Red Dawn (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 | thin girl | invasion | russian villain | high school | 

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Taglines:

The invading armies planned for everything - except for eight kids called "The Wolverines."

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish

Release Date:

10 August 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ten Soldiers

Filming Locations:

Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,230,381, 12 August 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,376,497

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists,Valkyrie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (4 channels)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first motion picture released with an MPAA PG-13 rating, on August 10, 1984. (The Flamingo Kid (1984), the first film to get a PG-13 rating, sat on the shelves for five months before release.)

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Goofs

When Jed and two of his friends first return to town, it is obviously day, probably morning. They pass under a stenciled sign announcing a curfew. They enter a store where they meet the young woman operating the shop. When they ask her about their parents, she whispers that no one is supposed to talk about it, but that all the dangerous residents were sent to a re-education camp. In the next scene, it is now night and presumably after curfew, and not only are Jed and his friends walking around the perimeter of the re-education camp, they are even allowed to talk to the people incarcerated on the other side of the fence. Awfully lax security for a facility no one's even supposed to talk about.

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Quotes

Toni: [her dying words, to Jed] Go on ahead. I'm just gonna stay here and listen to the wind a while, okay?
[He gives her a grenade, pulls the pin for her and kisses her goodbye; she then rigs herself as a boobytrap]

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Crazy Credits

None of the actors are in the opening credits

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Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

User Reviews

Ditto that !

'Far Off Gone' is right on with that summary.

As a teen when this movie came out, us kids had grown up with Cold War news every night on TV. All these ICBMs being made, the 'Star Wars' defense initiative (SDI), even movies like 'War Games' contributed to a overall climate of concern about Russian/USA relations.

Then this movie hit theaters and us teens and younger adults felt we weren't so powerless after all. I can only speak for myself, but the opening scene was very sobering to a 18 year old kid who could relate to the dumbfounded kids in the classroom watching Soviet paratroopers hitting the schoolyard. I guess its one of those things where you had to be at the age and grown up in that era to really understand how the movie was received for its time.

The cast is chock full of stars in their younger years, and acting isn't bad either. Great movie and certainly worth watching at least once.