It is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.It is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.It is the dawn of World War III. In the west mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFive of the 36 paratroopers in the beginning of the film got blown as much as a mile off-course during filming. One got stuck in a tree, and had to convince locals that he wasn't really an enemy soldier.
- GoofsWhen the boys get to the mountains and are arguing about turning themselves in, right before Jed shows them the shot up radio you can see two men in the background with mustaches and sunglasses on. These are obviously not one of the actors because none of them have mustaches.
- Quotes
Col. Andy Tanner: All that hate's gonna burn you up, kid.
Robert: It keeps me warm.
- Crazy creditsNone of the actors are in the opening credits
Featured review
I saw this movie as a teenage not long after it was released on video for the first (and not the last!) time. I watched a large part of it tonight on TBS, and while watching, I tried to recall my initial thoughts when I saw it as a youth.
I do remember liking it as a teenager, though I also remember that I did find the premise a bit hard to swallow. (America placed in such a vulnerable position and without any real allies? And being overrun so quickly?) Still, there WAS still a threat of some kind between the two superpowers. Seeing people my age forced to flee, and then fight back for their freedom was something I'd never seen before - usually teenagers were characters in sex comedies. I suppose that's why this movie stuck so much in my mind, and I'd imagine myself in such a situation, fighting and killing those damned bloodthirsty commies!
Seeing the movie again was very interesting. The action scenes are still good, the movie travels at a swift pace, the cinematography is impressive. I also saw signs that writer/director Milius, though right-wing in real life, wasn't taking everything seriously here. Witness the scene where a tank pulls up to a small gas station and we hear "ding-ding!"
While watching, though, I was struck by my change of viewing, due to the end of the cold war. Did I really feel any kind of fear or threat? Of course, times are different now. But still...quite interesting to see how different your feelings are fifteen years later.
It makes you wonder: In 15 years, how will we react to the politics of action movies in the late 90s, with our enemies now being Arab terrorist. Could we be thinking differently in 2014? Quite possible.
I do remember liking it as a teenager, though I also remember that I did find the premise a bit hard to swallow. (America placed in such a vulnerable position and without any real allies? And being overrun so quickly?) Still, there WAS still a threat of some kind between the two superpowers. Seeing people my age forced to flee, and then fight back for their freedom was something I'd never seen before - usually teenagers were characters in sex comedies. I suppose that's why this movie stuck so much in my mind, and I'd imagine myself in such a situation, fighting and killing those damned bloodthirsty commies!
Seeing the movie again was very interesting. The action scenes are still good, the movie travels at a swift pace, the cinematography is impressive. I also saw signs that writer/director Milius, though right-wing in real life, wasn't taking everything seriously here. Witness the scene where a tank pulls up to a small gas station and we hear "ding-ding!"
While watching, though, I was struck by my change of viewing, due to the end of the cold war. Did I really feel any kind of fear or threat? Of course, times are different now. But still...quite interesting to see how different your feelings are fifteen years later.
It makes you wonder: In 15 years, how will we react to the politics of action movies in the late 90s, with our enemies now being Arab terrorist. Could we be thinking differently in 2014? Quite possible.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Amanecer rojo
- Filming locations
- Johnson Mesa, New Mexico, USA(Utah badlands setting)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $17,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $38,376,497
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,230,381
- Aug 12, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $38,376,497
- Runtime1 hour 54 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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