Btw, the Las Vegas this was filmed around was Las Vegas, New Mexico, not Nevada, and some friends & I traveled a couple hours to be extras in Red Dawn for a few weeks during filming. We got to be Students, Russian soldiers, & towns people, and even got to die a couple times. It was a blast. Cheers!
Thank you for pointing this out, I came to say the same thing. During his teenage years my dad lived on that mountain, we were told that seeing the sun rise over that mountain is what cinched the name for the movie.
@@rolandblaise1149 Ah...no, the name Red Dawn is a play on the communists (aka Reds) launching an invasion at dawn which is when large military operations typically kick off, D-Day, The Invasion of Grenada, Operation Desert Storm and on just about any other large military invasion dawn is when the main forces, the actual invasion force, start their phase of the operation. The title Red Dawn implies America waking up to a communist invasion.
@@dukecraig2402 lol yes, I used to go to our neighbor's as a child and hear her regale about "dating" members of his gang. Also all the pictures of the fancy dresses she wore... Took me 20 years before I put together that she was a dance hall girl.
‘’In the early days of World War III, guerrillas, mostly children, placed the names of their lost upon this rock. They fought here alone and gave up their lives, so "that this nation shall not perish from the earth."
Anyone who doesn't have tears in their eyes when thinking about the brothers and everyone else who didn't make it through the movie isn't a very good person. It taught the real truth about war. You die, and sacrifice. In a few years, almost no one remembers your name, or what you did. You're dead forever too, no "Victory Parades" for you.
@@purdhupley7864 This movie cooked 2 generations of brains. Turns out all the guns did was get us killed in robberies and mass shootings. Invasions repelled or tyrants toppled: 0
@@anthonyrowland9072 I didn't get killed. And I stopped a home invasion with my legally owned AK. I'm not the choir you think you're preaching to, friend
@@purdhupley7864 You needed an AK? Imagine we lived in areal county and nobody was breaking into your house? Those places exist, they're called other rich countries besides America. We have high knife crime that the UK AND all the gun crime. We're so stupid... I'm trying to leave America anyway, y'all enjoy the hellscape you got conned into believing is the best and only way.
When Red Dawn came out, I was fresh out of the Marine Corps after a combat deployment in Beirut, Lebanon the year before. I loved Red Dawn, it was a story of fighting back after we weren't allowed to fight back in Lebanon and were hurt so badly. I swore I'd never be put in a position where I couldn't fight back again. That movie resonated with me then and it's even more relevant today with tech and government trying to suppress the free will of the American people. WOLVERINES!
I was in the Army when it came out, after that you couldn't go through a field exercise without someone standing on top of a big rock or an armored vehicle and hold their M16 up over their head shouting WOLVERINES!!! Were you in Beirut when the Marine barracks was bombed? I was in basic training when that and the invasion of Grenada both happened, and boy did the DI's make full use of both of those incidents to make us believe there'd be a war by the time we got out of our training, it also didn't help that I was already slated to leave for basic on Sept 21st and on Sept 1st the Russian's shot down Korean Airlines flight 007, things already looked kind of shifty the day I left then those two things happened when I was in basic, looked like things were shaping up to be a long 3 years for me, but as things turned out the only thing I had to fight was the boredom of being stationed at Ft Riley Ks for 2 years, there wasn't a day went by at that hole I didn't wish I was over in Europe fighting the Soviets, man did that place suck.
@@dukecraig2402 Yes, I was there. However, they've had it wrong all these years, it wasn't a barracks, it was our battalion landing team headquarters building. But, because most of H&S Company slept in it, the media took to calling it a barracks. I spent the previous night, October 21-22, at that building and returned to the perimeter on the afternoon of the 22nd... next morning it was attacked and destroyed. That was a bad time and I know exactly what you're referring to... between the KAL shoot down, the bombing of our headquarters, and the invasion of Grenada, it seemed like WWIII was kicking off.
@@CplSkiUSMC Yea I always wondered why they called it the barracks, it was a few year's but I eventually learned about how it was actually a headquarters and wondered after that how it got that label put on it, leave it to the media. So you just happened to be out on the perimeter when that happened by chance of it being your turn? Wow, talk about it not being in the cards for you. Yea I was a little nervous in the service there for a while after all that happened, there was a lot going on during those few months, them years later we all find out that we came even closer than we knew at the time with that misunderstanding over the NATO training exercise Able Archer 83, which happened in November and someone in Moscow didn't get the memo on that one and almost launched a first strike, then some junk Russian satellite right about that time mistook a reflection off a cloud as missile launches in the Midwest and their automatic system told some launch officer at a base somewhere in the Soviet Union to launch his missile's, thank God that guy kept a cool head or there wouldn't be us talking about the good old days on UA-cam, we'd all still be living like Denzel in The Book Of Eli if he hadn't, now that AI is on the loose I just hope I'm gone before T-800 Arnold's are roaming around the countryside. Well either way I'm glad you made it out of that mess, too many of your buddies didn't, that was a real tragedy, but I can tell you this, when that happened we were all fired up about going over there and helping you guy's get some payback for that, it did not sit well with us.
@@dukecraig2402 Actually, my normal position was on the line. We were up at BLT HQ to run a mission on Saturday morning up to Alpha Company at the Lebanese Scientific University on the Green Line. We went up Friday evening, spent the night at BLT, loaded up Saturday morning, and ran the mission. And that's the hell of it... had they tried the bombing on Saturday instead of Sunday, the truck would not have penetrated the building. Our 3 amtracs were blocking that entrance while loading up during that exact time frame. We returned to BLT Saturday afternoon for the debriefing and then went back to our positions on the airport perimeter. Woke up the next morning to a huge cloud of smoke and dust... thus began the day from hell. I learned of Able Archer years later and had to shake my head. I have thought of that Soviet Officer who put his head on the chopping block to stop a nuclear Armageddon and if I were President Reagan, I would have given him the Medal of Honor. If that man is still alive, I would love to shake his hand and thank him. We were still ashore in Beirut, and had he not personally stopped that launch, it would have been a very grim end for us... one battalion in a hostile land, having just suffered mass casualties, smack dab in the middle of WWIII. You are very well informed brother. I'm impressed with your knowledge of the events all those years ago. What did you do in the Army? I'm in Wyoming and if I ever had the chance, I'd love to drink a few beers with you and trade stories.
I absolutely adored this movie. It was like the Brat Pack goes to war. The first time one of the kids screamed "Wolverines!" the audience in the theater erupted with applause. And it was a great way to introduce the PG13 rating to America
I got to see RED DAWN in the theater in 1984 when I was 15. It's been stuck in my head for 40 years. I watch my DVD copy often. Of course, it could not be remade in 2024... No DEI in 1984!
While I never became a parent and I don't have any kids but at the same time I have at least five because I'm a damn good uncle to his nieces and nephews I have
I heard that Lea Thompson was asked if she ever hunted, she said she hunted squirrels and shot one, John Milius asked her if she ate it, she said yes, and she got the role.
That was a very smart way to cull the driftwood. We all knew classmates at time we first saw it that we knew would not survive, would go over to enemy, would spy for enemy. I no longer hunt, eat what I shoot. *because that’s called cannibalism*. That’s a joke. But rabbits, squirrel are smaller, more are nasty once you start field dressing. But if hungry? I hope I have a knife, way to make fire.
This was a very-well done movie. It came out during the age of Reagan and America's pride and patriotism had a resurgence - which also piggy-backed on our Olympic dominance during the 1984 games which happened in LA. I rewatched this not too long ago and had to be reminded how dark and realistic it was. Enemy occupation, anger and hatred for the enemy, and military strategy. I worked at a movie theater and this one had many sold-out showings. Thanks for the video!
@@braddouglas7839 wait, what? Was he a young wounded soldier? I know the question seems dumb given the show's subject matter, but he could have been a different character.
I was in the Army when this movie came out, I can't tell you how many times someone would be standing on a big rock or on top of an armored vehicle and they'd hold their M16 over their head and shout WOLVERINES!!!!
