Customer Reviews

Bat*21 [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Gene Hackman is Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton. In real life Lt. Col. Hambleton was flying as a navigator on an EB-66 electronic countermeasures plane, call sign Bat-21. When a surface-to-air missile hits the plane, Col. Hambleton is the only man able to eject from the aircraft, landing in the northern portion of South Viet Nam. For the next eleven and a half days Col. Hambleton evaded capture by the North Vietnamese Army until he was rescued in one of the largest and most complex rescue missions of the Viet Nam War. These true events, for which 234 medals were awarded, inspired this movie.

In the movie Col. Hambleton is nearing possible rescue by a Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter when Viet Cong destroy the helicopter. The Viet Cong, who are using the people of a nearby village to protect themselves from American attack since the Viet Cong know that Americans typically attempt to protect non-combatants, kill all the crew. However, this time the rage of Col. George Walker (Jerry Reed, in one of his best roles) causes the village to be destroyed by napalm bombs.

Col. Hambleton is on the run for his life, both from the North Vietnamese Army and from an impending air strike by B-52 bombers. Using the call sign Bat-21 and his URC-64 survival radio, Hambleton follows directions from forward air controller Captain Bartholomew Clark along a path based on golf courses that Col. Hambleton has played.

What I find amazing about this movie is that while there are events that illustrate the tragedy and inhumanity of the combat in Viet Nam, much of the movie focuses on the people in the movie. There is a touching moment where Col. Hambleton passes a boy on a bridge, and the two exchange gifts, forgetting for a moment the ideologically generated conflict going on around them. It is also apparent to me that Col. Hambleton had nothing against the Vietnamese people; he was just a soldier with a job to do.

Movies typically do a poor job portraying any war or combat, with few exceptions. Similarly, this movie misses much with respect to the true story. This movie also invents things that never happened, or misrepresents other events, likely all for the sake of pace and action. However, this movie does catch the spirit of one man surviving incredible odds in war to not only do his job, which was to fight an enemy, but to get himself rescued in the process. From that viewpoint this movie is a winner.

Perhaps, like me, you've come here after watching "Behind Enemy Lines" featuring Owen Wilson and, of course, Gene Hackman, who happens to star in this underrated film. Okay, the plot is almost the same as that action filck made with the technology of the year 2001, but, let me tell you, "BAT*21" gives its stress on a different matter than "Behind," and that is the characters played by the two leads.

As the film claims in the opening, the story about Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton whose airplane is shot down behind enemy lines in Vietnam is based on truth. Now becoming "BAT*21," his code name, he has to rely on a radio by which he maintains a contact with a pilot Captain Bartholomew Clerk (Danny Glover), who instructs and encourages him to overcome all the barriers waiting for him on the ground. But Lieutenant Colonel has no previous combat experience in his career, and the time for massive air raid that is certain to kill him is coming closer.

Frankly, some of the scenes are too incredible (especially when Captain tries to fly the helicopter, which he has not done for a long time). And you cannot expect the high-octaine action sequences, because the film's real focus is set in other places; that is, the bond between the two leading characters, which develops gradually through the unreliable radio contact. Precisely this human part is the greatest asset of "BAT*21" of which quality is raised by the extremely superb acting by Gene Hackman. He is, as usual with any first-rate actor you name, the real energy with his depiction of toughness and frailty, and his powerhouse performance lifts this sometimes clithed film to the above-average level among many other ones about this war.

This movie based on the book of the same name (Bat 21), written by William C. Anderson, is the most contemptable collection of lies and bullcrap ever written about a Search and Rescue mission, developed, conducted and flown by the 1st USAF Special Operations Squadron (Douglas A-1 Skyraider...Call Signs: Sandy and Hobo). I was a USAF combat pilot assigned to both the 1st SOS and the 56th Combat Operations Wing at Nakom Phanom Thai Air Force Base during the period of this rescue. The movie and book is nothing more than a total distortion of the events, including the fictitous Birddog pilot, all done for the sake of greed and pure commercialism on the part of the author. The Bat 21 (EB-66 navigator) rescue mission, which in fact was a dual rescue, concurrent with Nail 38 (OV-10 pilot), shot down in the same area, at the same time, was one the most brilliantly conceived, heroic and unselfish Search and Rescue missions flown in the Vietnam War. So twisted and distorted is the movie, when compared to the truth, that is is scorned and reviled by almost every A-1 Skyraider pilot, and Jolly Green helicopter pilot who flew and sacrificed their lives (Jolly Green 67...5 KIA) on this SAR mission, for eight continuous days. Also deleted from the true story were the US Army RECONDO unit. It would almost take another book to tell the true story, compared to the manufactured fiction writen by the author.

