Bat*21 Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him.
During the Vietnam war, a U.S. observation plane is hit by a missile. The only survivor of the crew is the Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton, an expert in missile weaponry. Because of his knowledge, it is crucial to rescue him before the Vietcong get their hands on him. It's a very difficult task because the enemy is listening to Hambleton's radio transmissions. And he knows it...
| 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 |
| Theodore Chan Woei-Shyong | Boy on Bridge |
| Michael Raden | Helicopter Crew |
| Stuart B. Hagen | EB-66 Officer |
| Jeffrey Baxter | Helicopter Gunner |
6.30 out of 10 (2411 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Gene Hackman is a real Ham...
posted on 06 Dec 2008Possible spoilers ahead...On April 2, 1972, 53-year-old Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton, a SAC missile expert, was the sole survivor when the electronic-warfare EB-66 aircraft was shot down near Vietnam's DMZ. He landed near middle of 30000 NVA troops who were launching an offensive. This film is based upon that event, via a book that I believe is a fictionalized version of the actual events. The film is excellent, but what I know of the real story would have perhaps made at least as compelling a movie. Still, taken as a sort-of-based-on-a-true story kind of thing, "Bat 21" succeeds on all levels. It's one of those movies that I can watch over and over, and have.The acting is superlative, from all involved. Gene Hackman is always excellent and here he's in fine form. Danny Glover, too, is great in his role as the 'Bird Dog' spotter pilot who remotely helps Hambleton through his ordeal in Vietnamese 'Indian country.' Jerry Reed, the talented Nashville guitar-picker (his 1967 and 1968 work on Elvis Presley's sessions resulted in some of the tastiest material that Elvis ever produced) who achieved movie fame with his trucker roles in Burt Reymolds' good-ole-boys projects, is perfect as the CO of the air-rescue team. He was also instrumental in getting this movie made. Other actors in smaller roles are also great, particularly the 'Jolly Green' pilot played by David Marshall Grant.The character that Gene Hackman plays is singularly unprepared for his surroundings -- a departure from the kinds of roles that he had in films like "The French Connection, "The Package," "Mississippi Burning," etc -- and is forced to face the reality of death up close for the first time in his death-dealing professional career. the whole hiding-in-the jungle, avoiding-the-NVA, trying-not-to-get-impaled-on-punji sticks experience that he goes through is wearying and paranoia-inducing to behold. The cinematography and use of locations in this film is spectacular, too, and really heightens the narrative effect. It seems amazing that a combat-green 53-year-old golf addict could survive the conditions of the Vietnamese jungle, let alone while being hunted by North Vietnamese troops, let alone for as many days as he lasted. On top of it all -- as in reality -- he called in air strikes on a crossroads at which men and materiel were massing.Among the more poignant scenes are his killing a Vietnamese man -- the failure to communicate that led to the fatal incident is a metaphor for US failure to understand the people that they were charged with protecting and fighting -- and his speechlessness when silently confronted by the man's family. Also fairly profound is a scene in which the wounded Hambleton, about at the end of his tether, is saved from a booby trap by a young boy. That and other incidents, including the panicked flight of a Vietnamese soldier before an American carpet-bombing attack, highlight the inherent inanity of war and the price of the ultimately pointless Vietnam conflict. On the other hand, I defy anyone to watch the bad guys' treatment of the downed Jolly Green crew and not feel anger toward them. Sure, that didn't happen (at least not in the real rescue of Hambleton), but it sure enough gives you a better understanding of how soldiers might torch a village and even commit 'war crimes' in retaliation. All too good an understanding, actually.The real story was perhaps even more remarkable, with Ham on the run for 12 days in April of 1972 before being rescued by a team that consisted of a Navy SEAL (later awarded the Medal of Honor) and an ARVN Ranger. The recovery of Colonel Hambleton was the biggest rescue operation of the Vietnam War. The protracted rescue resulted in the award of 234 medals and the downing of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including a second "bird-dog" and a 'Jolly Green' rescue helicopter. Eleven people died to retrieve Hambleton, two were captured, and five aircraft were shot down. On the day that Ham was shot down, two of the helicopters sent to pick him up were also shot down. Lieutenant (not Captain) Mark (not Bartholomew) Clark (grandson of a well-known WWII general...to further distance reality from the film, I believe that Clark was of Caucasian extraction), spotting from an OV-10A Bronco in support of the rescue mission, was shot down the very next day (with another officer, the actual pilot, who was captured after a few hours) and ended up evading capture almost as long as did Ham. I know that the facts might have been changed to focus on the interplay between two men but that's a pretty big change and I suspect that the movie would have been just as great with both leads on the ground. Hambleton WAS encouraged by the FACs in the Broncos and I guess that the producers (or the man who wrote the original book) decided to roll them all up into Danny Glover's Clark. By the way, Hambleton was rescued by following a golf-based code but I believe that the idea originated with someone back at HQ rather than from the downed officer. Okay, so it's all fictionalized, and I guess it's still 'based on a true story.' LOOSELY based, though. William Anderson, who co-wrote the screenplay, wrote "Bat 21" as a novel, so it's not that Hollywood took it upon itself to fictionalize because the tale was already so.Ironically enough, Hambleton is called "Ham" in the film but was known to his friends in real life as "Gene," as in Gene Hackman.
