Bat*21 (1988)

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers:

William C. Anderson (book), William C. Anderson (screenplay),

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Jerry Reed

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Hackman	...	Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
Danny Glover	...	Capt. Bartholomew 'Bird-Dog' Clark
Jerry Reed	...	Col. George Walker
David Marshall Grant	...	Ross Carver
Clayton Rohner	...	Sgt. Harley Rumbaugh
Erich Anderson	...	Maj. Jake Scott
Joe Dorsey	...	Col. Douglass
Michael Ng	...	Vietnamese Man (as Rev. Michael Ng)
Theodore Chan Woei-Shyong	...	Boy on Bridge
Don Ruffin	...	Helicopter Crew
Scott Howell	...	Helicopter Crew
Michael Raden	...	Helicopter Crew
Timothy Fitzgerald	...	EB-66 Officer
Stuart B. Hagen	...	EB-66 Officer
Jeffrey Baxter	...	Helicopter Gunner (as Jeff Baxter)

Storyline

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route based on golf courses he has played. Along the way however, he has to face enemy forces and the death of some of his fellow soldiers.

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Plot Keywords:

missile | escape | vietcong | rescue | reconnaissance | 

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Taglines:

Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Air force - BAT 21

Filming Locations:

Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Box Office

Gross:

$3,966,256 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bat 21 Limited L.P., Eagle, TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The true events surrounding this story were still classified at the time of production. Ltc Hambleton was rescued by Navy SEAL LT Tom Norris and Vietnamese SEAL Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet using a canoe to infiltrate to Hambleton's position and rescue him. LT Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

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Goofs

Though the movie shows the flight crews wearing them, the first David Clark headset was not introduced until 1975, 3 years after the Hambleton rescue and after or near the end of the war itself.

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Quotes

[as Capt. Bartholomew Clark flies away in a helicopter on an unauthorized flight]
Col. George Walker: When he gets back, I want him thrown in the brig!
Sgt. Harley Rumbaugh: We don't have a brig, Sir!
Col. George Walker: I'll build one!

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Connections

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

User Reviews

A true master in Escape and Evasion

To this day I am still amazed at how well Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton was able to formulate a plan on as we say in the military, "To Get the Hell out of Dodge".

This movie didn't rely on the most sophisticated special effects to make it good. It relied mainly on the two main characters to create a good dialog between them.

For any war buffs out there, this was a good movie to sit back and watch the some of the more unique tactics used to survive in bad situations.