Rating: 
Summary: Not as far fetched as some would have you believe
Review: Yes indeed, Red Dawn was written and produced during the height of the Cold War. But those reviewers who dismiss this film's
depictions of an invasion of America display not only their
naivite, but an arrogance borne of the "oh, it could NEVER happen
here" mentality. Curiously, these same naysayers are usually the
same people who denounce the Right To Keep And Bear Arms, which
director John Milius so proudly supports with this film. A real
student of history would be hard pressed to find many nations
who have NOT been invaded in their history, EXCEPT for the
United States of America. And any student of World War Two and
the Cold War can also tell you that the literature is rife with
testimony from Japanese high command and Russian apparatchik which bolsters the often ridiculed claim that a well armed populace was indeed a deterrent to occupation attempts during America's most recent major conflicts of the twentieth century. An invading army also bears the responsibility of securing the countryside, and the cities of an occupied country. Much testimony exists, and is readily accessible for those with the desire to educate themselves, that America was considered too dangerous to occupy during these conflicts, due to those continually ridiculed gun owners that the naysayers laugh about.
Ironic, isn't it? The very gun owners that Milius's critics sneer at are the reason that we have been spared any real effort
to invade and occupy this country during the last century, when
so many other once mighty nations were brought prostrate, to their knees. Viva John Milius! And Viva Red Dawn!!
As a parting shot, a student of guerilla conflict could also tell the critics of Red Dawn that most guerilla armies who dared
resist the occupying armies of their own lands were often no more well equipped, or prepared, or experienced, than the high
schoolers who make up Red Dawn's Wolverines. Red Dawn is fiction, that is not being debated. But Red Dawn is not farfetched by any stretch of the imagination. Critics, read a bit
of history!
Rating: 
Summary: Gun Hoe picture!
Review: I first saw Red Dawn when I was a freshmen in high school as part of our Cold War curriculum. I only saw the main action sequences since the school was hard pressed for time to move on to the next subject and we only had one day to watch it. Four years later I was dinking around in Fed Meyer and bought it on a whim. Red Dawn is a low budget war movie were the Cold War suddenly turns hot, russkies paradrop in to the plains with a coordinated nuke strike and ground forces rushing up through Mexico and into the Great Pains. The movie focuses on a small group of teenage partisans fighting and dying over a four/five month period. Even though the film is completely unrealistic, the plot and some of the curcimstandses aren't. In real life any partisan force that was unsupported or not properly trained would be whipped out in a matter of days, the film should of taken place over a period of weeks, not months. But if there was an successful invasion of the US of A those 6 in 10(or was it 4 in 10?) house holds that own fire arms won't be sitting on their hands. But even for a low budget film ( production cost at 8 and half million) it did superbly well at the box offices, racking in something like 40 million. The films T-72 tanks were so realistic that the CIA wanted to know were they came from and was the first film to receive the PG-13 rating. Despite's its short comings, that I can write a hundred pay essay about, Red Dawn is a nice little gun hoe war movie
Rating:
Summary: A UNDERRATED, PATRIOTIC FILM
Review: when i first saw this film i looked past the poor production, acting, and script to the real theme. this was summed, and burned into my soul when with the words "we're going to die, so lets die standing up" or something to that extent. the left tends to decry this movie for being unrealistic, too violent. but the movie is really about a group of citizen soldiers who realize that american freedom is something so grand it is worth dying for. they embody the jeffersonian ideal in many ways, that "freedom is risk", and they are willing to die to defend their freedom against communist agressors. the real kicker of the movie is at the end, when they show "the partisan rock" where the guerilla kids would memorialize their dead, and show a waving america flag and and the memorial plaque says that these kids fought so that "this nation will not perish from the earth" if you didn't cry this part, then that is sad
Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing
Review: I enjoyed this movie very much.The camerawork was spectacular and the beautiful sore worked well with the more subtle scenes. The story is terrifying when you think it is not an impossible occurence in this society.The best thing about this movie is that it does not have a typical "happily ever after" Bratpack ending... The acting was not superb, but then one must bear in mind that (most)of the cast were fairly young and inexperienced actors at this point.The relationship between the two brothers(played by Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen)was executed efficiently.I reckon Lea Thompson was rather over-the-top at times, and Swayze's performance in the drive-in scene was quite amateur.I believe that he could have done much better had he been properly trained... There is one scene which I am not entirely sure should have been included.I bought this movie knowing that Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze were both in it, and as this was prior to their on-screen chemistry in "Dirty Dancing" I was not expecting their characters to have a relationship. Throughout (most)of the movie they do not speak to each other... Overall, I believe Red Dawn is a classic and well worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Purposely Misunderstood