I knew a lot about this movie before it was ever released because my best friend's dad was one of the Russian helicopter pilots and brought us pictures of stuff to share.He was able to tell us some of the storyline.
I'm from Colorado and was 16 when this movie was released. Needless to say I locked into the film and it has been a part of my consciousness ever since.
I saw this opening night in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The scene after the Air Force LTC was shot down, describing how the war started; when he said the Russians nuked Omaha, there was a collective gasp from the full house, "Uggggghhh!" We knew before we were at ground zero. That line made it all too real.
@@ratagris21 He passed away in 2021. I'm actually kinda disappointed that Minty didn't mention Ron O'Neal, the actor who played the Cuban Colonel and the fact that he played Youngblood Priest in the classic Blaxploitation film Superfly, that's a classic movie there if ever there was one, but I guess it wouldn't have had the cultural impact in Australia that it did in the US.
I was in the USAF when this came out seen it in the base theater ,I do remember when the russian chopper made its appearance I asked my friend "Where did they get a Hind?"
It was an Aerospatiale Puma with a visual modification kit to make it look like a Hind. I worked for a helicopter company in the late '80s, and got to know some of the mechanics that worked on them. And yes, I said the same thing when I saw it in the theater!
Happy 40th anniversary to Red Dawn. It's shocking to believe that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey didn't get on either this set or Dirty Dancing, but they seem to have patched things up before Swayze's passing in 2009.
A LOT of us who served in the late 1980s and the 1990s joined because of this movie or were inspired to serve because of it. To be ready at all times, have the skills needed to survive, and prepared for the worst.
I used to work for a major firearms and military surplus dealer. One day while going through some old boxes, I found Soviet looking flash hiders and aluminum finned barrel covers that obviously fit the US M-60 machine gun. The parts looked familiar so I set them aside. A few weeks later watching "Red Dawn" again I realised where I had seen them! We probably got them when we bought up Stembridge Movie Props years before.
I saw this when I was a kid. It left an impression on me on me that I later learned Russian as a middle aged adult. Minty delivered, 10 things I didnt know about Red Dawn! Well done!
Minty - you are the BEST! What's crazy is this plot is just as plausible today as it was back in 1984. I could picture tons of students running out of school with their cell phones to film the paratroopers for social media only to realize they were not "friendly". Gives me the chills!!
It's crazy that so many who grew up at that time are now in love with Russia and Putin more than their own country. Yet they call themselves patriots. Weirdos.
The Russians invading the US seemed so totally improbable then I didn’t even bother to see the movie! Although today a lot of people in the US seem to think civil war might be a perfect solution for their political problems, so the movie might be more plausible today except it won’t be Russians parachuting!
When you think about it, the opening is similar to the scenario that just happened in Israel, when hamas used those paragliders to swoop in and kill all those kids at that music event....🤔
@dansmith1661 maybe. I do believe it was a psyop. People here are done with the money being given to Ukraine do it's feasible to cause a distraction by pulling at the heart strings and kill some kids so biden could continue printing money on 2 fronts now. I don't think tptb in Israel killed those kids and blamed hamas though. If that were true and it got out, the people would burn down the palace and set Benji on fire. I do believe however that he told his military to step aside and let it happen.
After watching Red Dawn in 1985 I knew I wanted an AK.. So when I turned 18 in 1986 I went to Shooters at Gwinnett and bought my first rifle, a Chinese Norinco AK-47, a dozen mags, and a case of Norinco 7.62x39 ammo.. Still have the rifle and magazines but the ammo has been long gone..
@@chasehedges6775 some remakes can add something if a production was limited due to some shortcoming. Or perhaps an interesting new angle can be pursued. Things can go wrong often too though. Greatness is not easy to achieve.
This film always intrigued me when I was younger and saw the beginning. It was terrifying. Imagine living in This time period and going to the movies and seeing this , and knowing that this could actually happen. This movie was great and thank you for reviewing it
It truly was. Maybe the greatest ever. Ghostbusters Karate Kid Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Footloose Repo Man Amadaus Children of the Corn Buckaroo Bonzai Top Secret Sixteen Candles Romancing the Stone Splash Beverly Hills Cop Police Academy The Cotton Club Dune Conan The Barbarian
@@digimortalone2759 Me as well. He grew so cold and nihilistic. Him taking on the Hind attack helicopter mano a mano was a truly unforgettable moment for me. "WOLVERINES!!!"
@@Statsy10 Exactly. As I got older I realized his sacrifice as a result of him being alone, especially after shooting Darrell, and just being burned out. It endeared me to him for some reason.
This movie scared the s**t out of me when I was a kid. I was in elementary school when it came out. My parents let my older sister take me to see it. Schools all looked similar to the ones in the movie back then so I'd sit in class watching and waiting. I just KNEW one day I was going to see Russian paratroopers landing in the school yard starting WW3. My dad had never watched the movie. He died in 2009 but a few months before that he saw it on TV and apologized. He finally understood how the movie could scare a child. Fun times.
@@rsmartin68 that's what even more messed up. I watched horror movies of all kinds when I was young and they never bothered me. I guess it's because I knew those were not real but Russians and Cubans who hated America were.
Great review Minty! A movie of time, 80's action wrapped in the Ragan/Thatcher red peril narrative. Scary thing is we're probably closer to it happening now than we were then.
I calling it a training video. I make my family watch it about every 6 months. Sons love it. Wife cannot roll her eyes far enough. She said she can quote it. I tell her once she name every weapons system and their calibers, oil type. Tread width. Then we can stop watching it. Lol
Pre 2000. I was impressed with anyone who became Eagle Scout. *until they showed otherwise*. But by 2010 on. I became less impressed. In my area there were late night reviews as they waited to absolute last second. Sometimes wanting to be judged on project they were going to start. It’s not like they did not know the deadline. When their birthday is. It’s still impressive. Not knowing your area, what was fudged to get it. Rather tarnished it to me.
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. C Thomas Howell at a roping event. He was incredibly nice, but I did have to fight the urge to yell “WOLVERINES!!!!!”
we walked uphill to school... both ways when we wanted to watch a show, we had to wait for it to be on when we wanted to cal our friend, we had to wait for them to be home
@@thurin84 sometimes times just get hard regardless of whatever anyone does. When the Chicxulub event occurred I'm sure all of the dinosaurs were going hard then. That did them no good though. Things happen that are beyond our control. Plus they didn't have Bruce Willis.
@@aaronk534Huh... glad to know my family wasn't the only one that did that. Our solution was simple: head to my uncle's house. He was a prepper, so, he had everything that would be needed.
I grew up in the four corners area and was an 18 year old US Marine when I saw this movie in 1984. Red Dawn will mean different things to different people. To me it will always mean resisting tyranny and defending America. Wolverines! 🇺🇸
This is still one of my all time favorite 80s movies. When I was a kid we got to see a part of the movie get filmed. One of my friend's dad was an extra in the movie, he portrayed one of the soldiers. Most of the filming locations are still there. The Drive-Inn is still operational to this day during the summer months. Great vid Minty!!!!🤘🤘🤘
Great movie. I remember watching it for the first time and having some doubts about whether or not I could enjoy it but it turned out to be really entertaining and well paced. Definitely an exciting, intense, and heartfelt action flick. Has a lot of good story twists too. One of the better dark futuristic stories of the eighties!
NGL, this movie, along with The Day After that was "made for TV" (and was the topic of a discussion in school) are two catalysts for me learning basic survival skills. They have served me well in my life, so I don't regret learning them. But growing up in that time period meant to be ready in case the Cold War went hot. Coming off of our defeat in Vietnam, us teens at the time believed that the Soviets just might try and pull something like this even if the nukes didn't fly.
Are you south Vietnamese? Because the US was never defeated in Vietnam. Heck the south held out for two years after we'd left. They were defeated, not us.The North knew not to even set foot on our embassy grounds until after we were gone. Because if they had that would have been viewed as a direct attack on US territory. Which we would have had to appropriately respond to. They knew exactly what that would have meant.
