Born American [DVD] [1985] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Your milage may vary; but I found this movie white-knuckle intense and extremely provocative. There is little danger of giving away the plot; it is not particularly complex. Three stupid, arrogant American teenagers tempt fate by crossing an unguarded gate from Finland to the former USSR, which at the time was very much the USSR and a Very Bad Place for Americans. They make photographs of themselves on the wrong side of the gate. So far so good, but then they get lost and go the wrong way right into the hands of the Russians who mistake them for spies. Some interesting subplots are also happening that keep things moving, that I'll keep a secret for ya. I can promise you one thing: If you are American, after seeing this, you'll salute the flag, think real hard before traveling overseas and I'll bet you never photograph yourself on the wrong side of an international border!

I saw this movie when it originally came out, and I've recently acquired the DVD to give it a second go-round.

This movie is laughably bad. The only reason this gets more than one star from me is because we get so see a nostalgic view of how cold-war angst is used to whip up some good old fashioned anti-Soviet patriotic fervor via cinema (there was even a bit of controversy relating to this when the film was due to be released). It kind of makes me yearn for my youth, like when you catch a whiff of something that smells like the breakfast mom used to make....

However, this movie is no Red Dawn. Yes, it's bad, but what makes it so disappointing is that the premise is so good. Three young Americans taking a precollege trip to Europe decide to toy with Soviet border guards while in Finland. Yet despite the fact that due to their arrogance, ignorance, machismo, two of the main characters are completely unlikable, yet with the mysterious presence of a third, a (presumably) smart, geeky kid (why are the other two even friends with him?) who continually warns against the ill-advised actions of the other two with dire prognostications, the viewer is able to stick with the film until all three characters are rapidly drawn into a very promising setup. The trio are briefly captured by Soviet border guards, but then manage to escape in the hopes of making their way back to the Finish border. The promise of of the bloodshed, mayhem, and insanity that's sure to follow is enticing...

Unfortunately, beginning with the general unlikeability of 2/3 of the main cast, the movie goes rapidly downhill. Outrageously silly combat scenes, bad acting (especially from Mike Norris), and completely ridiculous plot developments begin the demise of this movie after only ten minutes in. And don't forget one of the worst ever 80's training montages to be found ANYWHERE.

The film has a few bright spots, but nothing worth mentioning. Only those with a penchant for low-budget films, bad 80's movies, or Cold War related themes will find anything of interest here. To all others, the film has very little to offer, except its worth as an unintentional comedy.

I believe I saw this movie as a teen, but the ending differed from what I remembered. Were there different endings for this film? I recall that all three Americans escaped into an arctic wasteland, with the injured geek character eventually being dragged along like a human sled, and eventually dying of his wounds. Then the last two were confronted by armed men, who they believe to be Soviet troops who've tracked them down, but they turn out to be Norwegian border guards instead, and thus the surviving characters escape. This is totally different than the ending on my copy of the DVD (where only the Mike Norris character survives, escaping with a female Russian prisoner).

This is the first full length feature film in the mysterious career of Renny Harlin. While Harlin has a few decent movie credits to his name (such as Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight), most of his films are crap... not saying that they don't make money. And since there will always be that segment of cinema that is fueled by young people who are willing to pay money to see any kind of junk (and yes, I and describing myself here as I was when I went to see Born American when it first came out), I submit that anyone, with enough luck and hard work, can eventually become a successful writer or director so long as they have a creative premise, even if poorly executed.

BORN AMERICAN opens with a young girl fleeing in the snow from a heavy-set middle-aged man who seems intent on harming her.

Next, we see three American college students on a fun vacation in Finland. They rent a jalopy and drive north toward the Arctic Circle, guzzling beer the whole way. After an outdoor "rest stop," a boy with the unlikely name of Savoy Brown (the son of Chuck Norris) stupidly suggests they cross the Russian border on foot and at night.

They're armed with rifles and a hunting bow. The weakest of them, K.C. (Coburn) carries an SLR camera with a telephoto lens. It's no surprise then that Soviet border guards believe these quickly-detected intruders to be agent provocateurs.

The boys flee to a tiny village where they're captured by locals and dragged to the open casket funeral of the girl we've previously seen running. The Orthodox priest performing her ceremony is the man who apparently pursued, caught and murdered this unfortunate, yet the angry townspeople believe the three Americans are responsible!

Trigger-happy soldiers arrive; total chaos ensues: explosions, fire, soldiers killed, the targets captured. After being brought to a gulag, the frightened K.C. and Savoy agree with a mean-looking interrogator's charge that they are spies. The more belligerant Mitch (Durham) shows open contempt and he's brutally tortured with electric shocks delivered through alligator clips attached to his nipples.

Uncooperative Mitch is sent to the prison's underbelly; he's brainwashed and used as a human chess piece in a game where the losers die. Savoy and K.C. are placed in a cell; their clothes and possessions stolen by other inmates. The story becomes one of survival under the worst of conditions and eventual escape. Not all of them would make it out alive.

Related item:
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978) is the true story of an American arrested in Turkey for hashish smuggling and imprisoned for life in an absolute hellhole.

Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(4.6) Born American (USA/Finland-1986) - Mike Norris/Steve Durham/David Coburn/Thalmus Rasulala/Albert Salmi

BORN AMERICAN opens with a young girl fleeing in the snow from a heavy-set middle-aged man who seems intent on harming her.

Next, we see three American college students on a fun vacation in Finland. They rent a jalopy and drive north toward the Arctic Circle, guzzling beer the whole way. After an outdoor "rest stop," a boy with the unlikely name of Savoy Brown (the son of Chuck Norris) stupidly suggests they cross the Russian border on foot and at night.

They're armed with rifles and a hunting bow. The weakest of them, K.C. (Coburn) carries an SLR camera with a telephoto lens. It's no surprise then that Soviet border guards believe these quickly-detected intruders to be agent provocateurs.

The boys flee to a tiny village where they're captured by locals and dragged to the open casket funeral of the girl we've previously seen running. The Orthodox priest performing her ceremony is the man who apparently pursued, caught and murdered this unfortunate, yet the angry townspeople believe the three Americans are responsible!

Trigger-happy soldiers arrive; total chaos ensues: explosions, fire, soldiers killed, the targets captured. After being brought to a gulag, the frightened K.C. and Savoy agree with a mean-looking interrogator's charge that they are spies. The more belligerant Mitch (Durham) shows open contempt and he's brutally tortured with electric shocks delivered through alligator clips attached to his nipples.

Uncooperative Mitch is sent to the prison's underbelly; he's brainwashed and used as a human chess piece in a game where the losers die. Savoy and K.C. are placed in a cell; their clothes and possessions stolen by other inmates. The story becomes one of survival under the worst of conditions and eventual escape. Not all of them would make it out alive.

"Born American" is available in edited form on a discontinued DVD.

Related item:
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978) is the true story of an American arrested in Turkey for hashish smuggling and imprisoned for life in an absolute hellhole. (VHS) (DVD)

Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(4.6) Born American (USA/Finland-1986) - Mike Norris/Steve Durham/David Coburn/Thalmus Rasulala/Albert Salmi

Well, absolutely the film of the year 1986! Real masterpiece in it's own genre. Nice casting, including lot of well known Finnish actors like: Vesa Vierikko, Ismo Kallio and Sari Havas. Renny Harlin and Markus Selin really made the film, which still make conversation and sometimes even headlines in the papers.
After fifteen years on it's theatrical premiere "Born American" is now available on DVD video format. I think that's first time when audience around the world has possibility to see that Cold War epic adventure on it's real form: Uncut and the kind of, what Harlin and Selin meant it to be shown!