Rating: 
Summary: Not totally disappointing but could have been much better...
Review: Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson) and Virgil Cole (Willem Dafoe) are Navy A-6 Intruder bomber pilots in the Vietnam war. After repeatedly bombing useless targets determined by questionable military intelligence and political considerations that have led to needless deaths of their fellow pilots by shootdowns, they decide to take matters into their own hands.Choosing to fly behind enemy lines and deep into Hanoi to destroy a surface to air missle depot, they accompish the task at the expense of being subjected to the military justice system and a possible court martial for their actions. Flight of the Intruder happens to be a dismal adaptation from Stephen Coont's book of the same name. Apart from making comparisons, this movie redeems itself in the few aspects of good aerial photography, some decent action scenes of war sequences in the jungle, and slightly above average acting performances by Willem Dafoe, Danny Glover, Tom Sizemore, and Brad Johnson. The DVD content itself is anorexic to put it mildly. You won't find any extras here beyond the usual fare of a good digital 5.1 soundtrack, widescreen presentation, and subtitles. If you're a fan of war movies, this probably isn't a great addition to a DVD collection but I'd recommend renting it if you like the genre of film.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, this could have been such a wonderful movie...
Review: Like a lot of service aviators, I loved Stephen Coonts' 1986 novel, "Flight of the Intruder" (the numerous sequels haven't measured up, but that's no sin; Joseph Heller really had only one good novel in him, too). Far above and beyond the quasi-autobiographical novels written by many Vietnam veterans, "Flight" was a thoughtful expression of the increasing disillusionment of a Navy bomber pilot in the waning days of the war in Southeast Asia. Lt. Jake Grafton was the consummate Everyman, who joined the Navy to keep from being drafted into the Army and fell in love with being an aviator almost in spite of himself. After the loss of his bombardier - to a random enemy gunshot - while on yet another worthless mission, Jake's rage and frustration at the political limitations placed on him and his mates begin to build, coupled with the doubts every thinking man experiences when he is told to kill total strangers because it is, after all, his job. The novel is one of the classics of aviation literature. And then this abomination of a film happned. The real tragedy is that it could have so easily been such a wonderful movie. The film opens on exactly the right note: a somber overture overlaid with the voices of bomber pilots discussing their missions over the North, to whit, it's very dark, I'm very alone, everyone and his brother is shooting at me, and what the hell am I doing here, anyway? We fade in on a lone Intruder, skimming along the clouds, alone in the moonlit night, with the caption, "Over North Vietnam, after seven years of war." Perfect. Fatigue, loneliness, fear, and the solitude of the lone-ship night bombing missions the Intruder excelled at. Just the mood the novel created so well. After this wonderful opening the movie just slowly crumbles to pieces. I suspect that, like "Top Gun," the script was much better in its original form, then dumbed down in yet another manifestation of the studio-exec lowest-common-denominator effect. See the forced-climactic ending sequence and the exquisitely dumb happy-ending. "They're going to give you a carrier, sir!" The casting is mixed; Dafoe and Glover are very good, Johnson and Arquette are horrid. You can also spot slimmed-down versions of Tom Sizemore (as the raging womanizer Boxman) and Ving Rhames (in a throwaway as a maintainence chief), and both play their parts well. Dafoe plays his part, as Jake's new bombardier, the unstable-acting "Tiger" Cole, with the right touch. We wonder, along with the other characters, is he really nuts or just acting? Just like in the novel, we're never really sure, but we suspect there be method in his madness. It's just impossible to get past the way the two main characters have been warped. In the novel, Callie MacKenzie (Arquette's character) is an intelligent, professional young translator working for the State Department in Hong Kong. Their relationship develops in a believable way, over time, that emphasizes the strengths of both characters. But for some bizarre reason, the movie changes her to a Navy widow who gets drunk and takes Jake to bed the same day she meets him. Brad Johnson plays in his one usual mode (Big Dumb Hunk), sort of a bulked-up John Wayne type. Why he was cast in this part is beyond me, except that perhaps the studio was trying for a "Top Gun" meets "Catch-22" approach. The movie has plenty to reccommend it; the flight sequences are all riveting, especially the unauthorized attack on Hanoi. I loved the shot of Jake and Cole, as they race away from Hanoi, hollering Shirley Bassey's "Downtown" at the top of their lungs in celebration. There are funny moments and touching moments. Overall, though, it's not the best war movie ever made. Go see "Bat 21" instead.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: MADE ME PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. WHERE DO I SIGN UP. I HOPE THERE ISN'T A WEIGHT LIMIT FOR AVIATORS!
Rating:
Summary: Good "Popcorn" Fare
Review: Most of the dialogue is lame -- typical Milius comic book type characters. But Milius knows how to do action. The flight sequences are OK-- the downtown Hanoi minatures look too fake but I enjoyed watching it. It's like a saturday afternoon matinee feature.
Rating:
Summary: could have been a 10
Review: My favorite part of the film is when the Sky Raiders come flying down the valley.
But had they stuck to the main story,
The war, The air war, The bravery of the flight crews,
and the cowardice and stupidity of the politicians, and a lot of the officers,
This could have been a 10.