Review: I've yet to see a serious review of John Milius' magnum opus, Red Dawn. For the most part, the liberal critics dismiss any discussion of its technical and dramatic strengths and instead focus entirely on the message. The thrust of complaints against Milius and Red Dawn amount to probably some of the most disingenuous criticisms in cinematic history. They critics argue that the audience should reject whatever Milius was trying to say (he's a conservative and board member of the NA) because the scenario is NOT REALISTIC and just a propaganda vehicle. I've always wondered how liberals, who draw the line at "it's bad" when it comes to understanding war, have the gall to judge the credulity of any piece in the genre. My main objection with the Left's attack on "Red Dawn" is their refusal to acknowledge that Milius' focus on the Wolverines represents only a snapshot of a far larger, broader story the remains ever present in the background. When critics complain about how incredulous it is for the Soviets and their Latin allies to attack a small town in Colorado, they purposely misunderstand the message Milius explicitly delivered through the Wolverine's conversation with Col. Tanner--these kids are only a small set of actors in a much larger war. It doesn't take that much of a mental exercise necessary to justify the period's well thought out belief that the Soviets could exploit their adventures in Latin America to invade the United States. Between Vietnam and the "nuclear freeze" movement, right before the Reagan build up, the West was essentially in retreat throughout the entire globe. Whether or not the Soviets could've succeeded in this gamble is another debate, but "Red Dawn" is a story of extraordinary times and circumstances albeit with careful attention to the real world. Even so, the focus on the realism of Red Dawn's background story is an attempt to get away from the really other stunning aspects of the film. You may disagree with the conservative themes in this film, but one thing John Milius does very well is let his views flow naturally from the experiences of his characters and the realities of war. There is no Rush Limbaugh avatar reaching into the film to preach through Patrick Swayze or Harry Dean Stanton, something Aaron Sorkin can't help but injecting into the endless banter that has become staple to the "The West Wing." The most clever critics realize that thematically Red Dawn is a success, so they go after the acting -- after all, that's where half of Milius' conservative propaganda is coming from. Yet more often than not they dismiss this important part of the film's success without a single attempt to specify their objections. You might ask what people should expect in the way of expressions and dialogue from high school kids who've been conditioned into guerillas , and I can't say that the kids in the "Lord of the Flies" featured the timely emoting that we see from say Swayze's character when they first arrive in the mountains. The terse, yet clearly emotional and meaningful chatter between the Wolverines is strikingly credible, and surpassed only by Harry Dean Stanton's powerful performance as a Midwestern blue collar thrown into a detention center and Ron O'Neal's slow yet well paced descent into disillusionment with his tiny slice of the war. There's wide agreement that the cinematics were decent given the budget involved and the technology of the time. The art direction apparantly was so successful that two CIA case officers were alarmed by the attention to detail given to the T-72 main battle tank mock ups. Over all, Red Dawn maybe one of the most original, well done pieces from the 1980s.
Rating:
Summary: An all-important movie !!
Review: Don't expect the best image quality and the best soundtrack ever... especially in my case, the first DVD I received was having lots of problems (sometimes many images would just be skipped); however this movie is worth watching as it conveys important messages about, among others, the horror of war, the terrible mistakes of the past and what can be done to correct them. It is a very complex movie about serious matters, and it conveys lots of emotion and sadness about the errors of the two wars of the 20th century in Europe, so your morale could very well cave in a little sometimes... but the movie also contains some positive answers to prop you up.
The movie is about a nightmare scenario: the invasion of the USA and Europe by Cubans and Soviets... A group of six young friends (the Wolverines ) has to fight like lions against uniformed foes. They decide to die standing up (they seem to have adopted the legend on the Rough Rider memorial). Combat scenes are extremely realistic, and often look like WWII, the batle of the Bulge... Some napalm bombings are necessary to destroy the enemies, and they are impressive. We learn that one should never shoot twice, so as to avoid being discovered; that it is good to drink the blood of a stag that has just been killed; that some American and Russian patriotic hymns can have similar tunes; and plenty of other bounties; some strategic information are even discussed. The Wolverines do not have uniforms but wear neat, practical clothes instead. At the end they do very well and the manage to clear Calumet from the Cubans. It is definitely an all-important movie.
Rating:
Summary: I wonder if some people even watched this movie...
Review: There have been a lot of dumb comments in these reveiws. All the questions are answered by just paying attention to the movie! For example, NATO doesn't appear because it was dissolved. The bulk of the US military doesn't appear because the front lines are in the Dakotas, Utah, Montana, California, and the Mississippi river. We can't nuke Russia because they destroyed almost all of our nukes in their first-strike. Also, Washington DC and the other major centers of communication are destroyed in the first-strike. Finally, guerilla groups always have a large success rate when they begin. It's after the enemy figures out what's going on and how to counter it that they start getting losses. But, to the review. I find this one of the best movies ever. Not because of some political statement (ever notice that the people who pan this like equal-caliber anti-American movies?, not because of the strong American support. No, I like it because it shows what would have happened if we were in the position of Afganistan 1979-89, or in the USSR 1941-44. I am just thankful that this movie, and nothing like it, actually happened. And, just for the heck of it: WOLVERINES!
