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Red Dawn opens with one of the most shocking scenes ever filmed: On a peaceful morning, paratroopers land in Smalltown, USA--the invasion of America has begun. As their town is overrun by foreign forces, eight friends escape to the mountains. Calling themselves the Wolverines, this band of untrained, yet fiercely determined patriots wages an unremitting guerilla action in defence of their parents, their friends and their country.
Powerful, chilling and absolutely gripping, this outstanding film features Patrick Swayze (Ghost), C.Thomas Howell (Hidalgo), Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City), Charlie Sheen (Platoon), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (The Green Mile).
Powerful, chilling and absolutely gripping, this outstanding film features Patrick Swayze (Ghost), C.Thomas Howell (Hidalgo), Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City), Charlie Sheen (Platoon), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) and veteran actor Harry Dean Stanton (The Green Mile).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Maciej
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
I confess that I always liked this movie, although I am aware that it is not a major (or even a major minor) one. But a story about USA under communist occupation is something you do not see every day - and it is not so badly made. The fighting scenes are more credible than not, decors are well chosen (Rocky Mountains) and the story is really not so silly at all. The fight with the MI-24 helicopters in itself is worth the price of the DVD location. In fact, this movie can surprise you, so if you feel like a little cinematographic curiosity with your popcorn - go get it. And after that you can always start a conversation with "Well, I just saw a great movie with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey" and when you get the answer "Sure, the Dirty dancing", you can answer smugly "Not at all"! That is worth a couple of bucks!
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Pete Murphy
Format:DVD
John Milius (director and writer) lets himself down a bit with this film. Although it's not an absolute stinker, it does suffer from the fact that Milius always wanted to be a general in the US army and it's almost like he made this film for that reason alone. The dialogue isn't as good as he's produced in previous films like The Wind And The Lion or Conan the Barbarian, the action sequences seem a bit restrained too, but there's no denying his ability to shoot a gorgeous landscape.
Harry Dean Stanton chews up the scenery in a small supporting role and probably gives the stand-out performance of the film, despite his limited screen time. The cluster of Brat Packers do their jobs well enough without ever lighting up the screen, held back by a lacklustre script that doesn't give anyone the opportunity to really shine.
You just can't take this kind of film seriously even though at the time the plot concerning a communist (Cuban/Russian/Central American) invasion of the US may well have been at the back of the collective American mind.
20 years on it might look like pro American chest beating, but really it's a view from "the other side of the coin", a kind of Vietnam war in reverse, and makes you think about the ambiguities of war and friendship, in fact post September 11th it's almost poignant - where's the line between terrorist and freedom fighter? It's possible for someone to be both, it just alters according to which side you're on. Not that that makes Red Dawn a decent film - even at the time of its release it was a guily pleasure, and pleasures don't come much more guilty than this.
Harry Dean Stanton chews up the scenery in a small supporting role and probably gives the stand-out performance of the film, despite his limited screen time. The cluster of Brat Packers do their jobs well enough without ever lighting up the screen, held back by a lacklustre script that doesn't give anyone the opportunity to really shine.
You just can't take this kind of film seriously even though at the time the plot concerning a communist (Cuban/Russian/Central American) invasion of the US may well have been at the back of the collective American mind.
20 years on it might look like pro American chest beating, but really it's a view from "the other side of the coin", a kind of Vietnam war in reverse, and makes you think about the ambiguities of war and friendship, in fact post September 11th it's almost poignant - where's the line between terrorist and freedom fighter? It's possible for someone to be both, it just alters according to which side you're on. Not that that makes Red Dawn a decent film - even at the time of its release it was a guily pleasure, and pleasures don't come much more guilty than this.
There's not much to say about the DVD really - it's got a functional 1.85:1 non anamorphic picture (that looks more like it's cropped at the sides from 2.
... Read more ›2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By wicksy1963
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great to see this classic film on Blu Ray format. Buyers however should be aware the transfer is a haze of grain , I suppose if it had been cleaned up and interfered with we would complain about that as well.
compared to the standard dvd though I was quite shocked to see its a marvelous improvement over the dvd, the dvd looks blurry , the blu ray is very bright, sharp, Anamorphic and the sound has been remastered as well. A mixed bag on blu ray this one, diffucult to say if it's worth upgrading or not.
A lot of people are going to be dissapointed though.
compared to the standard dvd though I was quite shocked to see its a marvelous improvement over the dvd, the dvd looks blurry , the blu ray is very bright, sharp, Anamorphic and the sound has been remastered as well. A mixed bag on blu ray this one, diffucult to say if it's worth upgrading or not.
A lot of people are going to be dissapointed though.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Torasan
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Yes I bought this because it was referenced in American Dad. Personally I love the setting, the concept and was really looking forward to watching this. However I was sorely disappointed. This film is soo slow; it goes at a snails pace. Honestly they could have cut its excessive run time in half and made it half decent. There are good points to this film but there only worth finding if your a die hard fan of one of the cast / director. If your looking for an entertaining war movie this isn't it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Risible script at times, the baddies are from a pantomime somewhere, and the good guys are somewhat apt to burst into tears like they had all the backbone of big girls' blouses. But there is action now and then, and it all rolls along well enough as a tale. Simple-minded in other words, but watchable.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By dino
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm just writing a brief review for fans of this movie who are wondering if it's worth upgrading to Bluray: it definitely is. The cinematography looks glorious on Bluray, especially the scenes shot in the mountains. There's a noticeable about of grain in many scenes, but I like that.
