Customer Reviews

Red Dawn [VHS]

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(80)
3 star:		(45)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

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!

I remember watching this movie when it first came out on VHS. As a kid, I thought it was a frightening movie, a possible scenario of World War III. After buying the DVD and watching it again, I must say that it still stirs emotions in me. This depiction of an attack on U.S. soil is possible, but improbable. To watch this movie and say that the events shown could NEVER happen is foolish and ignorant.

One previous reviewer asks what happened to NATO in the movie. Well, if the reviewer had paid attention, NATO had dissolved in the movie. Another IMPORTANT detail that some reviewers left out was the nuclear attack on most bases and federal headquarters. The communists did not just take all their planes and tanks and just march in. A nuclear "first-strike" was initiated to throw the U.S. completely off-balance. Powers Boothe, who plays a downed F-15 pilot, explains all of these events to the kids that are now acting as guerillas in the movie. As someone who served in the Air Force as a missle launch control officer, I got to see how strategies like the ones portrayed in this movie could work.

The whole story in this movie is about Russians and Cubans (along with Nicaraguans) invading the U.S. and how it affects the lives of some high school kids. These kids become "The Wolverines". Named after their high school mascot, they become guerillas, slowly taking out small enemy installations and equipment. They do not single-handedly destroy all the commies as some other reviewers think that was depicted! There were other guerilla units, too.

The film portrays war in a somewhat negative light, but preserves patriotism and acknowledges the legitimacy of the Second Amendment. I highly recommend buying this DVD because of that! The only blemish that it has is the sound quality. I expected better sound with Dolby Digital and DVD quality.

I was walking around at the local dvd store yesterday looking for a nice movie to watch that same evening. My eye fell on Red Dawn, and I read what the back of the dvd said. I was tempted and it sounded like an interesting film, so I bought it and watched it.

Red Dawn follows the story of 8 teenagers that manage to escape an attack on their home town when world war III breaks out. They flee into the mountains and from there they attack the enemyforces with gurellia attacks. This leads to great, but also brutal action scenes, thrilling, but also disturbing situations and highly emotional scenes that show the human soul hurt and broke down.

As soon as the credits were rolling over the screen I was quiet and just gazed at the screen, thinking about what I had seen. The message had reached me loud and clear.

The casting of this film is well done. All of the actors act realistic and their emotion feels terribly real, which definitely helps you to feel for them. The cast contains famous stars that where all not that famous while starring in this film. It contains Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Road House, Ghost), Charlie Sheen (Platoon, Wall street), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future I, II and III) and Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing). The rest of the main cast is less famous (at least, to me), but still do one hell of a job bringing their characters to life that all feel like real personnes in stead of just a few movie characters.
The only thing that should have been different about this film is that you don't really get to know the characters before the war stars. After only about four minutes the attack starts, so you don't really know what kind of main characters you are dealing with. But when they are together and thinking what there can be done, you will see who is who and what kind of characters they are.

The film has a lot of action sequences and thrilling moments that will entertain action and war fans for sure. Also Drama fans are definitely on the right place with this movie cause it really touches you. Comedy fans will have to watch someplace else, cause there are only about two little jokes in the entire film, for the rest the film is shocking, realistic, even disturbing at some points and is definitely not for the faint of heart. It really shows what happens to people during war, how their feelings change, how their entire personality changes. The message is therefor loud and clear: war is terrible, changes people terribly and gives nothing more than destruction, pain and a lot of suffering.

The film has a true eighties look and helps to give the story a kind of gritty look. It is a well shot picture and although some of the camerapositions don't capture some expressions that well, it shows you what has to be shown. The sets are mostly outdoor and there are beautiful landscapes that help bring the story to life. It does not feel like being filmed in a backyard. The music is nice but isn't that present in all the scenes which is a pitty some times.

The film is still echoing in my mind. It sure left an impression on me and the film is an emotional journey that left me actually caring for the characters.
A film that I will remember for a long time to come.
How will it go with you? There is only one way to find out: watch this film and the message will be presented loud and clear to you.