@@1pcfred They actually tried during the Tet Offensive in 68, VC sappers blew a hole in the wall surrounding the US embassy in Saigon, but despite the news incorrectly reporting that VC guerrilla fighter's had made it into the embassy and fought their way up several floors the truth is only 2 entered the grounds through the breech and were both gunned down before they made it across the lawn to the entrance, that was the worst day of their short lives, I guess their buddies decided they didn't want what those 2 got and wisely decided not to follow them through the breech. The news reporting things like that and claiming at Khe Sanh that many more transport aircraft were shot down than actually were is a prime example of the saying about Vietnam "It was a war that was misreported when it happened and has been misremembered ever since". You're absolutely right about the US not having "lost" the Vietnam War although that's the common narrative, everytime I catch someone saying that I ask them to explain to me how a military can be held responsible for a defeat that happened 2 years after it left, and you know what? No one's ever got back to me on that, they just dissappear without getting back to me. The problem with conflicts like Vietnam and Afghanistan is that people always compare the win/lose outcome to WW2, I'm always explaining to people, and this is where America's leaders at the time screwed up by not explaining it this way to everyone and kept using the word "win", is that Vietnam was never going to end with someone standing on the deck of a battleship signing surrender papers, it wasn't the kind of war like WW2 where the objective was to unseat the rulers of another nation, in Vietnam the US military was only task with keeping the north from invading the south which is something they did quite successfully while they were there, in 68 the north gave an all out effort to invade the south with the Tet Offensive and the US military promptly handed their asses to them, it's one of the greatest military defeats in history, the north had spent several years planning and moving equipment and forces into place for it and in two weeks they were literally decimated, what was left of them headed back across the border with their tales between their legs and the Viet Cong's command and control structure was smashed, from that point on they failed to continue being a nation wide military force with a chain of command and could only operate as rag tag individual village outlaws that were extremely easy for Special Force's to turn against their communist controllers who could no longer supply them and offer them protection, but if you listen to the way the news reported on Tet back then, and how it's still to this day portrayed in documentaries, they call it "the beginning of the end for the US", unbelievable, the US military lays down one of the greatest defeats in military history and it gets recorded in history as "the beginning of America's defeat in Vietnam", just wow, the reality is the north's military was reduced to the point where it took then 4 years to build it up enough to try another invasion in 72, known as the Easter Offensive and although not nearly as well known as Tet was much bigger including things like North Vietnamese armor units equipped with Soviet tanks, and once again in about 2 weeks the US military handed them their asses and routed them out of the south, another world class military defeat but somehow or the other it gets turned into some kind of a defeat for the US military, that's exactly what "Misreported when it happened and misremembered ever since" means. And meanwhile while everyone around the globe who hates the US gets their jollies running around like children claiming "The US was defeated in Vietnam the US was defeated in Vietnam" they completely ignore facts like North Vietnam signing agreements through the whole thing that they'd recognize the sovereignty of South Vietnam which was nothing but lies so they could set up their next invasion attempt, Der Fuhrer and his crew did the same thing 20 to 30 years before that and they go down in history as the biggest scumbags of the 20th Century but everyone just ignores Ho Chi Mihn doing it, and the crimes they committed, in the short amount of time they occupied the old part of Hue City during Tet they rounded up and murdered no less than 3,000 people, and that pales in comparison to their invasion of the south in 75 two years after US forces left, on their march through the south they went from village to village rounding up school teachers, priests, village officials and anyone who ever had anything to do with American's like women who worked as secretaries and anyone who had anything to do with American's in any capacity whatsoever and murdered them, everyone else in the 20th Century who did anything at all like that has gone down in history as war criminals but they get a free pass because everyone's too busy gloating that "America lost the Vietnam War", wow, the tens of thousands of people executed by the north and the hundreds of thousands that were rounded up and sent to their "re-education camps" many of which were never seen again by their families must be resting comfortably in their graves knowing that they're remembered, the fact is the people of South Vietnam just wanted to live free and is why many of them were people who fled the north and their homes up there to live in the south when the people of the country were given the chance in 1954 to decide which kind of system they wanted to live under, they couldn't get out of the north fast enough. And as far as that nonsense about the US being defeated there you're absolutely correct in what you said, the fact is after 10 years of being armed, trained and supported by the US the time had come for South Vietnam to put it's big boy pants on and take care of their own business, and they'd have been able to do it if their military's officer corps hadn't treated the 10 years that the US military was there like it was a big party, they squandered away all the training and supplies given to them, selling half of the supplies and support on the black market to enrichen themselves instead of using it to build up their forces strength, then when it came time for them to step up and lead their own military all they were interested in doing was escaping South Vietnam so they could come to America and keep living the playboy lifestyle, they'd tell their troops in the field "Stay right here and hold your positions, I'm going to headquarters to find out what's going on" and head straight for the coast and try to get on a boat that was headed anywhere but there, they should have never been allowed to leave the country, their officer corps should have been turned away at every escape route and forced to stay there and fight. And there's actually people out there in the world that believe "The US invaded and occupied South Vietnam and were eventually defeated and kicked out of it", wow, nothing like getting credit for going to assist a sovereign free democratic country that requested aid to help them keep from being invaded by a communist aggressor, I guess after helping the people of Europe with their aggressor problems 20 years before they got jealous when the US did the same thing for Asians, they must have felt jaded like a woman whose boyfriend left her for another woman because they're the one's more than anyone else who like to spread that nonsense about the US supposedly losing the Vietnam War, and run around all the time shooting off at the mouth gloating about it, like some kind of a jaded lover. Oh but guess what, now there's another aggressor problem in Europe and once again everyone wants to be all buddy buddy with the US again, yea, here we go again, now it's "You know that massive military we're always ragging on you for having, the one that we always say is more important to your military industrial complex than heath care for your citizens? Can we have some of it?"
@@luccac6247 No I fought the Cold War which basically was just sitting in Germany drinking beer. But watching the way those guy's get treated when they came back from Vietnam and all through the 70's is why I joined the military, I felt like someone owed them at least something, and the only thing I could do was show them that some of us still believed in what they did. And I owe them everything, it's because of enlisting in the military that I get to go through life with my head held high, I don't have to come up with excuses about why I didn't step up to the plate when it was my turn, and every time I hear "Thank you for your service" I tell everyone the same thing, "I appreciate the sentiment but no thanks are necessary, it was a privilege and an honor to wear the uniform of my country and those who came before me, just enjoy your freedoms and don't tread on others and that's thanks enough for me".
Amazing Film. Powerful af! One of my Fav from the 80s. Patrick Swayze. Charlie Sheen. C. Thomas Howell. Leah Thompson. Harry Dean Stanton. Powers Boothe. 🔥
Charlie's brother Emilio and Harry Dean Stanton starred together in Repo Man. Actors tend to work together a lot in the business. The whole 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon thing.
@@1pcfred yes. And Emilio was also on an episode of 2 1/2 Men. Just making a Red Dawn reference. Heck, while were at it, Martin Sheen was also on an episode of 2 1/2 Men. Haha.
I started my reaction channel with this movie, although I saw it way way late, it still had an impact. I can't imagine how people felt when this came out.
When I was young, this “Group of Teens Adventure Movie” made me grow up a little too fast…luckily 1 year later another “Group of Teens Adventure”(GOONIES) brought me back down to my childhood!! Btw, I loved both of them then & now!!
I watched this movie so many times off of HBO and Cinemax... Recorded on video tape many times. We played this as kids growing up... When Fortress America came out had to get it because it reminded me of the movie so much.