The film itself is still a treat. It's about a group of teenagers who use guerrilla tactics to fight back against a communist invasion of America. The film is a bit cheesy at first("Avenge me"!), but when the action starts it's a entertaining war movie, with excellent battle scenes and spunky acting from the young cast. Don't take it too seriously and you'll have great fun watching it.
The film itself is still a treat. It's about a group of teenagers who use guerrilla tactics to fight back against a communist invasion of America. The film is a bit cheesy at first("Avenge me"!), but when the action starts it's a entertaining war movie, with excellent battle scenes and spunky acting from the young cast. Don't take it too seriously and you'll have great fun watching it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I'm not an American or a conservative and yet I have always liked this movie.
This is a fascinating piece of Reagan-era propaganda with the simple message that the Monroe Doctrine, NATO and the 2nd Amendment are well justified in the Cold War. Cubans (!), Nicaraguans (!!) and Russians manage an audacious and utterly implausible invasion of the USA following a revolution in Mexico and a collapse of NATO (although the British are still on-side with their one-time colony) and it's down to a group of Colorado students calling themselves the Wolverines (led by Patrick Swayze and including a young Charlie Sheen) to resist. Oh, and Harry Dean Stanton is their dad.
The complexities of the occupation are well thought through in order to justify a certain political world view (particularly that the US government should not have been keeping records of US citizens who own firearms)and the visuals are wonderful; the signature landing of Soviet paratroopers in a school field is quite jarring and well done.
The movie takes a dark turn towards its end- resistance does seem futile and the Wolverines suffer hard felt casualties. The movie does not give a simple or easy resolution to the occupation and the ending (without spoiling it) offers no easy fixes and is quite bleak.
While I may disagree with the movie's politics, Red Dawn is a damn good film which can be enjoyed by pinkos...sorry... liberals and non-Americans alike.
This is a fascinating piece of Reagan-era propaganda with the simple message that the Monroe Doctrine, NATO and the 2nd Amendment are well justified in the Cold War. Cubans (!), Nicaraguans (!!) and Russians manage an audacious and utterly implausible invasion of the USA following a revolution in Mexico and a collapse of NATO (although the British are still on-side with their one-time colony) and it's down to a group of Colorado students calling themselves the Wolverines (led by Patrick Swayze and including a young Charlie Sheen) to resist. Oh, and Harry Dean Stanton is their dad.
The complexities of the occupation are well thought through in order to justify a certain political world view (particularly that the US government should not have been keeping records of US citizens who own firearms)and the visuals are wonderful; the signature landing of Soviet paratroopers in a school field is quite jarring and well done.
The movie takes a dark turn towards its end- resistance does seem futile and the Wolverines suffer hard felt casualties. The movie does not give a simple or easy resolution to the occupation and the ending (without spoiling it) offers no easy fixes and is quite bleak.
While I may disagree with the movie's politics, Red Dawn is a damn good film which can be enjoyed by pinkos...sorry... liberals and non-Americans alike.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally loved it
Totally loved this film got. It because its Patrick swayze and would recommend it to every one well worh the watch
Published 18 days ago by Gail wright
3.0 out of 5 stars
wolverines!!!
ok - its not a good film, and not particularly bad either. Big hair is the thing.
Its a gem seeing a film that takes the (ooh! Read more
Its a gem seeing a film that takes the (ooh! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tim
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oldie but goody
I used to have this YEARS ago, bought it again recently. Forgot how good it was. Great show by Patrick Swaze. Can't wait to see the new one.
Published 2 months ago by Jacqui
5.0 out of 5 stars
Red dawn awesome
I bought this for my son who had seen a review - it is simply a great watch! You'll be too engrossed to have popcorn!
Published 2 months ago by Jojo
4.0 out of 5 stars
good film
watched this years ago on video and fancied it again with the new one coming out, enjoyed it all over again
Published 2 months ago by chris andrew
4.0 out of 5 stars
good bit of Nostalgia
good bit of Nostalgia, a very likeable movie not to be taken seriously of course but the storyline is good and entertaining with soon good battle scenes
Published 3 months ago by A. E. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars
Old but not bad
Enjoyed seeing it again.The last time I saw this was on Southern Television. This station now extinct for some years.
Published 5 months ago by Michael Gaston
1.0 out of 5 stars
Still Waiting!
Still waiting for my DVD a month down the line after ordering it.
When I contacted the company, they told me to contact my sorting office. Read more
When I contacted the company, they told me to contact my sorting office. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Keith Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
80's paranoia
I could vaguely remember this film from my youth, so I thought why not at the price. It was everything I remember, cheesy acting, Soviet paranoia,American Bravery winning out. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Vasquez
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