"It's too damn close..."
posted on 01 Apr 2007I bought this 80's Vietnam movie ('based on a true story') in the $4.99 bin at the grocery store, staring Gene Hackman as a missile intelligence Lt. Col. and Danny Glover as a reconnaissance pilot. The main story is that Hackmann gets shot down in enemy land and has to try to survive on the VC infested ground until the choppers can pick him up, something as a mere war 'strategist' behind the front lines he's never has to do before. The whole movie is basically him in radio contact with the pilot Glover and their emotional-moral dialog...think Bruce Willis' character is Die Hard's relationship with Reginald VelJohnson, it's like that but the centerpiece of the movie. It's a good patriotic story that has a more or less balanced and realistic portrayal of the war; the American's knowingly and reluctantly firebomb a village with civilians, but the VC sadistically kill wounded American soldiers, all based in reality. I didn't really recognize any of the other cast members, and the director it seems mostly does TV stuff. The movie was filmed in Malaysia, and has a lot of great helicopter footage. The napalm scenes are extensive and well done. More of a story about a man's personal struggle than a straight forward kill the bad guys plot, but definitely worth checking out and is fast paced action.
A poignant and well-crafted true story of surviving any war.
posted on 05 Dec 2006A poignant and well-crafted true of surviving any war that observes a soon-to-be retired Air Force Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton (Gene Hackman), who volunteers for a piece-of-cake-like patrol in an U.S. observation plane during the war in Vietnam. Unfortunately, the plane is shot down and Hambleton is the only crew member to bail out from the aircraft (and never seen any combat on the ground). It's up to a determined recon pilot, Clark (Danny Glover), to get Hambleton out before the N.V.A. get him or a major air strike lights up the area that Ham's in. Director Peter Markle lets the viewer have a chance to get to know Clark and Hambleton who start up a conversation at various times of the movie. Jerry Reed and David Marshall Grant appear here and both give nice supporting performances even though the movie belongs to Hackman and Glover. Mark Irwin also adds another key asset to the film by showing several terrific shots of the jungle and countryside. "BAT 21" deserves plenty of credit for trying not to be the typical Vietnam war movie and it succeeds very well.
underrated Vietnam story
posted on 08 Jul 2006Gene Hackman and Danny Glover star in this Vietnam story which in my opinion is underrated. Though it is not as gripping as PLATOON or APOCALYPSE NOW, it is still a strong film and is still realistic and exciting. There are several scene's in the film that show the horror's of the Vietnam war on both American soldiers as well as innocent Vietnamese people who are caught in the crossfire of the war. The two stars are also very good in the film, each giving a solid performance. Overall, a strong war film that is highly recommended. 4/5
An old colonel ejects and discovers what war is really like while waiting to be rescued.
