Red Dawn
Directed by John MiliusIt is the dawn of World War III. In the western mountains of America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
Cast of Red Dawn
Red Dawn Ratings & Reviews
- mickerdoo2d agoSome of the dialogue feels a little contrived. But an otherwise well executed idea. Not Swayze's best.
- Das_LamaJune 16, 2025This movie was gripping from beginning to end. R.I.P Patrick Swayze. It didn't start off too slow or too fast. Probably the best WW3 movie ever made.
- Jacob O’NealMarch 21, 2025Unrealistic propaganda has never been so much fun. Red Dawn was originally written by Kevin Reynolds, the man behind 187, Waterworld and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and then rewritten and directed by John Milius, maker of Conan The Barbarian and writer for the TV series Rome. The film starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey before they hated each other on Dirty Dancing, C Thomas Howell before he turned black in Soul Man, Charlie Sheen before all hookers and drugs, Lea Thompson before she developed a crush on her son in Back To The Future, Powers Booth and Harry Dean Stanton. The film centers on a small Colorado town that is invaded by communists during the invasion of the USA and it is up to a rag tag group of high schoolers armed with piss and vinegar, along with a few weapons to stop tanks and trained military to save freedom for future generations. That last paragraph sounded ridiculous, but this was peak 80’s cinema. We loved our anti-commie propaganda films. Between this, Iron Eagle, Top Gun, Rambo and Rocky IV, this was a genre all its own. Sure, the concept seems cheesy. But this is such a fun sub-genre for its era. Red Dawn is much better acted than you’d expect. Milius directed it well. The screenplay is pure unbelievable cheese. And it doesn’t matter. It’s still just plain awesome. Just don’t poke holes in the plot - like how can kids living in the Forrest to evade capture look so good after six months of starving, not showering and being exposed to the elements? Or how can they walk right into a town taken over by Russians and Cubans, have a few conversations and visit the concentration camp (I mean “re-education camp”) even though their being hunted? Don’t do that. Don’t poke holes in it like I just did. Just enjoy the ride and remember… “WOLVERINES!!!”