Y'know, while I was initially suprised to hear about the director calling it an anti-war film, it makes sense when I think about it. More than just the Wolverines "having a bad time of it," think about it. They watch family, friends, and even potential loves die before their eyes, their town is turned into a warzone, the brothers have to say goodbye to their dad who's in a concentration camp through a chainlink fence. After their string of initial successes, it backfires. They prove such a thorn in the enemy's side that in the end they bring in specialists to go after them, at which point things start to go increasingly wrong for them. By the end the only survivors of the Wolverines are the ones they sent away; all those kids have been denied the rest of their lives and instead have been turned into dead heroes. Just a lot of dead kids on both sides for map lines and old men's wars.
But it maybe caused a few young men to think. Would you give up freedom, your friends, your son to live kinda safe. *like the mayor*. Or would you rather take a few with you? I told my mom not long after. “As long as I take a few with me. Don’t be sad if I get killed. I will die satisfied”
@@larsharris "Anti war" means against both sides. In the ending of the Soviets lost and got a bunch of people killed for nothing. But yes, the mayor being a collaborator with the Soviets against fellow Americans was terrible. That's how war is - as the famous saying goes, it doesn't determine who is right so much who is left.
I remember watching this movie while I was serving in the US Army and we were like what happened did the whole US military going to start or something and cannot help but ask how did they get all the way to the Rocky Mountains. that fast. Without meeting massive resistance at the coastlines.
didn't they say in the movie, that they came in through Canadia?? which of course still leaves the problem that they would have ran into resistance that way as well, and obviously Canadia would have let us know... but either way, the planes certainly would be spotted before they got there and started dropping paratroopers. but of course it's a movie, so you need to really overlook some logic to enjoy it. 😀
@steveragsdale2358 That's just a Chinese weather balloon we're talking about moving whole armies with their armor and artillery across oceans they would have been spotted by satellites in outer space. The Japanese incineraty balloons to the west coast of the United States during World War II in large part because the United States didn't know of the existence of the jet stream at that time.
MINTY!! I was wonder why I don't see your videos anymore. Turns out I wasn't subscribed or it got dropped somehow. Anyway glad I found the channel again and I did make sure I'm subscribed. Keep up the good work.
Johnson Mesa is where the Daryl and Soviet soldier execution scene was filmed, it's about a 40 minute drive from Las Vegas, NM due to the tight twisty roads to get to it. It's still accessible today as a National Forest campground. A really nice one with good views. Somewhere around here I've got a photo and video of a buddy and myself on Johnson Mesa camping and we're pretty sure getting about in the same spot the scene took place. It's a super beautiful area of NM. Las Vegas still has the "Welcome to Calumet" mural up and it's well maintained. We explored the playground and rail station where some of the scenes were shot. As someone who grew up watching Red Dawn it was cool to see the real life filming locations.
Being a kid in the 80s was pretty sweet. This was one of those movies I would watch with my group of friends and then immediately go outside and play with our real looking toy guns. Commando, Rambo, Conan the Barbarian were also some go to movies to get us ready for a long day of battling each other outside in our backyards and vacant lots.
I grew up watching this movie. Soooo much better than the remake.
I won’t give the remake a chance. Too woke from what I read.
@@DoctorQuackenbushwoke it was not….bad it was
@@DoctorQuackenbushwasn’t woke just sucked. And I let the theatre know my feelings lol
True
Just horrible who's afraid of north korea.
Btw, the Las Vegas this was filmed around was Las Vegas, New Mexico, not Nevada, and some friends & I traveled a couple hours to be extras in Red Dawn for a few weeks during filming. We got to be Students, Russian soldiers, & towns people, and even got to die a couple times. It was a blast. Cheers!
Thank you for pointing this out, I came to say the same thing. During his teenage years my dad lived on that mountain, we were told that seeing the sun rise over that mountain is what cinched the name for the movie.
Las Vegas New Mexico was one of Billy The Kid's haunts, he was known to have spent time around there.
@@rolandblaise1149
Ah...no, the name Red Dawn is a play on the communists (aka Reds) launching an invasion at dawn which is when large military operations typically kick off, D-Day, The Invasion of Grenada, Operation Desert Storm and on just about any other large military invasion dawn is when the main forces, the actual invasion force, start their phase of the operation.
The title Red Dawn implies America waking up to a communist invasion.
@@dukecraig2402 lol yes, I used to go to our neighbor's as a child and hear her regale about "dating" members of his gang. Also all the pictures of the fancy dresses she wore... Took me 20 years before I put together that she was a dance hall girl.
lucky bastard. I would LOVE to have been in classic of cinema
‘’In the early days of World War III, guerrillas, mostly children, placed the names of their lost upon this rock. They fought here alone and gave up their lives, so "that this nation shall not perish from the earth."
Anyone who doesn't have tears in their eyes when thinking about the brothers and everyone else who didn't make it through the movie isn't a very good person.
It taught the real truth about war. You die, and sacrifice. In a few years, almost no one remembers your name, or what you did. You're dead forever too, no "Victory Parades" for you.
Excellent
@@sigma80 Parades are for commies.
Partisan Rock.
"That hate is gonna burn you up."
"It keeps me warm."
40 years later I still say my hate keeps me warm
@@purdhupley7864 This movie cooked 2 generations of brains.
Turns out all the guns did was get us killed in robberies and mass shootings.
Invasions repelled or tyrants toppled: 0
@@anthonyrowland9072 I didn't get killed. And I stopped a home invasion with my legally owned AK. I'm not the choir you think you're preaching to, friend
@@purdhupley7864 You needed an AK?
Imagine we lived in areal county and nobody was breaking into your house? Those places exist, they're called other rich countries besides America.
We have high knife crime that the UK AND all the gun crime. We're so stupid...
I'm trying to leave America anyway, y'all enjoy the hellscape you got conned into believing is the best and only way.
When Red Dawn came out, I was fresh out of the Marine Corps after a combat deployment in Beirut, Lebanon the year before. I loved Red Dawn, it was a story of fighting back after we weren't allowed to fight back in Lebanon and were hurt so badly. I swore I'd never be put in a position where I couldn't fight back again. That movie resonated with me then and it's even more relevant today with tech and government trying to suppress the free will of the American people. WOLVERINES!
I was in the Army when it came out, after that you couldn't go through a field exercise without someone standing on top of a big rock or an armored vehicle and hold their M16 up over their head shouting WOLVERINES!!!
Were you in Beirut when the Marine barracks was bombed? I was in basic training when that and the invasion of Grenada both happened, and boy did the DI's make full use of both of those incidents to make us believe there'd be a war by the time we got out of our training, it also didn't help that I was already slated to leave for basic on Sept 21st and on Sept 1st the Russian's shot down Korean Airlines flight 007, things already looked kind of shifty the day I left then those two things happened when I was in basic, looked like things were shaping up to be a long 3 years for me, but as things turned out the only thing I had to fight was the boredom of being stationed at Ft Riley Ks for 2 years, there wasn't a day went by at that hole I didn't wish I was over in Europe fighting the Soviets, man did that place suck.
@@dukecraig2402 Yes, I was there. However, they've had it wrong all these years, it wasn't a barracks, it was our battalion landing team headquarters building. But, because most of H&S Company slept in it, the media took to calling it a barracks. I spent the previous night, October 21-22, at that building and returned to the perimeter on the afternoon of the 22nd... next morning it was attacked and destroyed. That was a bad time and I know exactly what you're referring to... between the KAL shoot down, the bombing of our headquarters, and the invasion of Grenada, it seemed like WWIII was kicking off.
@@CplSkiUSMC
Yea I always wondered why they called it the barracks, it was a few year's but I eventually learned about how it was actually a headquarters and wondered after that how it got that label put on it, leave it to the media.
So you just happened to be out on the perimeter when that happened by chance of it being your turn? Wow, talk about it not being in the cards for you.
Yea I was a little nervous in the service there for a while after all that happened, there was a lot going on during those few months, them years later we all find out that we came even closer than we knew at the time with that misunderstanding over the NATO training exercise Able Archer 83, which happened in November and someone in Moscow didn't get the memo on that one and almost launched a first strike, then some junk Russian satellite right about that time mistook a reflection off a cloud as missile launches in the Midwest and their automatic system told some launch officer at a base somewhere in the Soviet Union to launch his missile's, thank God that guy kept a cool head or there wouldn't be us talking about the good old days on UA-cam, we'd all still be living like Denzel in The Book Of Eli if he hadn't, now that AI is on the loose I just hope I'm gone before T-800 Arnold's are roaming around the countryside.