posted on 21 Apr 2006I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3/4 of this film, and was disappointed by the "action- comedy" ending.The story begins true to the feeling if not the details of the actual incident, and revolves around the relationship between Ham, who discovers what war is really about, and Clark, the Forward Air Controller responsible for coordinating his rescue. Ham's confrontation with what happens on the other end of the bombing, his own foolishness that results in his killing a civilian (a bit unbelievable, but dramatically useful), and the ugliness of war, is well portrayed by Hackman. Danny Glover is excellent and sympathetic, in a film that probably boosted his track to stardom.The special effects were not where the money was spent; seems like they had gas to burn, but no explosives, and the F-5s did not really fit, but these details did not detract from a story well told, until...SPOILER AHEAD -- the last 20 minutes could have been from a cheesy Golan-Globus action movie. Did they change the director? He did well for 90 minutes or so.Instead of the true ending -- more narrow escapes from passing VC, lots of bugs, mud, cuts, anxiety and disappointment, until a SEAL in face paint and an ARVN Ranger appear out of nowhere to lead him to an under-fire rescue LZ, we get a lot of silliness. No way would the Green Giant pilot attempt the pickup under fire against orders when no one else is with him. And he should have been taken for proper interrogation. But that could have been just another disappointing detail.But to have a fixed wing pilot even attempt to fly a helicopter alone was just ridiculous. Stealing an aircraft is not only a career-ender, he would never be able to land (twice) without a Class-A mishap. The whole sequence was stupidly unnecessary. And the pitiful pyrotechnics (little Molotov cocktails) of the final "bombing" sequence looked silly. Having the whole forest go up in a huge bloom of flame (Apocalypse Now) would have been believable, or ripples of plain old explosives throwing mountains of earth in the air. Air strikes are sudden, and incredibly destructive. And the idea of a PBR heading upriver for extraction through a couple of divisions of VC and NVA was just too much.If this movie had finished like it started, it would of honored the memory of the heroes far better.
Underrated - Hackman at his subtle best; ditto Glover
posted on 24 Jan 2006BAT 21 (1988) **1/2 Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Jerry Reed. Hackman stars as an army colonel whose aircraft is downed behind enemy lines during the Vietnam War and must rely on trustworthy bush pilot Glover to rescue him as the clock ticks mercilessly.
One of the best Vietnam War films
posted on 30 Mar 2005Gene Hackman portrays an American officer who survives a plane crash and winds up being stranded in the dark forests of Vietnam with enemy fire always not far behind him in this 1988 Tristar Pictures release. Fortunately for him, his means of radio contact have survived with him and he frequently contacts another officer (Danny Glover) to aid him. Hackman follows up "Uncommon Valor" with another action packed Vietnam War tale and Glover, fresh from the previous year's "Lethal Weapon" success once again demonstrates his excellent action film support.
Bird dog to the rescue
posted on 12 Nov 2004Never saw this film when it was released originally in 1988. Not knowing what to expect, we decided to take a chance watching it on cable when it was shown the other night; it was a complete surprise. Director Peter Markle, working with a magnificent cast, headed by Gene Hackman and Danny Glover, does wonders to recreate this story of valor under the worst possible circumstances.The cinematography is excellent. The film relies on visual effects, that are not to be confused with the incredible special effects that we have seen in other movies. Yes, of course, we all know that they are special, but the movie relies in the interplay between the missing Col. Hambleton on the ground and Capt. "Bird Dog" Clark who had the courage to stay focused, first in his plane, and later in the helicopter as he searches for this man, who he didn't even know. It's a tribute that these two military men in caring for one another in a difficult situation. Gene Hackman is an actor that always project convincing character. His take on the colonel is the real thing. Danny Glover, on the other hand, is on target. He demonstrates he has what it takes to hold it against big stars, like Mr. Hackman, or in his films with Mel Gibson. He is a joy to watch in his portrayal of a man who is an honest professional.For fans of action war movies, this is a more real approach to the genre thanks to the vision of its director Peter Markle.
Excellent War Film, That's Very Moving At Times, With A Great Story And 2 Amazing Performances From Gene Hackman And Danny Glover!
posted on 27 Jun 2004This is an excellent War film, that's very moving at times, with a great story and 2 amazing performances from Gene Hackman and Danny Glover!. All the characters are great, and the story is very engrossing, plus Gene Hackman and Danny Glover are simply amazing in this!. What really made the movie work, was the great relationship between Hackman and Glover, it also has many powerful moments,the village scene for example, plus the 2 main leads are extremely likable!. I really do enjoy a good War film, and this one was excellent, and i thought, the dialog was fantastic, plus it felt very real!. It does not have a whole lot of action, but it has a great story, and fantastic performances to keep you watching, plus the supporting cast was really good as well. It has realistic war scenes as well, and i felt for Hackman's character, plus i found the ending very satisfying. This is an excellent war film, that's very moving at times with a great story, and 2 amazing performances from Gene Hackman and Danny Glover, and i say it's a must see for everyone!. The Direction is great!. Peter Markle does a great job here, with excellent camera work, great angles, and really keeping the film at an engrossing pace!. The Acting is fantastic!. Gene Hackman is amazing here, he is extremely likable, had fantastic chemistry with Glover, was fantastic in the acting department, and you really feel for his character!, he also had some very good lines (Hackman rules!). Danny Gliver is AMAZING as always, and is amazing here, he is extremely likable, is fantastic in the acting department, had fantastic chemistry with Hackman, also had some great lines, and was totally different then his Murtaugh character in Lethal weapon!, it was awesome to see him play something different!.(Glover Rules!!). Jerry Reed,David Marshall Grant and Clayton Rohner all do what they have to do very well. Rest of the cast do fine. Overall a must see for everyone!.****1/2 out of 5 (barely).
