L'aube rouge (1984)

It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

Kevin Reynolds (story), John Milius (screenplay)

Stars:

Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Swayze	...	Jed
C. Thomas Howell	...	Robert
Lea Thompson	...	Erica
Charlie Sheen	...	Matt
Darren Dalton	...	Daryl
Jennifer Grey	...	Toni
Brad Savage	...	Danny
Doug Toby	...	Aardvark
Ben Johnson	...	Mr. Mason
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Mr. Eckert
Ron O'Neal	...	Bella
William Smith	...	Strelnikov
Vladek Sheybal	...	Bratchenko
Powers Boothe	...	Andy
Frank McRae	...	Mr. Teasdale

Storyline

From out of the sky, Soviet, Nicaraguan, and Cuban troops begin landing on the football field of a Colorado high school. In a few seconds, the paratroopers have attacked the school and sent a group of teenagers fleeing into the mountains. Armed only with hunting rifles, pistols, and bows and arrows, the teens struggle to survive the bitter winter and the Soviet K.G.B. patrols hunting for them. Eventually, trouble arises when they kill a group of Soviet soldiers on patrol in the highlands. Soon they will wage their own guerrilla warfare against the invading Soviet troops under the banner of "Wolverines!"

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Plot Keywords:

russkies | teenage girl | propaganda | thin girl | invasion | 

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Taglines:

8:44 A.M. A full scale military invasion by foreign troops begins. Total surprise. Almost total success. A gang of high school kids become the last line of defense.

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

Tous publics

Did You Know?

Trivia

The illustration of Genghis Khan in the high school classroom at the beginning of the film is a caricature of writer and director John Milius.

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Goofs

When the Wolverines go up to the snow covered battlefield front line and are watching the fighting going on in the distance, you see a lone American tank and some American jets flying over dropping napalm and bombs. You then see one scene of an American F-111 fighter bomber jet aircraft flying, yet the audio of it is that of propellers of a twin engine transport type plane.

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Quotes

Tom Eckert: Boys.
Matt Eckert: Daddy. Dad.
Tom Eckert: Don't talk. Don't say anything. Let me look at ya. I knew I was right. I knew it. You're alive. I was tough on both of you. I did things that made you, made you hate me sometimes. You understand now, don't you?
Jed Eckert: What happened, dad? Why are you here? What'd you do?
Tom Eckert: Doesn't matter. One way or another, for one reason or another, we're all gone. It's all gone. Remember. Remember when you used to go in the park and play, and I used to put you two on the swings? Both of you were so damn ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

None of the actors are in the opening credits

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Connections

Referenced in Waiting for Ishtar (2017)

User Reviews

Wolverines!

Someone else before me wrote that a lot of people don't understand how believable this movie was in it's day. I have to agree with the author. I remember this movie as being pretty scary and pretty violent. I haven't seen it in a while but there's a lot of scenes that haunt me. One in particular is when several of the kids look for their parents at a concentration camp. Harry Dean Stanton gives a powerful performance that serves to show that he's a genuine actor. That scene is heartbreaking, as well as a scene that follows with Patrick Swayze breaking down in the snow covered woods. C. Thomas Howell vs. the helicopter. The ritual of the deer blood. Powers Boothe. The final battle and resolution. Yeah, it's a little much and these days, it wouldn't exactly fly but dammit Jim, I dug it at the time and I still do. I think everyone should see it, just so you can either remember or learn what it was like to live in a time when the general thinking was a little paranoid. I think the movie manages to capture at least that, being what it is, a paranoid fantasy of someone who probably has a huge gun collection in his concrete reinforced cellar. Rating: *** out of *****.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

12 September 1984 (France)

Also Known As:

L'aube rouge

Filming Locations:

Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,230,381, 12 August 1984

Gross USA:

$38,376,497

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,376,497

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Valkyrie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1