Rating: 
Summary: 80's Right-Wing American propaganda at its finest!
Review: This film depicts that was eighties America. Ronald Reagan was president, Rambo was the greatest American hero imaginable, and the Russians were the new enemy. So what better way to show tough, handsome, patriotic boys and girls doing their duty against the vile, sinister Evil Empire? Red Dawn of course!! This film has it all: guerilla warfare, Russians looking farcial and loony, Americans looking tough and rugged, and great performances from teenage stars now in their middle-ages! This film is like a live-action movie version of the cartoon G.I. Joe. Another similarity to this film that comes into my mind would be Starship Troopers, minus the bugs and the bad acting (well, not really; Red Dawn is not exactly Oscar material). This is a great depiction of the so-called red scare that
terrorized America in the turbulent, wonderful years of that decade. As time rolls on by, we can look back at movies like this and wonder if anything has changed our minds about war and bloodshed. Don't we all miss those movies like Red Dawn, The Rambo Trilogy, Top Gun, Delta Force, Invasion U.S.A., Rocky IV, and Navy Seals? Well, it's okay because we have films now like Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, ID4, Behind Enemy Lines, We Were Soldiers, and The Patriot to warm our hearts.
Rating:
Summary: Isnt it ironic....
Review: The movie is OK, filming quality was about par for the course, acting was a little wooden and the dialog and situations felt a little cheezy. Of course this is in retrospect using movies like Blackhawk Down and Saving Private Ryan as a benchmark and that just isnt fair. Having said that, I have seen this film 50+ times in its entirety and the several versions of it that are out there. In these terrorist ridden times however, the film's ultimate irony is that the situation, and even the characters themselves are American transpositions of the very Mujhideen fighters we now lable as terrorists. Back during the 1980s the Mujhideen were so iconized by our society as heros fighting the good fight against the Soviet Juggernaut that a 'boodnguts' American director felt it was a small step between turning Muslims in Afghanistan to Christians in Colorado. Today the director of such a film would probably be interviewed by the FBI, and thrown in a prison brig when it turned out one of the technical advisors was actualy a Mujhideen veteran. This film is not some chest-beating, American-flag waving film. It does not reak of the false patriotic sentiment so common now (Proud to be American (Since 9/11!))It is not so much about nations as it is about ideals, and today more than ever, the movie goes to show that oppression and evil can come in any shape and size, be it Taliban Muslims, or Soviet Athiests, or even American Christians. On the flip side it shows that people of any nation and creed can be 'the good guys' and 'innocent victems'. A lesson we'd best learn soon. The price of peace is eternal vigilance.
Rating:
Summary: I Give These Students an A+!
Review: Wolverine (n):
1. A carnivorous usually solitary mammal (Gulo gulo) of the weasel family of northern forests and associated tundra that is blackish with a light brown band on each side of the body and is noted especially for its strength.
2. capitalized: a native or resident of Michigan - used as a nickname. "Red Dawn" is the type of movie that reminds you why it's great to be an American. Where else can a movie, staring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, make you feel so good (other than "Dirty Dancing", of course)?
Set in the foothills of "Small Town, USA", a group of popular high school students is faced with their most challenging class assignment ever - Communist invasion! Pop quizzes are handed out and school-issued lunches are reluctantly consumed as Communist paratroopers fall from the sky. Were they blown off course? Is it a training exercise? This couldn't be the beginning of World War III, could it? Could it?! The teachers scramble to update their lesson plans:
ASSIGNMENT: Form a militia, compile a significant arsenal, learn survival tactics, topple the Communist regime.
Led by the versatile Swayze, a group of ambitious young lads, naming themselves the "Wolverines", head to the mountains to plan their attack. Aided by the local shopkeeper, the Wolverines stockpile enough ammunition and food to destroy (and later feed) a small country.
Reluctant to fight somebody else's war, the boys, discuss what they should do. As football players and prom dates, they were unstoppable, but now as an army on the run, they are scared. The Communists were showing no sign of leaving... the Wolverines were in this for the long haul.
Summer turns to Fall. Fall turns to Winter. Winter turns to Spring. As the flowers bloom and the trees fill with leaves, the Wolverines' hopes for victory improve when they come across a downed U.S. fighter pilot (skillfully played by Powers Booth). The men (no longer boys, because war is cruel) learn the ways of the gun from Powers Booth. In small, precision attacks, the Wolverines quietly begin to topple the Communist invaders.
One by one, the Wolverines destroy the invaders' camps. Word spreads quickly about the Wolverines and the Communists are now fearful - maybe the Americans are stronger than they thought. Suddenly, their plans to start World War III don't seem like a good idea. In the year of our Lord nineteen eighty-four, patriots of America, starving and outnumbered, charged the streets of the town they called home. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Americans. And won their freedom.
WOLVERINES!
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