But we were subjected to the fluff and filler that seems to be mandatory in so many films, and so painful to watch.
My answer is to run the dvd through the computer and edit out the wasted time, and make a watchable, enjoyable film that honors these fine folks.
Rating:
Summary: AVERAGE DRONE WITH DISCONNECTED WAR CLICHES
Review: Nearly everything about this Top Gun clone formula-flick seems to be borrowed, right down to the pilots' nicknames and its routine war themes of camaraderie, grace under pressure, a nervy disregard for any authority beyond your own conscience, etc etc. Whatever sparse moments of watchability the film produces come mostly from Will Dafoe, one of the many cowboy American soldiers armed with explosives. Passable.
Rating: 
Summary: Swing around and Strafe them!
Review: Okay, so it's a little far-fetched to see Danny Glover as an Italian-American squadron CO; it's okay, he explains it (to Razor) in the film. Okay, so Brad Johnson's dialogue is a little stilted as well; having read all six Grafton stories, he doesn't quite come across as Cool Hand Jake. Even though a lot of the action seems strained, and 'blue-filmed' night flight is passe', it still feels right - and I've been a flying nut since forever. SAM city never was; Charlie was many things, but he was NEVER stupid enough to stash all the missiles in downtown Hanoi. The movie would have been better in the '40's, when rah-rah stuff was better received, but even so, the film does a good job. Just not a 5-star one. That's okay, too; we made a lot more toothpicks than secondaries dropping junk over the North.
Rating:
Summary: 5 star Movie/Action/Cast/16:9Widescreen,4 Star Pix qualit,y!
Review: The A-6 was the United States Navy's Medium (A) Attack bomber during the Vietnam conflict. It flew at tree-top level in any weather at night and alone. The A-6 had NO defensive weapons. It was called - The INTRUDER. That is the opening statement to an outstanding action movie. The thought of flying unarmed over hostile territory circa 1972 presents a very exciting war tale indeed. Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe and Brad Johnson are a great ensemble cast. The "Flight of the Intruder" based on Stephen Coonts (former Naval Aviator) novel of the same name. Coonts has written an entire fictionalized series based on Jake Grafton (played by Brad Johnson) exciting Naval career. The "Flight of the Intruder" was the first in that series. Summary: Young Naval Aviator Lt. Jake Grafton pilots the infamous A (Attack) - 6 Intruder over 1972 Vietnam. You get to experience lots of great aerial photography, plenty of action and the unbelievable daring of these A-6 Naval pilots. This includes low level (200 feet) bombing missions (dodging all kinds of enemy fire). "Iron Hand" the art of an Armed A-6 versus' SAM (Surface to Air Missles). They shoot first up to 4 missles before you can attack them!!! Great stuff!!!! Paramount's WideScreen DVD Collection presents the viewer with some OUTSTANDING MOVIES at an economical price. The only short fall one Extra is the trailer and the Enhanced 16:9 WideScreen HDTV is some what grainy on my 55" Home Theatre Screen. The sound is outstanding! Overall this is a great war movie for the collector!! This DVD is worth the price of admission. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: 5 star Movie/Action/Cast/16:9Widescreen,4 Star Pix qualit,y!
Review: The A-6 was the United States Navy's Medium (A) Attack bomber during the Vietnam conflict. It flew at tree-top level in any weather at night and alone. The A-6 had NO defensive weapons. It was called - The INTRUDER. That is the opening statement to an outstanding action movie. The thought of flying unarmed over hostile territory circa 1972 presents a very exciting war tale indeed. Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe and Brad Johnson are a great ensemble cast. The "Flight of the Intruder" based on Stephen Coonts (former Naval Aviator) novel of the same name. Coonts has written an entire fictionalized series based on Jake Grafton (played by Brad Johnson) exciting Naval career. The "Flight of the Intruder" was the first in that series. Summary: Young Naval Aviator Lt. Jake Grafton pilots the infamous A (Attack) - 6 Intruder over 1972 Vietnam. You get to experience lots of great aerial photography, plenty of action and the unbelievable daring of these A-6 Naval pilots. This includes low level (200 feet) bombing missions (dodging all kinds of enemy fire). "Iron Hand" the art of an Armed A-6 versus' SAM (Surface to Air Missles). They shoot first up to 4 missles before you can attack them!!! Great stuff!!!! Paramount's WideScreen DVD Collection presents the viewer with some OUTSTANDING MOVIES at an economical price. The only short fall one Extra is the trailer and the Enhanced 16:9 WideScreen HDTV is some what grainy on my 55" Home Theatre Screen. The sound is outstanding! Overall this is a great war movie for the collector!! This DVD is worth the price of admission. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: And I had such high hopes...
Review: The Flight of the Intruder was one of the best novels of the Vietnam war, and certainly the best about the aviators in that war. So how did they make such a disappointing movie? Sure, it has its moments; the opening scene sets the perfect tone. The action shots are great- I don't think any other film has ever shown a couple of AH-1s down in the grass like that. As a Saturday afternoon entertainment it's above average. But as an interpretation of Coont's novel it's a major diappointment. Some aren't bothered by movies that stray far from the original book, and certainly for many books it's no loss. But just think of the wonderful movie that could have been made from this book- and now never will.
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