Well either way I'm glad you made it out of that mess, too many of your buddies didn't, that was a real tragedy, but I can tell you this, when that happened we were all fired up about going over there and helping you guy's get some payback for that, it did not sit well with us.
@@dukecraig2402 Actually, my normal position was on the line. We were up at BLT HQ to run a mission on Saturday morning up to Alpha Company at the Lebanese Scientific University on the Green Line. We went up Friday evening, spent the night at BLT, loaded up Saturday morning, and ran the mission. And that's the hell of it... had they tried the bombing on Saturday instead of Sunday, the truck would not have penetrated the building. Our 3 amtracs were blocking that entrance while loading up during that exact time frame. We returned to BLT Saturday afternoon for the debriefing and then went back to our positions on the airport perimeter. Woke up the next morning to a huge cloud of smoke and dust... thus began the day from hell.
I learned of Able Archer years later and had to shake my head. I have thought of that Soviet Officer who put his head on the chopping block to stop a nuclear Armageddon and if I were President Reagan, I would have given him the Medal of Honor. If that man is still alive, I would love to shake his hand and thank him. We were still ashore in Beirut, and had he not personally stopped that launch, it would have been a very grim end for us... one battalion in a hostile land, having just suffered mass casualties, smack dab in the middle of WWIII.
You are very well informed brother. I'm impressed with your knowledge of the events all those years ago. What did you do in the Army? I'm in Wyoming and if I ever had the chance, I'd love to drink a few beers with you and trade stories.
Freaking A right!
RIP to stud Patrick Swayze.
And Powers Boothe.
He died way too soon.
I absolutely adored this movie. It was like the Brat Pack goes to war. The first time one of the kids screamed "Wolverines!" the audience in the theater erupted with applause.
And it was a great way to introduce the PG13 rating to America
No trailers were aired for this movie in my town. Saw it on a whim, loved it immediately. Saw the movie 3 more times in the theater.
I got to see RED DAWN in the theater in 1984 when I was 15. It's been stuck in my head for 40 years. I watch my DVD copy often. Of course, it could not be remade in 2024... No DEI in 1984!
huh?
@@theJACK__ DEI = Didn't Earn IT
😕
Americans....
"I was tough on ya, I did things that made you hate me sometimes. You understand now, don't you?"
Yes, Dad. I really do.
As a parent, myself, this hits home.
While I never became a parent and I don't have any kids but at the same time I have at least five because I'm a damn good uncle to his nieces and nephews I have
Powerful line and scene. “AVENGE ME!”
Our fathers prepare us for the danger ahead. I hope something like this never happens
My ex-wife said the exact same thing to me-TOO. LOL.
This movie along with iron eagle were my fav movies when growing up
Agreed 👍
Running where the boys run free. Burning up the sky. Chasing the angels. 🎶🎼🎵
Yeah, this movie holds up, but iron eagle, not so much, imo.
@@Nomad_Dad
IR0N EAGLE and IRON EAGLE lll were the best on the ......
"'IRON EAGLE QUADRILLOGY '"
@@illiteratealphabetagency9716 yeah each to their own, i loved it when i was a kid, ade me wanna join the air force because of it
I heard that Lea Thompson was asked if she ever hunted, she said she hunted squirrels and shot one, John Milius asked her if she ate it, she said yes, and she got the role.
That was a very smart way to cull the driftwood. We all knew classmates at time we first saw it that we knew would not survive, would go over to enemy, would spy for enemy. I no longer hunt, eat what I shoot. *because that’s called cannibalism*. That’s a joke. But rabbits, squirrel are smaller, more are nasty once you start field dressing. But if hungry? I hope I have a knife, way to make fire.
This was a very-well done movie. It came out during the age of Reagan and America's pride and patriotism had a resurgence - which also piggy-backed on our Olympic dominance during the 1984 games which happened in LA. I rewatched this not too long ago and had to be reminded how dark and realistic it was. Enemy occupation, anger and hatred for the enemy, and military strategy. I worked at a movie theater and this one had many sold-out showings. Thanks for the video!
Patrick Swayze had a magnificent performance in this movie. And he was just getting started.
His performance in Point Break(1991) was also good
@@chasehedges6775Brilliant!
@@chasehedges6775 I LOVE the original Point Break-RIP: Mr Swayze
Seen him on a rerun of M.A.S.H. the other day.
@@braddouglas7839 wait, what? Was he a young wounded soldier?
I know the question seems dumb given the show's subject matter, but he could have been a different character.
"We live here!!"... before Jed pulls the trigger.😮
He ain't wrong!
@@MasterMercenaryMusicno shit I feel the same way these days
My favorite line in the movie.
"AVENGE ME!!"
👍👍
The first Avengers?
YES!
That was an awesome Harry Dean Stanton scene.
@@vintagetrainingpikespeakfi7047served in world war 2 and in the us navy
WOLVERINES!! Robert was my favorite character, his story stood out to me the most. Transforming from a scared boy to a fearless solder, chills.
One of my favorite films of all time.
WOLVERINES!!!!
What's Hugh Jackson got to do with it?... ;-)
What's love got to do with it?
BUCKEYES!!!! 😁
What you said was wrong.
I was in the Army when this movie came out, I can't tell you how many times someone would be standing on a big rock or on top of an armored vehicle and they'd hold their M16 over their head and shout WOLVERINES!!!!
I knew a lot about this movie before it was ever released because my best friend's dad was one of the Russian helicopter pilots and brought us pictures of stuff to share.He was able to tell us some of the storyline.
I'm from Colorado and was 16 when this movie was released. Needless to say I locked into the film and it has been a part of my consciousness ever since.
Hey Minty! Here to make sure you don't give up on us 'cause we haven't given up on you!!! 🤙
Is he ok?
@@kimberlycrider2866He has sent out messages saying that his viewership is down.
@@kimberlycrider2866He's made some posts lately about his vids saying they haven't been performing as well as they used to
I saw this opening night in my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. The scene after the Air Force LTC was shot down, describing how the war started; when he said the Russians nuked Omaha, there was a collective gasp from the full house, "Uggggghhh!" We knew before we were at ground zero. That line made it all too real.
William Smith was the last of the old school actors. He actually was extremely educated and never broke character in any of his films
That and maybe he clocked Charlie Sheen for being a drug addled, nepo baby way before the rest of us and didn't put up with his crap.
@@grannyweatherwax8005 Tell me where Sheen touched you, is there a tape!
He recently passed away.
@@ratagris21
He passed away in 2021.
I'm actually kinda disappointed that Minty didn't mention Ron O'Neal, the actor who played the Cuban Colonel and the fact that he played Youngblood Priest in the classic Blaxploitation film Superfly, that's a classic movie there if ever there was one, but I guess it wouldn't have had the cultural impact in Australia that it did in the US.
Smith was fluent in Russian. One of his jobs in the Service was to listen to and translate Russian radio intercepts.
I was in the USAF when this came out seen it in the base theater ,I do remember when the russian chopper made its appearance I asked my friend "Where did they get a Hind?"
It was an Aerospatiale Puma with a visual modification kit to make it look like a Hind. I worked for a helicopter company in the late '80s, and got to know some of the mechanics that worked on them.
And yes, I said the same thing when I saw it in the theater!
I remember when this came out and the cable boxes where these black things with a dial on it!! haha so low tech, but we loved it.
Happy 40th anniversary to Red Dawn. It's shocking to believe that Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey didn't get on either this set or Dirty Dancing, but they seem to have patched things up before Swayze's passing in 2009.
Patrick Swayze was legend😞😢
WOLVERINES!
