Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageRed Dawn (1984)
Director: John Milius
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This imagines a Russo/Cuban invasion of the American heartland by crack airborne troops. Despite scrupulously reconstructed tank battles and partisan raids, its military thesis is patently ridiculous: why would the Russians ignore the massive lessons they learned against Napoleon and Hitler to instigate a suicidal conventional invasion of the American mainland? They wouldn't, but any other scenario, including the obvious nuclear one which Milius ducks, leaves no room for the patriotic struggle he wants to show. Paranoia can of course be an excellent dynamic for movie-makers, and within its own dream-like structure, Red Dawn is both compelling and witty (the town's drive-in becomes a 're-education camp'). But it also contains moments that are repulsive in the grand right wing tradition, all the more so since Milius, who once held the fascination of a rebel, is here voicing sentiments that the Reagan administration actually believes.Author: DP
Cast & crew
Director: John Milius
Producer: Buzz Feitshans, Barry Beckerman
Cast: Patrick Swayze, C Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, Darren Dalton, Ben Johnson, Harry Dean Stanton, Powers Boothe, Ron O'Neal, Vladek Sheybal full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Duration: 114 mins
Top Stories
Ridley Scott interview
Director Ridley Scott tells Cath Clarke why he's making a science fiction comeback
Cannes Film Festival 2012: half-time report
Dave Calhoun reports on the hits, misses and a shocking new masterpiece from Michael Haneke
What do you think?
Post your review now