Glover races against time to free shot down airman
posted on 31 May 2004Based on a true story, this highly engrossing movie based during the heyday of Vietnam has Gene Hackman playing a bomber pilot who is shot down and Danny Glover must race against time to save him from VC and also from a future carpet bombing raid in the area where he went down This movie grabs you from the start. Excellent storytelling that really puts you there..even more so when you consider it was based on fact. Great acting and tension gives this movie its wings on a scale of 1 to 10... 8
An excellent testimony to the brave pilots who died trying to save others during the war. And also a stark and poignant reminder of the horrors of war
posted on 25 Apr 2004"Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him" Gene Hackman and Danny Glover star in this powerful Vietnam War drama which is based on the true story of one of the longest and most costly one man search-and rescue missions in Air Force history.The film takes place in 1972, as missile weaponry expert Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton ( Gene Hackman ) is taken away from his game of golf to report to headquarters. He is sent on a reconnaissance mission to look at the area that is suspected to be containing over 30,000 enemy troops, and the area is going to be 'carpet bombed' soon. The NVA shoot his plane down, and he is the only one who ejects his seat in time. He lands in the middle of the jungle, and Capt. Bartholomew Clark ( Danny Glover ) who is flying over the area when the plane is shot down, sees Hambleton and makes contact with him via his survival radio. Clark stays up for ages keeping contact with him and trying to figure out a way to rescue him. Plans to rescue Hambleton keep being delayed and put-off, due to how dangerous the area is, so Hambleton, who has never been in combat before, must fend for himself in the jungle and try to avoid the Viet Cong. Clark at this stage is willing to risk his life in order to rescue this man that he has never met..."Bat*21" is a great film with excellent performances from its two lead roles - Gene Hackman ( A Bridge Too Far, March or Die! ) and Danny Glover ( Lethal Weapon ). Hackman is very convincing in his lead performance, and is fantastic as usual. Danny Glover is also very convincing, and was perfect for the part. Nowadays, watching this film the viewer can detect a serious note of irony, as three years later Glover would once again play an Air Force pilot in Vietnam in the film "Flight of the Intruder", also starring Willem Dafoe. And Gene Hackman would later star in "Behind Enemy Lines", a film very similar to this only takes place in Bosnia and Hackman this time is helping the man on the ground.I honestly can't tell if this film is accurate or not, as I haven't read the book by William C. Anderson. But I read that at the time that this film was being made, details of the rescue operation were still highly classified. And in fact, Hambleton was rescued by a Navy SEAL and a South Vietnamese SEAL."Bat*21" is a very exciting film, and is also a poignant reminder of the horrors of war, as we are shown the horrible choices that people have to make in war time, like taking another human beings life. There's some great action, and the special effects are quite good. Peter Markle directs it well and the story is well written.Overall, I highly recommend "Bat*21" to fans of war films, especially Vietnam. I also recommend it if you are a fan of either of the two leading actors. It's a great film, albeit it does have its flaws, and is definitely worth watching, and is an excellent testimony to the brave pilots who were killed in action during the war trying to save others.
See it for the Skymaster.
posted on 21 Dec 2003Okay, but the real story would have made a better movie, and is, ironically more dramatic than Bat 21. Oh, and for movie makers/prop guys reading this, don't use F-5s without bombs to simulate other aircraft. Even your younger audience is becoming miltech-literates and will catch this.Good points: At least we have a movie with a FAC in it! 0-2 pilots were brave fellows, because there is no ejection seat and opening the door for a successful bailout low to the ground was not likely to work. If you can catch one at an airshow (the last O-2s retired in the 1980s from Shaw AFB) you can see and appreciate how small, light, and basic they are.