Red dawn is a classic 80s movie from writer director John Milius. Milius also co wrote the screenplay for the brilliant Apocalypse Now which he shared an oscar nomination with Frances Ford Coppola.
I also learned this was the first movie to get a Pg-13 rating from the mpaa after public outcry of the violence in pg rated movies such as Indiana Jones and the temple of doom, and Gremlins.(movieweb)
I own about 1200 dvds and i actually do not have this one, so i will splurge and get this new collectors edition. I've listed some info below about the new version i found on the internet hopefully it helps. Thanks for reading.

Collectors Edition DVD

Release Date: July 17th, 2007
Edition: Collector's Edition DVD
Format: DVD
MPAA Rating: PG13
Studio: MGM
UPC: 027616081315
Production Year: 1984
Special Features:
Red Daw Rising - a retrospective look at the making of the film.
Building the Red Menace - what it took to make "World War III"
Military Training - this piece explores the extensive training that the actors had to go through in order to become convincing guerilla fighters
WWIII Comes To Town - This piece goes back to Las Vegas, New Mexico and finds out from locals and extras what happened when 'Red Dawn' came and turned their hometown into the fictional town of Calumet, Colorado and the center of World War III.
Genre: Action

Many years ago when this movie came out it was the type of movie that can scare you, since the concept of the world turning on us and the Russians taking over was not so impossible.

It reminded one of all the people that came before us who resisted what was wrong and either did or didn't live to tell their children about it.

It is a well acted film and a scary one. It is violent but it is meant to be, it doesn't sugar coat the cost of resistance but it makes the point on its necessity. It even gives us a sympathetic character as a foe who when observing his men ambushed is torn by the sight he often engineered.

Much like THE MISSION it is a distrubing film becasue of the truth of its message. Unlike THE MISSION it is a movie I can bear to see more than once since in the end right will prevail (but not on film), the fact that they are remembered rather that celebrated makes the most sailent point.

This is a very heavy movie and should be watched as such, unlike what some think it doesn't celebreate violence, but shows the personal price that must be paid for a good cause.

Bravo Milius!

I vividly remember seeing this movie when I was 10 years old living in Washington, D.C.. As a military brat, I was obsessed by all things military, but also keenly aware of the global political state of the world. Reagan ruled supreme, and a succession of weak Politburo puppets lived and died in the Kremlin. The mid-80's was a scary time for many.

It's easy twenty years later to dismiss the premise of Red Dawn as overblown and unrealistic. How things have changed since 1984.

Many reviewers have criticized this film for major plot holes and inconsistencies. I offer that these people have not actually viewed and absorbed the story elements portrayed by Red Dawn and John Milius.

1. It was clearly stated in the beginning of the film that the Soviet economy was suffering from back to back poor grain harvests. This is what triggered the attack on NATO and then the United States. Hungry people get desperate.

2. Nuclear weapons were used on strategic sites to disable key military installations and infrastructure. Many readers do not understand that since the 'invaders' would want to preserve the "Bread Basket" of the country, they wouldn't use tactical nuclear weapons. Battlefield nukes with small yields are strong enough to decimate with precision. They exist, but have never been used in combat.

3. The "Wolverines" were not acting alone. "Radio Free America" showed this. It was demonstrated in the movie that resistance was taking place all over the country. The U.S. has over 73,000,000 men of 'fighting age'. An enemy aims a gun at your home or family, show me one of those 75,000,000 who would not take up arms in defense.

4. The enemy used commercial airliners to invade the U.S. It's been done before. A bit of a stretch, but this is presented as fiction.

Some cheesy dialogue? Sure. Continuity problems? Maybe. Preachy? Sometimes, but this is a film of good over evil. Believable casting of teenagers. Sometimes wooden, sometimes moving, aren't people that way in real life?

