Flight of the Intruder (1991)

During the air war over Vietnam, a U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder bomber pilot schemes with a hardened veteran to make an unauthorized air strike on Hanoi.

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

Stephen Coonts (novel), Robert Dillon (screenplay)

Stars:

Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Glover	...	Commander Frank Camparelli
Willem Dafoe	...	Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Cole
Brad Johnson	...	Lt. Jake' Cool Hand' Grafton
Rosanna Arquette	...	Callie
Tom Sizemore	...	Boxman
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Lt. Cmdr. 'Cowboy' Parker
Jared Chandler	...	Lt. J.G. Jack 'Razor' Barlow
Dann Florek	...	Mad Jack
Madison Mason	...	'Cag'
Ving Rhames	...	McRae
Christopher Rich	...	Lt. J.G. Morgan McPherson
Douglas Roberts	...	Guffy
Scott N. Stevens	...	Hardesty (as Scott Newton Stevens)
Justin Williams	...	Sammy
John Corbett	...	Big Augie

Storyline

After his bombardier is killed, Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton (Brad Johnson)', a carrier-based Intruder pilot, questions the purpose of Navy bombing missions. He finds an ally for his cynicism in Virgil Cole, a bombardier on his third tour of duty, and together they ponder the notion of one unsanctioned mission "downtown", to "Sam City" in North Vietnam.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | vietnam | bomber | bombing run | vietnam war | 

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Taglines:

The only thing they can count on is each other.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Apostoli thanatou

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,725,133, 21 January 1991, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$14,587,732

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shots outside, during the hearing in Subic Bay, Philippines, were actually filmed at Naval Station Long Beach. U.S.S. Sides (FFG-14) can be clearly seen nested with other modern frigates. The benches were part of a small park for sailors to relax without leaving the base.

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Goofs

When Grafton suggests that Camparelli may someday become an Admiral, Camparelli responds, "Ever seen a Black man who's an Admiral?" In fact, in 1971, just one year before the events of this film, Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. became the Navy's first African American Rear Admiral. Though Admiral Gravely was a Surface Warfare Officer, and not an Aviator, Camparelli would've no-doubt been aware of his promotion to Rear Admiral, as it was big news for the Armed Forces.

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Quotes

Court-Martial Captain: You took an oath, Mr. Cole. You, too, Mr. Grafton. You took an oath to defend the constitution and obey the orders of the officers appointed over you. It's the same oath that every officer in the navy has taken for damn near 200 years. And during all that time, the military has obeyed the civilian elected government. Now, they might not have always been right, or wise... or even smart, but they were elected. Any other way and the United States would be nothing more than another two-bit military...
[...]

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Connections

References Cool Hand Luke (1967)

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Soundtracks

Will You Love Me Tomorrow
by Carole King & Gerry Goffin
Performed by Roberta Flack
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Underrated and under-appreciated.

I can't understand why TopGun is so hyped yet nobody has even heard about this movie? Sure its not as glamorous or stylish but it is far more realistic. Perhaps some people just don't consider the old A-6 Intruder bomber as glamorous as an F-14 Tomcat fighter? Unlike Topgun, this movie is faithful to facts and the footage is much much better. The combat scenes are brilliant and the way they show the intensity of anti-aircraft artillery and machine gun fire from the ground really illustrates the difficulties of air warfare. Also unlike Topgun, where the MiGs were fake aircraft and really American F-5s, the MiGs in this movie were real MiGs. So were the SA-2 Divinia SAMs that were fired by the thousands. The combat and dogfight scenes were far more realistic than topgun even if they looked a bit less flashy.

This movie is a real gem and a must see for anybody interested in aviation or war related movies. If you are clueless about aviation and just want a no brain entertainer, stick to topgun.