Bat*21 (1988)

During the Vietnam War, Colonel Hambleton's aircraft is shot down over enemy territory and a frantic rescue operation ensues.

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers:

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

Stars:

Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Jerry Reed

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Hackman	...	Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton
Danny Glover	...	Captain Bartholomew Clark
Jerry Reed	...	Colonel George Walker
David Marshall Grant	...	Ross Carver
Clayton Rohner	...	Sgt. Harley Rumbaugh
Erich Anderson	...	Major Jake Scott
Joe Dorsey	...	Colonel 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 (as Stuart Hagen)
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:

vietnam | vietnam war | rescue | missile | colonel | 

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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

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bat 21

Filming Locations:

Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,966,256

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Vision PDG, Eagle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hackman would again come to the rescue (à la Uncommon Valor (1983)), when he goes above and beyond to save Burnett (Owen Wilson), from a similar perilous situation, in Behind Enemy Lines (2001).

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Goofs

After driving through the mud the tires on the jeep are dry with very little mud when Bartholomew Clark gets out.

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Quotes

Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton: Bird Dog, I killed a man today. He wasn't even a soldier; he just kept coming. I couldn't stop him. I didn't want to do it. I never had to do anything like that before in my life.
Capt. Bartholomew Clark: Listen here, Bat 21. I never met you, but you don't sound like a killer to me. I'm sure you couldn't stop it from happening.

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Connections

Referenced in Mysteries at the Museum: Opera Riot, Golfer Behind Enemy Lines, the Great Mail Train Robbery (2015)

User Reviews

movie very poor

In 1969/70 I was a US Army Huey pilot in Northern I Corps of South Vietnam. I was on Hamburger Hill in the A Shau valley, flew in Laos and some in North Vietnam. BAT 21 is the first Vietnam War movie I have ever seen.

The truth of the war and how it was done and flown is terrible enough. This movie is way off the mark as to who flew aircraft and how they were flown.

When the UH-1N was in a left turn the the camera man made a shot out the left door showing the ground and the shadow of the aircraft, the shadow was a Bell Jet Ranger! Very poor quality. Of course the UH-1N was really a Bell 212, just look at the tail rotor. I have over 4,000 hours of helicopter time, 886 hours of which is in combat.

This movie cheapened everyone in the war, I would assume it is the norm rather than the exception.

From what I have read about the real Bat 21 I would say that truth is more interesting, shocking and horrible that this 10th rate film.

Jimmy L. Ratcliff former US Army Chief Warrant Officer