All in all, this flick is OK. I was ten when it came on TV, and at that age, you know I loved flying. William Devane has always been a favorite of mine, and here he was terrific, intense. Barry Bostwick's weapons officer, Heinz, loved giving lip to people, and in one scene, Devane had a part on his plane break that cost 79 cents. Devane vented his feeling with the line, "You tell that bastard Heinz to watch his mouth, or his face will be worth 79 cents!" Most actors couldn't pull of that line the way he did. See this flick for him, even if you're not a fan. And the Navy doesn't have all the good films. Just so our friend from Texas knows.
5 Reviews
Beware ! ... fans of William Devane .........................
merklekranz7 June 2010
With William Devane prominently displayed as top billing on the DVD cover, one would like to have seen a lot more of him in "Red Flag". Unfortunately, even though he has a pivotal role, his screen time is not great. Speaking of not great, one would wrongly assume that this was a flying movie, while in reality it seems more like a "chick flick" masquerading as a war games film. There is way too much emotional hand holding compared to action sequences. The simulated dogfights take a back seat and the entire movie grinds to a halt every time females appear on the screen. I cannot recommend "Red Flag" as a William Devane vehicle, nor as an action film. - MERK
Not Top Gun
BandSAboutMovies22 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Major Phil Clark (William Devane) and Major Jay Rivers (Barry Bostwick) flew together in Vietnam and ten years later, they're assigned to the elite Red Flag Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB, Nevada. Clark is loud and self-confident while Rivers is a quiet man, but they have a great friendship. Yet when Rivers starts showing up his mentor Clark, can they stay pals?
Chuck Yeager was the advisor on this and you get some great F-4 Phantoms in flight, but a lot of this is on the ground relationship drama between Rivers and his wife Marie, who is played by Joan Van Ark.
The IMDB trivia page for this - and the goofs - are filled with deep military knowledge, so if you want to know what medals Devane has or why some parts are wrong, well, there are some servicemen happy to help.
Red Flag: The Ultimate Game was directed by Don Taylor, who made Stalag 17, Ride the Wild Surf, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Final Countdown, The Island of Dr. Moreau and Damian: Omen II. The script was written by T. S. Cook, who also wrote The China Syndrome.
Chuck Yeager was the advisor on this and you get some great F-4 Phantoms in flight, but a lot of this is on the ground relationship drama between Rivers and his wife Marie, who is played by Joan Van Ark.
The IMDB trivia page for this - and the goofs - are filled with deep military knowledge, so if you want to know what medals Devane has or why some parts are wrong, well, there are some servicemen happy to help.
Red Flag: The Ultimate Game was directed by Don Taylor, who made Stalag 17, Ride the Wild Surf, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Final Countdown, The Island of Dr. Moreau and Damian: Omen II. The script was written by T. S. Cook, who also wrote The China Syndrome.
Hokey at best.
leartest23 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This film was released right as I graduated from Aggressor training (64th FWS)and was an embarrassment. Even as a chick-flick, it was poor. I believe they used Yeager as the technical adviser---he is a giant in the flight test world but, in spite of his WW2 "Ace" status, either had no clue about what was going on at Nellis in 1981 or else he was overridden by the director---I strongly suspect it was the latter. The acting was mediocre; TV soaps are better, and the things like the female squadron maintenance officer on the flight line during flight ops in her uniform skirt wearing her beret is ridiculous. Oh, the real gem was the F-4 puke's wife whining to the flight surgeon that her hubby was so obsessed with beating the evil Aggressor that he couldn't cut the mustard! Unless you want to see a couple of shots of F-5E's, save your time and money.
After The Final Countdown but before Top Gun, there was...
shyjones219 August 2002
Warning: Spoilers
**************Possible Spoiler****************** Don Taylor of The Final Countdown brings us this made for TV Air Force movie that doesn't bang nearly as hard as his Navy film. Hardly any close ups are taken and sadly, the writing sometimes makes these Red Flag pilots seem clueless to the Ultimate Game of dogfighting. Barry Bostwick is out of his element having dyed his hair brown instead of his natural white...Barry isn't Barry without white hair. Despite its shortcomings, this is a GREAT flick full of rivalry, betrayal, competition, egos and military hardware. F-4s and F-5s whirl around over the desert, chasing each other for the short opportunity to call out "guns guns guns" for 12 frames on their opponent. Yes, anyone into "movies with jets" will enjoy.
By the way, Navy still has all the cool movies...
By the way, Navy still has all the cool movies...
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