Spineless European 20-somethings and the like say that this is just another example of American imperialism. I'd say ask your grandparents if they feel the same way as America sacrificed hundreds of thousands of lives to save your shores, while we were in no immediate danger. TWICE.

You spent your childhood living under the veil of security that the United States provided. My generation will repay your debt for the rest our our lives. Donations accepted.

THE WAR: A possible future result of the Cold War, where the Russians and Cubans try to join Vodka and cigars for WWIII, invade through commercial airliners, and take the U.S. from within. For the most part, this was made as a warning message to the Russians: Do NOT try it. If you invade, our effing teenagers are violent, will join the war, and will destroy you.

STORY: A group of Colorado high-schoolers (Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Gray, Lea Thompson) led by a recent graduate (Patrick Swayze), toughened under his watchful father's eyes, see their small town under siege from Russian and Cuban paratroopers. After initial doubt, they flee to the remote wilderness of the surrounding mountains when they see the opening salvo of WWIII. The commies thought the town a perfect strategic point for indoctrination and POW camps, but they didn't close the noose quick or tight enough. At first the kids are in the hills to survive, but soon they harden into guerilla soldiers, capable of ambivalently disemboweling a Russian, and making a Cuban-ear necklace without batting an eye.

PATRIOTISM: When the meet up Col. Andy Tanner (Powers Boothe), the kids learn that only China and England stand with the U.S., and that the rest of Europe is too busy doing their nails, sipping lattes, and being emo. Only through the survival instinct, ingenious military strategy, superior firepower, and sheer American will has the enemies cunning plan been stopped, as Tanner puts it, "Butt cold!" Protect this house!

FAVORITE BATTLE(S): Faced with their first encounter, the kids pull out bows, arrows, and a few of daddy's shotguns to destroy a couple Russian officers who are sight-seeing instead of fighting (typical officers). After a perfectly placed arrow between the shoulder blades, one Russian weeps like a little girl for her mother. When another gets impaled by the rain of shotgun shell, the impact snaps his spine like a dry toothpick. The last moron crawls to his jeep, dragging body parts, looking like he just lost a really long paintball game, and cries into microphone for God - as if he's not on America's side - before Patrick Swayze makes breezeway through the Russkie's mongoloid skull.

FAVORITE LINE: WOLVERINES!

THE MESSAGE: The worst decision any foreign Army could make is to invade America. Waaaaaay too many private citizens own weapons for any enemy to stop, and eventually the 2nd Amendment's true militia nature would end up causing the slaughter of all of those stupid enough to invade. DO NOT try it, commies.

In 1984, John Milius wrote and directed "Red Dawn", starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. It describes a joint Communist Cuban/Soviet invasion of the Rocky Mountains. Aside from its Cold War warning, it was an ode to the gun lobby. In an early scene, a pick-up truck has a bumper sticker reading "You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers." A Communist soldier then pries a gun from the hands of a dead Colorado resident. A group of high school football players who had been taught how to hunt, fish and live off the land by their dad, take to the mountains and form a guerilla unit, attacking the Communist occupiers in series of daring raids. In the end, the Communists are defeated and World War III is won. The high school boys are memorialized for their courage and daring in the early, dark days of the fight for freedom.

I have read many reviews of Red Dawn. Those who hate it do so for political reasons. They often repeat what they have heard from their fellow travelers. Often they claim that Wm Smith's character does not speak an intelligible Russian.
Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse and a Master's Degree in Russian Studies from UCLA. He taught Russian at UCLA before abandoning his Ph.D. studies for an MGM contract. He also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Munich while learning languages through the military. Smith is fluent in Russian, Serbo-Croatian, French and German. During the Korean War he was a Russian Intercept Interrogator and was awarded a Purple Heart. I found this same information from numerous sites. See the movie. Do your own research. Be an adult.

When this movie came out, the critics all salmmed it as a propaganda film about a communist invasion of the US. Actually, it is a film against war. Both sides are portrayed has having their share of good and bad.

While the plot pushes credibility a bit, you can identify with the characters because we all know people like them. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in their shoes.