Outstanding Film with Glover & Hackman
posted on 25 Oct 2003Missed this 1988 film and just recently viewed this outstanding film concerning the Vietnam War. Danny Glover,(Capt. Bartholomew Clark),"Missing in America",'05, who has a flying mission concerning the whereabouts of Gene Hackman,(Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton),"Class Action",'91, who experiences many difficulties and finds out the real truth about what WAR IS ALL ABOUT. They even map out a plan to use a golf course in order to accomplish their mission. There is plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seats. Whenever Gene Hackman or Danny Glover appear in a film, you know it will be well worth your time. ENJOY
A rough lie.
posted on 01 Apr 2003It would have been easy to turn a story like this into a cheap action flick -- heroic downed USAF Colonel fights his way through enemy territory with help of heroic self-sacrificing black pilot.It doesn't happen, exactly. The story, as I understand it, is based on fact, but I don't know how much of it is factual. Maybe the evacuation pilot, Danny Glover, really DID take off alone in a helicopter (in which he was not qualified), rescue Colonel Hambledon (Gene Hackman) single-handedly, successfully crash the helicopter he was not qualified in, and maybe the two of them then escape a horde of North Vietnamese pursuers during a "carpet bombing" of the whole area, with Glover sustaining one of those nasty but not unphotogenic shoulder wounds in the process. Maybe it IS true but it sounds a lot like rather routine fiction to me because real life is seldom so tidy. I can believe the part that golf plays in the escape plan. It's so absurd that no writer in his right mind would dream it up.Still -- that having been said -- this is a truly worthwhile movie. Action fans will find lots of exploding fireballs if that's what they're looking for. There will also be wounded smoking helicopters spinning drunkenly downward and a man being blown up in a minefield.But that's not what makes the movie important. The action is usually nothing more than a means to an end. In this case, the end is the education and humanization of Colonel Iceal Hambledon, USAF.He's your normal military men, an expert on electronic countermeasures. He is 53 years old and has spent most of his life in the military. He's never seen combat. And his being shot down constitutes his introduction to what the film shows us is a pretty ugly kind of business.Behind enemy lines he spies a column of NV troops and vehicles and calls in an air strike. Boom. Afterward the NVA shoot one of their own wounded troops, which Hambledon finds nasty. Before he knows it, stumbling through the bush, he finds an empty hootch. While scavenging it for food and water, he is discovered by its owner. Neither man understands the other's language. A physical fight follows which Hambledon can only escape from my shooting and killing the Vietnamese farmer. The farmer's napalm-scarred family show up and rush sobbing to the dead body while Hambledon backs away, stunned, saying stupidly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." There follows a scene in which captured American fliers sacrifice themselves to save Hambledon and the Air Force then demolishes the nearby village full of soldiers and women and children. "Everywhere I go, people die," Hambledon comments sadly to himself. (I can't emphasize too strongly how much tragedy Hackman invests his lines with. They emerge as more than simply lines of dialogue. He's a fine, reliable, unflamboyant performer.) Hambledon vows that he's all done killing people -- and he is, even when he has to opportunity to shoot an armed enemy soldier who is chasing him. The Vietnames is disoriented, twirling about dizzily while a garden of slow motion flame sprouts around him. Hambledon has a bead on him but then shakes his head in disgust and looks away without firing.Danny Glover is good too. As an actor he may have more range than he's usually given credit for. Here, as in the "Lethal Weapon" movies, he's more of a supportive sidekick than anything else. He's the guy on the other end of the line who is there when you must spill your emotions to SOMEONE. Not that he's given trite lines in the part. Hambledon hesitates at one point, then tell him over the radio, "I killed a man today." "Roger that," says Glover. He understands what Hambledon's getting at -- but what is there to say? It's combat, not Oprah Winfrey. Also, anyone who wants to see Glover demonstrate that range might want to check out "Switchback," in which he is a good-natured, avuncular, laid-back serial killer.Sometimes I wonder if some of us have forgotten just how lousy an experience war is for everyone involved -- for us, for our opponents, and for the civilians drawn willy nilly into it. This film is a decent reminder.
