Patrick Swayze, Red Dawn, and Political Incorrectness

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[Ge0ffrey]

Has any mainstream media outlet mentioned the Patrick Swayze movie that made moonbats nuts during the Reagan era?

A Politically Incorrect Vision of Guerilla War by John Milius When Hollywood decides to make a “controversial” film, it is usually about a subject or theme that the Hollywood community, which tends to be to the left of the political spectrum, agrees on and the movie watching audience does not. In 1984, director John Milius, fresh from successful films like The Wind and the Lion and Conan the Barbarian, decided to create controversy in a different way. He made Red Dawn, a film depicting the Soviet invasion of the United States and the efforts of partisans, mainly high school kids, to fight them off. Hollywood has never forgiven Milius for doing this.

Red Dawn starts in the “near future” (from circa 1984), when NATO has collapsed, Mexico has fallen to Marxist revolution, and America, in essence, “stands alone.” A High School history class in a small town in Colorado is being treated to a lecture about Geingas Khan. Quietly, almost unobtrusively, a Soviet parachute unit is dropping down in the footfall field outside. The teacher is killed, students are killed, and pandemonium breaks out.

A group of students, along with an older youth played by Patrick Swayze, flee into the wilderness, armed with hunting rifles and supplies taken from a gas station/convenience store owned by one of their fathers. At first they survive by hunting and fishing, but soon find that their town is occupied by a Soviet Army that is also comprised of Cubans and Nicaraguans. An incident with some Russians soldiers occurs with the Russians winding up dead, weapons are captured, and the guerilla war is on.

[Clemenza]

Another great film that was DIRECTED by Milius is Big Wednesday, the only movie about surfing that I have ever enjoyed.

[Army Air Corps]

One thing that I always found strange about the plot is that the Chinese were on our side.

According to the film, the USSR nuked China and killed about half of the PRC population in the process. That seemed to upset the Chinese.

[Clemenza]

Places like New York City and San Francisco would fall relatively quickly, with the frou frou types running into exile as soon as the shooting started. Of course, this is assuming that our armed forces would fail to defend both cities (at this point, they would destroy ANY invasion of the US by China or Russia).

[21twelve]

Thanks for the “Rescue Dawn” reference. My son and I watched that a year or two ago and I couldn’t remember the name of the movie. My son (14 now) said “his name was Dieter something” ????!!! We also enjoyed “We Were Soldiers Once and Young” a year or so ago. I’m not for the gore and crap in most action flicks, and it is the rare exception that he gets to watch a “R” movie. But, I make exceptions when it is depicting a true story with a great motive behind it.

[Raven6]

"Maybe it was the intent of the director to show that war is dehumanizing to even the ‘good guys,..."

I think you are right in your assumption... War is a numbing experience. There is an old saying: "The first one you pay for, the rest are free." The longer you are there, the easier it (pulling the trigger) gets. The more of your own wounded and killed you see, the easier it gets.

For those that come home from war it causes mixed emotions. Some have "survivor's guilt" because they made it back when a buddy didn't. Some wake up everyday just happy to be alive, ask themselves "Am I a good person?" and then try to make up for whatever actions they took in war by making positive contributions anywhere they can. And others turn inward, building a wall of anger around themselves that they view as keeping themselves safe - it is hard for anyone to get through to them that they don't have to be at war anymore. I've seen all of these types...

Regards,
Raven6

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

The U.S. troop you made reference to in your post is Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell. In 2005, Marcus and his fellow Navy Seals encountered some Afghan “sheperds” while on patrol in Afghanistan, and the Seals let these Afghan locals go after debating whether or not to shoot them. The Afghans informed the Taliban of the Seals’ position, the Navy Seals came under heavy attack, and all of the Seals were killed expect for Marcus Luttrell, who was badly wounded. Marcus was rescued and won the Navy Cross. He is a good friend of Glenn Beck and has been a guest on Beck’s radio show a number of times, as well as a guest at Glenn Beck’s Connecticut home. Marcus, who lives in Texas, tells his amazing ordeal in his book “Lone Survivor.” He’s a true American hero.

[Double Tap]

Was he? I don’t remember him being it that.

[Tenacious 1]

A remake of Red Dawn?

I have to tell you, there is not much originality left in Hollywood these days. Just about everything out there is not a remake or a close replica of something that has been previously done. I was starting to like the book originated movies.

How about a 10 hour miniseries, Atlas Shrugged? I would watch that.

[FrogMom]

That is actually more realistic, to me.

[Tenacious 1]

In reality an enemy would have to bleed for every inch.

We sure hope so. It is vital to our national security that this perception by our current and future enemies remains staunch.

"An invasion of America is unaccaptable. There would be a gun behind every blade of grass." -- Roughly translated...

[Kozak]

I was in the AF at the time was amazed at how good a job they did copying things like the ZSU 23-4 mobile antiaircraft unit and the Hind helicopters for the movie.

[Centurion2000]

good list.

[PapaBear3625]

The main problem is the supposition that a consortium of Mexicans, Russkies, Cubans and other left-wing statists could launch a successful invasion of the USA.

The Mexicans have already accomplished a successful invasion of the US. Why does it surprise you?

Using Mexico as a staging area, plus having pre-positioned people in all the cities, it could be done. This was why we had the Monroe Doctrine in our country's early days.

[angkor]

>>>> I just watched (in bits and pieces) ‘Rescue Dawn’, about Lt. Dieter Dengler’s shoot down and epic escape from Laos in 1965. <<<<

Aside from the camo problem, you should watch it start to finish.

IMO it’s one of the great recent films, Christian Bale does an incredible acting job as Dengler, and the rest of the cast is also pretty darned great.

[Riley]

Aside from the camo problem, you should watch it start to finish.

Doing that today. It was late last night before I got to giving it a cursory look. First thing that I wanted to see was if he was rescued by a boots-on-the-ground SOG 'BRIGHT LIGHT' operation, as I *thought* I remembered having read. I wanted to see how that was represented on film.

So far, it's pretty good.

[Ditto]

I liked most of it, but I remember being very disappointed by one scene where the wolverines committed a war crime by shooting an unarmed prisoner. Maybe it was the intent of the director to show that war is dehumanizing to even the ‘good guys,’ but that scene sort of ruined the movie for me, because up until that point, the wolverines were all heroes to my young mind.

It would be a reality, 'good guys' or not. They were a small force of irregulars, living off the land with no fixed base of operations and no 'extras' or facilities to hold POWs.

War is hell.

[GOPJ]

“Red Dawn” was a big “f” you to American liberals, the Soviet Union, the Cubans and the Nicaraguans at a point in time when all these groups richly deserved it. (Then again, they still do).

I wonder if the liberals hit him with something that caused the cancer... ACORN would probably tell them how to get the chemicals and administer them...

[dfwgator]

He was in the scene when Ferris’ sister was at the Police Station.

[The Comedian]

In reality an enemy would have to bleed for every inch.

Really? I don't recall any gunfire at Obama's inauguration...

[DallasDeb]

My boys and I loved it! I’m sure you and yours will, too. I still enjoy watching it on occassion.