This film encompases the realism a Vietnam Veteran wants in a film centered on/in that war. the films actors dedication to self portrayals of those who were there while fighting against all odds for those in need and under fire is accurate. Danny Glover portrays the honest truth of character that most men had within themselves while there. I remembered my own dedication to my country and its best beliefs while watching the film. Thank you Danny for a wonderful portrayal.

Gene Hackman plays a career Air Force intelligence officer with a passion for golf. He looks for the day when he can retire and try to join the pro tour. In the meantime, however, he is still a serving officer in Vietnam.

Retirement is fairly close when he gets shot out of the sky while riding on a B-52 mission. He is the only survivor and he is someone that the Viet Cong would very much like to capture. He has to run for his life. In his running, he is aided by a forward air controller played by Danny Glover.

Hackman knows that the area he is in is due to be carpet bombed in a few days and he has to get out of there. The problem is that the VC are listening in on the radio and that makes planning problematical until golf proves to be a useful escape tool. Hackman knows the layouts of the world's military golf courses like the back of his hand and comes up with a code using golf terms and the layout of well known military courses to let the rescuers know how to keep up with him. Its still tough going, though, and the VC don't give up easily.

This is a rather good movie and one could almost be fooled into thinking that Danny Glover really does love his country...almost.

I have seen this movie several times and have always liked it very much. The movie rates with me as indicated because I have just recently had the HONOR of meeting Col. Hambleton in person. Of course when you meet the person that inspired this movie it makes it much more interesting.

I have ordered 3 of these VHS tapes for myself and two relatives that liked this movie of which I will have Autographed by the Col.

All the negative reviews have hit the nail on the head. After reading the actual novel, that this movie was supposed to be about, I bought this movie very recently thinking it would be as good as the novel.
I found the movie, Bat-21, full of vile profanity, at the most mundane, non-emotional scenes, an insult to the real airmen involved in this saga and all military members past and present. Once again, Hollywood, having a sorry adaptation of the real book, even worse script writers, falls back on cursing as scene fillers.
The acting....wasn't. The so-called story line is truly fantasy from Hollywood at its worst. It is obvious that the entire group involved in the making of this fiasco have no concept of the military, the Vietnam War, flying, military communications discipline, and for certain never read the book about this real-life heroic drama.
Gene Hackman tramps over hill and dale in broad daylight, on a treeless hill-top fully visible to the enemy, crashes through the boonies like a male rhino in heat, leaving a broken vegetation trail that a Tenderfoot Boy Scout could follow, and in general, appears clueless about escape and evasion.
The extremely long-winded radio transmissions between Hackman and Glover (in an OV-2 flying overhead), was more suitable for a conversation on a back porch swing than would ever transpire in a search/rescue/escape and evasion situation. Pure bull crap!!
Read the book! Don't buy, don't rent, don't even consider watching this most sorry excuse for a war movie. I just wasted nearly $14 (with S/H) buying the DVD. The Wizard of Oz, Spiderman, I, II and III are more believable than this fiasco.

Good action flick, but don't expect a true story. When they say 'Based on a true story' they mean very loosely based. I enjoyed the movie, but am always disappointed when they absolutely ignore what really happened. For the real story get the book 'Rescue of BAT 21' - very good.

I see that there are many positive reviews of this movie. However, I am a Vietnam vet, serving from 1965 to 1971. All I could focus on were the glaring inaccuracies throughout the entire movie. It just didn't happen that way, and that ruined it for me. They should have had a Vietnam combat veteran advise the producers, and have taken the advice.

BAT 21 (1988) Directed by Peter Markle

Starring Gene Hackman, Jerry Reed and Danny Glover.

Sometime during the Vietnam War--the year is not given in the film but it is 1972---this based on fact film tells the story of a leautenant colonel Amercan weapons expert who is shot down near the Ho Chi Minh trail and whom our Red friends would very much like to get their hands on. The Americans launch a rescue effort to save him from their clutches. Though in reality, the officer was rescued by a Navy Seal and a South Vietnamese soldier, Hollywood does not like them so he is rescued by fictional Black pilot played by Danny Glover.

A slightly better than average Vietnam War film that can certainly be criticized for several of its creative choices and script. The idea that Hackman has spent over thirty years in the military and had no idea that people get killed in war is a bit far fetched and the Brotherhood of man relationship that develops between he and Glover is tired. The two leads never did much for me over much but they are not horrible either.

That said, the film is well photographed, makes excellent use of the military equipement of the period especially the aircraft and is morally miles above such filth as FULL METAL JACKET or COMING HOME. The film actually uses the word Communist which is excedingly rare in films about that war.

Not the best. Not the worst. I had a pleasant time. Except for the language, this would be an acceptable film to show a young person curious about Vietnam War.