Swayze always gets a pass. 😉👍💖
They patched things up before they filmed Dirty Dancing
@@lordbaethan don't think so. I have read that they really hated each other during filming Dirty Dancing.
A LOT of us who served in the late 1980s and the 1990s joined because of this movie or were inspired to serve because of it. To be ready at all times, have the skills needed to survive, and prepared for the worst.
Army Infantry. 1989-94. I agree with you, but honestly, it was Platoon, that made me enlist.
One of the absolute greatest movies EVER!
I used to work for a major firearms and military surplus dealer. One day while going through some old boxes, I found Soviet looking flash hiders and aluminum finned barrel covers that obviously fit the US M-60 machine gun. The parts looked familiar so I set them aside. A few weeks later watching "Red Dawn" again I realised where I had seen them! We probably got them when we bought up Stembridge Movie Props years before.
I saw this when I was a kid. It left an impression on me on me that I later learned Russian as a middle aged adult.
Minty delivered, 10 things I didnt know about Red Dawn! Well done!
Minty - you are the BEST! What's crazy is this plot is just as plausible today as it was back in 1984. I could picture tons of students running out of school with their cell phones to film the paratroopers for social media only to realize they were not "friendly". Gives me the chills!!
It's crazy that so many who grew up at that time are now in love with Russia and Putin more than their own country. Yet they call themselves patriots. Weirdos.
The Russians invading the US seemed so totally improbable then I didn’t even bother to see the movie! Although today a lot of people in the US seem to think civil war might be a perfect solution for their political problems, so the movie might be more plausible today except it won’t be Russians parachuting!
When you think about it, the opening is similar to the scenario that just happened in Israel, when hamas used those paragliders to swoop in and kill all those kids at that music event....🤔
@@wdbeckiv Hannibal Directive. Israeli's killed those kids and blamed Hamas.
@dansmith1661 maybe. I do believe it was a psyop. People here are done with the money being given to Ukraine do it's feasible to cause a distraction by pulling at the heart strings and kill some kids so biden could continue printing money on 2 fronts now. I don't think tptb in Israel killed those kids and blamed hamas though. If that were true and it got out, the people would burn down the palace and set Benji on fire. I do believe however that he told his military to step aside and let it happen.
This movie will go down in Americas history as one of the best ever made.
👀...it's okay, plenty of better 80s movies
It's a documentary not a movie xD
After watching Red Dawn in 1985 I knew I wanted an AK.. So when I turned 18 in 1986 I went to Shooters at Gwinnett and bought my first rifle, a Chinese Norinco AK-47, a dozen mags, and a case of Norinco 7.62x39 ammo.. Still have the rifle and magazines but the ammo has been long gone..
Sad part is that they're no longer $89 for a brand new SKS. What a shame.
They still have ammo. Best stock up. The threat might not come from a foreign land.
An American classic!!!
An 80s American classic
No pride flags anywhere.
The original Red Dawn is a classic. The remake is garage.
It’s one of the best 80s films ever made
Red Dawn did not need to be remade. There was nothing that could have been improved on. The first one is pretty good.
@@1pcfred The Disney remakes in a nutshell.
@@chasehedges6775 some remakes can add something if a production was limited due to some shortcoming. Or perhaps an interesting new angle can be pursued. Things can go wrong often too though. Greatness is not easy to achieve.
Garbage too!
I was a Senior in Highschool when this movie came out. It hit hard then and STILL does today.
Director John Milius was awesome . And now his daughter, Amanda has become an exceptional documentary film director .
Yea she made a good documentary about him.
Teenage Rambo's,_ I saw this movie when it was released in 1984. The movie is great.
WOLVERINES ✊
I miss Patrick Swayze R.I.P our friend amen.😢
John Milius being the model for Gengus Khan makes so much sense. Red Dawn is probably the most based movie ever made.
This film always intrigued me when I was younger and saw the beginning. It was terrifying. Imagine living in This time period and going to the movies and seeing this , and knowing that this could actually happen. This movie was great and thank you for reviewing it
1984 was a great year for movies
💯💯💯. I love 80s movies
2008: HOLD MY FOOT.
It truly was. Maybe the greatest ever.
Ghostbusters
Karate Kid
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Footloose
Repo Man
Amadaus
Children of the Corn
Buckaroo Bonzai
Top Secret
Sixteen Candles
Romancing the Stone
Splash
Beverly Hills Cop
Police Academy
The Cotton Club
Dune
Conan The Barbarian
"I've seen it before, pal!" - C. Thomas Howell
His role as Robert was my favorite as a young teen.
@@digimortalone2759 Agreed
@@digimortalone2759 Me as well. He grew so cold and nihilistic. Him taking on the Hind attack helicopter mano a mano was a truly unforgettable moment for me. "WOLVERINES!!!"
@@Statsy10 Exactly. As I got older I realized his sacrifice as a result of him being alone, especially after shooting Darrell, and just being burned out. It endeared me to him for some reason.
I really wished we saw more of him. He was really good in the Longmire episode. Imo a severely underrated actor.
This movie freaked me out back in the day.....Now, it seems more possible and still freaks me out 😮 Thanks Minty.👍❤️🏴
This movie scared the s**t out of me when I was a kid. I was in elementary school when it came out. My parents let my older sister take me to see it. Schools all looked similar to the ones in the movie back then so I'd sit in class watching and waiting. I just KNEW one day I was going to see Russian paratroopers landing in the school yard starting WW3. My dad had never watched the movie. He died in 2009 but a few months before that he saw it on TV and apologized. He finally understood how the movie could scare a child. Fun times.
Yeah, not far from how I received it... Now I'm more in the shoes of the "AVENGE ME!" guy. Wild.
Man I loved it as a kid! I saw it as a training manual. My friends and I would dress up in camoflage and pretend we were in the movie.
@@zacharyfindlay-maddox171 oh me too!
I had a similar experience with Friday The 13th. I was young and we lived near a lake named Crystal Lake lol
@@rsmartin68 that's what even more messed up. I watched horror movies of all kinds when I was young and they never bothered me. I guess it's because I knew those were not real but Russians and Cubans who hated America were.
Taking on a big one this time. Love your work.
Between Red Dawn, Rambo and my GI Joe collection, i was hooked on military action. 20 years later I retired as an 0321 recon man.
Love Red Dawn, what a brilliant movie....also love your work Minty, keep it going, absolutely brilliant mate!!😊
This movie belongs in The Library of Congress of Film in the United States. It's a Fabulous Classic.
Trust me. It is. 😎
Great review Minty!
A movie of time, 80's action wrapped in the Ragan/Thatcher red peril narrative.
Scary thing is we're probably closer to it happening now than we were then.
This movie was prophetic
Along with Threads.
not really closer. but closer than we have been since the 80s, for sure.
Reagan.
I calling it a training video. I make my family watch it about every 6 months. Sons love it. Wife cannot roll her eyes far enough. She said she can quote it. I tell her once she name every weapons system and their calibers, oil type. Tread width. Then we can stop watching it. Lol
"A member of an elite paramilitary organization...Eagle Scout."
Pre 2000. I was impressed with anyone who became Eagle Scout. *until they showed otherwise*. But by 2010 on. I became less impressed. In my area there were late night reviews as they waited to absolute last second. Sometimes wanting to be judged on project they were going to start. It’s not like they did not know the deadline. When their birthday is. It’s still impressive. Not knowing your area, what was fudged to get it. Rather tarnished it to me.
Was filmed in My hometown of Las Vegas, NM. It was fun watching the production of the film.
Me too
Excellent conclusion at the end, my friend.
I can't see how this movie supports war, when It clearly depicts just how gnarly and sad war is.
Almost to 500k brother!!! *Because we live here!!!*
Minty, so thankful for all the content you make. never stop. never give up. here to support you. WOLVERINES!!!
Hey Minty making sure the algorithm sees we the people support your channel.
I just love this movie and you reminded me I need to watch it with my son. Adolescent fantasy at its best. Thanks for your great work, Minty
Greatest Documentary Ever Made
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. C Thomas Howell at a roping event. He was incredibly nice, but I did have to fight the urge to yell “WOLVERINES!!!!!”
