Bat*21 (1988)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Vietnam | Punctuation In Title | Asterisk In Title | Digit In Title

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
Danny Glover	...	Capt. Bartholomew 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
Reverend 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)

Also Known As:

Bat 21 (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Company:

Bat 21 Limited L.P.

Trivia:

The true story's ending was quite different. Navy SEAL LT Tom Norris and Vietnamese SEAL Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet took a sampan in to pick up Col. Hambleton after repeated attempts failed with major losses of helicopters and men. LT Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Capt. Clark "borrows" the helicopter of his superior, the shadow of the camera helicopter can be seen on top of the clouds.

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!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

Good Vietnam war action/drama

Good Vietnam war action/drama which has great acting but has nothing much different to offer to a person who has seen many other Vietnam War movies.Don't get me wrong,this movie is good but nothing really spectacular either.As I said,nothing new here.Some very touching scenes and also some very average ones as well.Good battle scenes although nothing original and not done before.Good for Vietnam war movie fans and big fans of the lead actors.For those who like this film,see FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER also which is much much better than this one...........