Excellent movie!
posted on 20 Nov 2002Bat 21 is a very good film that stars Gene Hackman and Danny Glover! Both actors are excellent in the film! Jerry Reed is also in the movie and his performance is also very good! Its amazing that this picture is based on a true story! The action is very good and the scenery is fantastic! I thought it was good how this movie is from beginning to end! This really is a great movie and I believe that it is very underrated and needs more attention! I think the film is very realistic. The music is also good and fits the film by composer Christopher Young! Overall I think that this movie is a great one! If you like Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Jerry Reed, realistic war films, and unbelievable true stories then I strongly recommend that anyone should watch this movie today!
a fascinating study of the horrors of Vietnam
posted on 02 Nov 2002this little gem appeared as a late night movie on BBC1 a few days ago and it was quite incredible. Hackman is a missiles expert who gets shot down over VC territory and battles his way through enemy lines with the help of maverick reconnaissance pilot Danny Glover. Hackman witnesses young Viet Cong troops writhing in agony after a napalm attack, and kills a Vietnamese civilian, whose family return and find a dejected, disillusioned soldier viewing his great mistake. There are also scenes of horrific torture and cold blooded gunning down of surrendering Americans (led by the brave David Marshall Grant) by Viet Cong troops looking desperately for the prize capture of Hackman. The film is very emotional and fairly balanced with some terrific action scenes and poignant reflections by some of the men on the seeming pointlessness and shocking tragedy of a bitter war. Well worth a look on video, watch it together with Full Metal Jacket, Heaven and Earth and Born on the Fourth of July.
A true master in Escape and Evasion
posted on 24 Oct 2002To this day I am still amazed at how well Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton was able to formulate a plan on as we say in the military, "To Get the Hell out of Dodge".This movie didn't rely on the most sophisticated special effects to make it good. It relied mainly on the two main characters to create a good dialog between them.For any war buffs out there, this was a good movie to sit back and watch the some of the more unique tactics used to survive in bad situations.
A Vietnam era true-life war story with golf enthusiast references
posted on 06 Oct 2002As a fan of Danny Glover and Gene Hackman, I picked up the movie at the video store, not really knowing what to expect. Having been a college student during the Vietnam era, living in Arizona's Valley of the Sun, I had also became a golf enthusiast. This movie had references to the war and to the game of golf which, therefore, held my interest. Knowing movies can sometimes exaggerate circumstances, I simply enjoyed the story as it progressed, and was delighted to be able to understand the terminology. When I noted that Lt. Col. Hambelton (retired and living near a golf course in El Paso, TX) was a consultant on the film and that it was based upon a book, my next course of action was checking out the novel at the library. I wasn't disappointed because, as is usual with books and films, there were some aspects of the story which carried more detail in written form. But the book stayed within the flow of the film. So, after enjoying both movie and book, I did what came naturally to me. I called long-distance information and got Lt. Col. Hambelton's phone number in El Paso. I explained that I was simply an admirer living in the little city of Victoria, TX and wanted to express my enthusiasm for the story. He didn't miss a beat...he (excitedly, by the way) told me that he had trained for service at OUR nearby Foster Field. This admission, in itself, added to my enthusiasm for the film and had me recommending Bat-21 to anyone who would listen.
Bat 21
posted on 06 Apr 2002An excellent movie with Danny Glover and Gene Hackman. Ironic that Col. Hambleton was born in Rossville, Il. and Gene Hackman grew up in Danville, Il. just a short distance away. Mr. Hackman has returned in past to Danville several times and is well know. I did not know Mr. Hackman, but attended schools with a few of his relatives from the Boiling Springs Area. While to movie shows only a few days, it was actually over 11 1/2 days from the ejection from his aircraft and the rescue by river. It still remains the largest rescue in Air Force History. He was actually met on the river by Lt. Norris (who received the Medal of Honr for his actions) and a Vietnamese ranger in a stolen boat. Over 230 medals were awarded to personnel involved in the rescue.
- 1
- 2
Taut Vietnam thriller from different perspective
posted on 18 Dec 2008Lt. Colonel Iceal Hambleton (Gene Hackman) is a respected, middle-aged strategist who has only seen the war from the air - and high in the air, too. During one reconnaissance mission, however, he's shot down behind enemy lines for the first time. Scared and out of his element, Hambleton must rely on Captain Clark (Danny Glover), a pilot, to help him keep his composure until a rescue can happen.Most of the scenes are of just the two leads, almost making this a two-character action play. Both men provide stellar performances, with Hackman putting a decidedly different spin on his tough-guy, in-control persona. Glover is equally aces as the tireless pilot. And just in case you think there's going to be more talk than action in this movie, don't fret. The Vietcong are around somewhere, and they know Hambleton's in the vicinity. Not only does Clark have to get Hambleton out of there before good ol' Charlie finds him, he has to get him out of there before U.S. forces carpet-bomb the entire area! Needless to say, there are bombs bursting galore. Jerry Reed, who plays Clark's commander, also turns in a fine performance - a bit above par for Reed - and served as executive producer and composed some of the songs on the soundtrack.