I by chance met actor Tom Skeritt on the street in New York City 🗽 . I yelled VIPER 🛩 He laughed. Skeritt was in Top Gun 1985 ....
We were made of sterner stuff in the 80s
we walked uphill to school... both ways
when we wanted to watch a show, we had to wait for it to be on
when we wanted to cal our friend, we had to wait for them to be home
Same thing in the '60s and '70s.
@@woodchippers_WestWingDimeBag We also had to walk in the snow and rain both going and coming.
hard men make easy times
easy times make weak men
weak men make hard times
rinse and repeat.
@@thurin84 sometimes times just get hard regardless of whatever anyone does. When the Chicxulub event occurred I'm sure all of the dinosaurs were going hard then. That did them no good though. Things happen that are beyond our control. Plus they didn't have Bruce Willis.
The idea of this actually happening back in the 80's was scary for me as a kid.
As a 2001 Gen Z kid who grew up in the mid 2000s, same
Yeah, my parents would have "Red Dawn Drills" and randomly ask "what do you do if it happened now?" God. 80s were odd as a little kid
@@aaronk534Huh... glad to know my family wasn't the only one that did that.
Our solution was simple: head to my uncle's house. He was a prepper, so, he had everything that would be needed.
Wasn't really possible
@@SiriusMined in those days, the Soviet Union was the 1# world power, ahead of the U.S.
One of my alltime favorites! Love the look back bro! Nice work! Patrick Swayze will always be my favorite actor.
Seen this at the drive-in with a date in the 9th grade - wise ass lol loved your comment about Safeway
I saw it at the drive in too, with my brothers and a friend.
I grew up in the four corners area and was an 18 year old US Marine when I saw this movie in 1984. Red Dawn will mean different things to different people. To me it will always mean resisting tyranny and defending America. Wolverines! 🇺🇸
This is still one of my all time favorite 80s movies. When I was a kid we got to see a part of the movie get filmed. One of my friend's dad was an extra in the movie, he portrayed one of the soldiers. Most of the filming locations are still there. The Drive-Inn is still operational to this day during the summer months. Great vid Minty!!!!🤘🤘🤘
Great movie. I remember watching it for the first time and having some doubts about whether or not I could enjoy it but it turned out to be really entertaining and well paced. Definitely an exciting, intense, and heartfelt action flick. Has a lot of good story twists too. One of the better dark futuristic stories of the eighties!
NGL, this movie, along with The Day After that was "made for TV" (and was the topic of a discussion in school) are two catalysts for me learning basic survival skills. They have served me well in my life, so I don't regret learning them. But growing up in that time period meant to be ready in case the Cold War went hot. Coming off of our defeat in Vietnam, us teens at the time believed that the Soviets just might try and pull something like this even if the nukes didn't fly.
Are you south Vietnamese? Because the US was never defeated in Vietnam. Heck the south held out for two years after we'd left. They were defeated, not us.The North knew not to even set foot on our embassy grounds until after we were gone. Because if they had that would have been viewed as a direct attack on US territory. Which we would have had to appropriately respond to. They knew exactly what that would have meant.
And then in 2022 they did. We're living a real Red Dawn right here and now. And the villains here are much worse.
@@1pcfred
They actually tried during the Tet Offensive in 68, VC sappers blew a hole in the wall surrounding the US embassy in Saigon, but despite the news incorrectly reporting that VC guerrilla fighter's had made it into the embassy and fought their way up several floors the truth is only 2 entered the grounds through the breech and were both gunned down before they made it across the lawn to the entrance, that was the worst day of their short lives, I guess their buddies decided they didn't want what those 2 got and wisely decided not to follow them through the breech.
The news reporting things like that and claiming at Khe Sanh that many more transport aircraft were shot down than actually were is a prime example of the saying about Vietnam "It was a war that was misreported when it happened and has been misremembered ever since".
You're absolutely right about the US not having "lost" the Vietnam War although that's the common narrative, everytime I catch someone saying that I ask them to explain to me how a military can be held responsible for a defeat that happened 2 years after it left, and you know what? No one's ever got back to me on that, they just dissappear without getting back to me.
The problem with conflicts like Vietnam and Afghanistan is that people always compare the win/lose outcome to WW2, I'm always explaining to people, and this is where America's leaders at the time screwed up by not explaining it this way to everyone and kept using the word "win", is that Vietnam was never going to end with someone standing on the deck of a battleship signing surrender papers, it wasn't the kind of war like WW2 where the objective was to unseat the rulers of another nation, in Vietnam the US military was only task with keeping the north from invading the south which is something they did quite successfully while they were there, in 68 the north gave an all out effort to invade the south with the Tet Offensive and the US military promptly handed their asses to them, it's one of the greatest military defeats in history, the north had spent several years planning and moving equipment and forces into place for it and in two weeks they were literally decimated, what was left of them headed back across the border with their tales between their legs and the Viet Cong's command and control structure was smashed, from that point on they failed to continue being a nation wide military force with a chain of command and could only operate as rag tag individual village outlaws that were extremely easy for Special Force's to turn against their communist controllers who could no longer supply them and offer them protection, but if you listen to the way the news reported on Tet back then, and how it's still to this day portrayed in documentaries, they call it "the beginning of the end for the US", unbelievable, the US military lays down one of the greatest defeats in military history and it gets recorded in history as "the beginning of America's defeat in Vietnam", just wow, the reality is the north's military was reduced to the point where it took then 4 years to build it up enough to try another invasion in 72, known as the Easter Offensive and although not nearly as well known as Tet was much bigger including things like North Vietnamese armor units equipped with Soviet tanks, and once again in about 2 weeks the US military handed them their asses and routed them out of the south, another world class military defeat but somehow or the other it gets turned into some kind of a defeat for the US military, that's exactly what "Misreported when it happened and misremembered ever since" means.
And meanwhile while everyone around the globe who hates the US gets their jollies running around like children claiming "The US was defeated in Vietnam the US was defeated in Vietnam" they completely ignore facts like North Vietnam signing agreements through the whole thing that they'd recognize the sovereignty of South Vietnam which was nothing but lies so they could set up their next invasion attempt, Der Fuhrer and his crew did the same thing 20 to 30 years before that and they go down in history as the biggest scumbags of the 20th Century but everyone just ignores Ho Chi Mihn doing it, and the crimes they committed, in the short amount of time they occupied the old part of Hue City during Tet they rounded up and murdered no less than 3,000 people, and that pales in comparison to their invasion of the south in 75 two years after US forces left, on their march through the south they went from village to village rounding up school teachers, priests, village officials and anyone who ever had anything to do with American's like women who worked as secretaries and anyone who had anything to do with American's in any capacity whatsoever and murdered them, everyone else in the 20th Century who did anything at all like that has gone down in history as war criminals but they get a free pass because everyone's too busy gloating that "America lost the Vietnam War", wow, the tens of thousands of people executed by the north and the hundreds of thousands that were rounded up and sent to their "re-education camps" many of which were never seen again by their families must be resting comfortably in their graves knowing that they're remembered, the fact is the people of South Vietnam just wanted to live free and is why many of them were people who fled the north and their homes up there to live in the south when the people of the country were given the chance in 1954 to decide which kind of system they wanted to live under, they couldn't get out of the north fast enough.
And as far as that nonsense about the US being defeated there you're absolutely correct in what you said, the fact is after 10 years of being armed, trained and supported by the US the time had come for South Vietnam to put it's big boy pants on and take care of their own business, and they'd have been able to do it if their military's officer corps hadn't treated the 10 years that the US military was there like it was a big party, they squandered away all the training and supplies given to them, selling half of the supplies and support on the black market to enrichen themselves instead of using it to build up their forces strength, then when it came time for them to step up and lead their own military all they were interested in doing was escaping South Vietnam so they could come to America and keep living the playboy lifestyle, they'd tell their troops in the field "Stay right here and hold your positions, I'm going to headquarters to find out what's going on" and head straight for the coast and try to get on a boat that was headed anywhere but there, they should have never been allowed to leave the country, their officer corps should have been turned away at every escape route and forced to stay there and fight.
