dad was in the first plane over N Vietnam on that mission) and followed up by Linebacker II later on. It was not, however, inspired because of what the two lead characters in this movie did.
The flying is pretty realistic though and it is nice to see the not-as-sexy-as-a-fighter-jet Grumman A-6 Intruder in a movie; I give it three stars for that. Still...I would rather listen to real bomber pilots and b/n's relate their adventures in 'Nam and aboard ship.
If you want a real Vietnam movie, stick with "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon".
Rating:
Summary: "Listen to the Rhythm of the Traffic Over Saigon..."
Review: Cry havoc and let slip the soul of Willem Dafoe into the savage wasteland. As Cole, the wild one with the napalm breath, he spins pulp jargon into a passion play paradigm of pathos. As John Milius lets the testosterone singe the screen, Brad Johnson prays for Tom Cruise's chops, and Danny Glover turns Sicilian. Only in the cinema of Nam do angels croon "Downtown", as SAMS set fire to the sky. Tears and intruders fall into grace, as innocent blood is shed for the wicked. Well done, indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Not the first pick for movie night
Review: Great book. Not so great movie and the small screen does not anything to this one either. With so many good and great war movies to choose from, this one can be saved for much later.
Rating:
Summary: Not the first pick for movie night
Review: Great book. Not so great movie and the small screen does not anything to this one either. With so many good and great war movies to choose from, this one can be saved for much later.
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