Air Force : Bat 21

source: Bat*21

Trailer—Bat*21

Bat*21

Bat 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!

Peter Markle directed this based-on-fact account of Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton(played by Gene Hackman) a weapons counter-measures expert during the Vietnam war whose plane is shot down over enemy territory. The military is desperate to get him back, but there is an unfortunate shortage of helicopters, so Air Force reconnaissance pilot Captain Clark(played by Danny Glover) makes radio contact with Hambleton, and they work out a means of secret communication based on golf course terminology. The area he is stuck in is going to be carpet-bombed, and Iceal must also deal with enemy soldiers, and gets a first-hand view of death, which he previously only saw from afar... Well-acted and directed film is also an intriguing character study as well as a rousing action piece.

Good Vietnam war action/drama which has great acting but has nothing much different to offer to a person who has seen many other Vietnam War movies.Don't get me wrong,this movie is good but nothing really spectacular either.As I said,nothing new here.Some very touching scenes and also some very average ones as well.Good battle scenes although nothing original and not done before.Good for Vietnam war movie fans and big fans of the lead actors.For those who like this film,see FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER also which is much much better than this one...........

While this is a very good film, it should not be confused with the reality of the loss of Bat-21 Bravo. The real events were more agonizing than the movie and many brave men American and Vietnamese died as a result of a seeming lack of comprehension, of the battle situation in Quang Tri, at MAC-V and 7th AF. In addition to the EB, an HH-53, UH-1H, AH-1G and OV-10 were downed with resulting crew losses either KIA or captured. This was not a piece of cake mission as the summary suggests. These aircraft EB-66 flew an electronic decoy mission to take the surface to air missile pressure off the bombers. The real downing occurred during the Easter Offensive. Many people tried to save LTC Hambleton, ultimately it was a Navy SEAL and a Vietnamese Sea Commando.

To 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.

Missed 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