And there's actually people out there in the world that believe "The US invaded and occupied South Vietnam and were eventually defeated and kicked out of it", wow, nothing like getting credit for going to assist a sovereign free democratic country that requested aid to help them keep from being invaded by a communist aggressor, I guess after helping the people of Europe with their aggressor problems 20 years before they got jealous when the US did the same thing for Asians, they must have felt jaded like a woman whose boyfriend left her for another woman because they're the one's more than anyone else who like to spread that nonsense about the US supposedly losing the Vietnam War, and run around all the time shooting off at the mouth gloating about it, like some kind of a jaded lover.
Oh but guess what, now there's another aggressor problem in Europe and once again everyone wants to be all buddy buddy with the US again, yea, here we go again, now it's "You know that massive military we're always ragging on you for having, the one that we always say is more important to your military industrial complex than heath care for your citizens? Can we have some of it?"
@@dukecraig2402 well said. Did you serve in Vietnam?
@@luccac6247
No I fought the Cold War which basically was just sitting in Germany drinking beer.
But watching the way those guy's get treated when they came back from Vietnam and all through the 70's is why I joined the military, I felt like someone owed them at least something, and the only thing I could do was show them that some of us still believed in what they did.
And I owe them everything, it's because of enlisting in the military that I get to go through life with my head held high, I don't have to come up with excuses about why I didn't step up to the plate when it was my turn, and every time I hear "Thank you for your service" I tell everyone the same thing, "I appreciate the sentiment but no thanks are necessary, it was a privilege and an honor to wear the uniform of my country and those who came before me, just enjoy your freedoms and don't tread on others and that's thanks enough for me".
Amazing Film. Powerful af! One of my Fav from the 80s. Patrick Swayze. Charlie Sheen. C. Thomas Howell. Leah Thompson. Harry Dean Stanton. Powers Boothe. 🔥
Charlie Sheen and Harry Dean Stanton appeared together on an episode of 2 1/2 Men.
Charlie's brother Emilio and Harry Dean Stanton starred together in Repo Man. Actors tend to work together a lot in the business. The whole 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon thing.
@@1pcfred yes. And Emilio was also on an episode of 2 1/2 Men. Just making a Red Dawn reference. Heck, while were at it, Martin Sheen was also on an episode of 2 1/2 Men. Haha.
@@darntootin6423 I never watched 2 1/2 Men.
Was 14 in 1984, loved it then, love it now! Just picked up the bud 4k version, Awesome!! Great Video! Peace
Love this movie! Thank you for the fun video and the trip down memory lane.
I started my reaction channel with this movie, although I saw it way way late, it still had an impact. I can't imagine how people felt when this came out.
My favorite part is when c. Thomas Howell goes undercover as a black dude to save swayze before he becomes a pottery making surfer ghost.
Haha! Soul Man! I haven't seen this in probably 30 plus years.
😂
Absolutely 1980's perfection!
When I was young, this “Group of Teens Adventure Movie” made me grow up a little too fast…luckily 1 year later another “Group of Teens Adventure”(GOONIES) brought me back down to my childhood!! Btw, I loved both of them then & now!!
I watched this movie so many times off of HBO and Cinemax... Recorded on video tape many times. We played this as kids growing up... When Fortress America came out had to get it because it reminded me of the movie so much.
Y'know, while I was initially suprised to hear about the director calling it an anti-war film, it makes sense when I think about it. More than just the Wolverines "having a bad time of it," think about it. They watch family, friends, and even potential loves die before their eyes, their town is turned into a warzone, the brothers have to say goodbye to their dad who's in a concentration camp through a chainlink fence. After their string of initial successes, it backfires.
They prove such a thorn in the enemy's side that in the end they bring in specialists to go after them, at which point things start to go increasingly wrong for them. By the end the only survivors of the Wolverines are the ones they sent away; all those kids have been denied the rest of their lives and instead have been turned into dead heroes. Just a lot of dead kids on both sides for map lines and old men's wars.
But it maybe caused a few young men to think. Would you give up freedom, your friends, your son to live kinda safe. *like the mayor*. Or would you rather take a few with you? I told my mom not long after. “As long as I take a few with me. Don’t be sad if I get killed. I will die satisfied”
@@larsharris "Anti war" means against both sides. In the ending of the Soviets lost and got a bunch of people killed for nothing. But yes, the mayor being a collaborator with the Soviets against fellow Americans was terrible. That's how war is - as the famous saying goes, it doesn't determine who is right so much who is left.
I grew up on this movie. I've watched it more times than any other. It's sacred to me.
I remember watching this movie while I was serving in the US Army and we were like what happened did the whole US military going to start or something and cannot help but ask how did they get all the way to the Rocky Mountains. that fast. Without meeting massive resistance at the coastlines.
didn't they say in the movie, that they came in through Canadia?? which of course still leaves the problem that they would have ran into resistance that way as well, and obviously Canadia would have let us know... but either way, the planes certainly would be spotted before they got there and started dropping paratroopers. but of course it's a movie, so you need to really overlook some logic to enjoy it. 😀
@briwanderz yep it's just a movie like you said, although I just can't help but you know talk about that having served in the US Army😃
Ask yourself another question how did a Chinese, finger quote " weather balloon" make it two thirds across the country?
@steveragsdale2358 That's just a Chinese weather balloon we're talking about moving whole armies with their armor and artillery across oceans they would have been spotted by satellites in outer space. The Japanese incineraty balloons to the west coast of the United States during World War II in large part because the United States didn't know of the existence of the jet stream at that time.
William Smith was a Badass! And so is this movie! One of my Favorites!
Believe it or not, Red Dawn is 40 Years old
I’m 23 and I feel old.
Dang.
@@chasehedges6775 I'm also 23 Years old
@@chasehedges6775 Time sure does fly very fast, doesn't it??
@@thefantasticretroreviewer3941 AWESOME
MINTY!! I was wonder why I don't see your videos anymore. Turns out I wasn't subscribed or it got dropped somehow. Anyway glad I found the channel again and I did make sure I'm subscribed.
Keep up the good work.
haven't watched you in years glad to see the quality is a good as ever
I watched this last week and it is still brilliant.
Love this movie and love your channel 👍
Always a great flick. Always gets me thinking of what I would do if it would really happen. Also, realistic Soviet tanks, planes, helicopters. 👍👍
Red Dawn and TAPS. Two of the most memorable movies of my childhood.
It’s more defending yourself and your people while showing how dirty it can be.
Johnson Mesa is where the Daryl and Soviet soldier execution scene was filmed, it's about a 40 minute drive from Las Vegas, NM due to the tight twisty roads to get to it. It's still accessible today as a National Forest campground. A really nice one with good views. Somewhere around here I've got a photo and video of a buddy and myself on Johnson Mesa camping and we're pretty sure getting about in the same spot the scene took place. It's a super beautiful area of NM. Las Vegas still has the "Welcome to Calumet" mural up and it's well maintained. We explored the playground and rail station where some of the scenes were shot. As someone who grew up watching Red Dawn it was cool to see the real life filming locations.
this one is so much better than the remake
Loved this movie, saw it countless times!!
Revolutionary one, Minty. 🐾
Being a kid in the 80s was pretty sweet. This was one of those movies I would watch with my group of friends and then immediately go outside and play with our real looking toy guns. Commando, Rambo, Conan the Barbarian were also some go to movies to get us ready for a long day of battling each other outside in our backyards and vacant lots.
Wolverines
0:03
NO WAY!!!!!! You’re the best Minty!!!!
Pressing play NOW!!! 👊🏼😎
I now consider this movie as a training video.
I remember when this came out in the theatres, my friends and I went to see it several times.
"Wolverines!!"