Red Dawn (1984) Directed by John Milius. Starring: Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson. IMDB says: “It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers bands together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.”
Few conflicts are as continuous or well-known as the United States against Russia. The great 1984 film Red Dawn, depicts a bleak turn of events in which the Soviet Union invades the continental United States. A brilliant piece of film-making, Red Dawn stars 1984 versions of Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey.
The film chronicles the events of a Soviet Union invasion of small Colorado town. After paratroopers are seen dropping in a field near the high school, a small group of students hastily arm themselves and seek refuge in the harsh wilderness bordering the town. As this rag-rag group of youths sees what is becoming of their city, and the country as whole, they know they have a responsibility to push back against their new Soviet overlords. Aided by a downed pilot, the youngsters are faced with a troubling reality, America as we know it has ceased to exist.
While this film portrays a dystopian alternate version of the 1980’s, the fear of such an invasion was anything but an impossibility. Set at the height of the second cold war, filmgoers would have been watching the late night news seeing images of soviet tanks moving through Afghanistan. It’s easy to see how viewers of this film could relate to what was happening on screen and in a sense arouse a sort of national pride, when such a small group of resistance fighters have the courage and strength to push back against an overwhelming enemy force.
As far as the actual movie-making goes, it’s a serviceable film. The plot is well put together but deviates significantly from the book upon which it is based. Opting for more tension between the resistance and the oppressors than the internal struggles of the group, the film went for a more superficial entertainment quality. The script is chock full of action, actually grabbing a Guiness Record for “the most violent film” with 2.23 violent acts per minute. Also of note, this film was the first use of the MPAAs PG-13 rating.
There are some downsides to this picture though. I felt as though the acting was a bit stiff, a bit too forced at times. Also, through a modern lens, most of what happens is over-the-top and a significant suspension of disbelief is required. Some of the set elements look a bit rushed but at the same time you can tell with certain pieces they producers really took their time and invested in creating realistic replicas. The effects are standard 80’s fare with nothing exceptional to write about.
Honestly, this isn’t the first film to come to mind when I think to the year 1984 in cinema but it is a solid film. I also feel like had I been alive to see this in theaters back then I would have been much more into it than I am in modern times. Still, with tensions between the US and Russia reaching a high point in recent months, this is one that’s worth a watch if for no other reason than to think about what could happen, and more importantly, what would you do?
OVERALL SCORE: 69%
