Red Dawn and Lessons of War

It’s 1984. It was a good year for movies. It would see a breakout in celebrities like Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, and Charlie Sheen. There are so many to list.

One movie saw them come together in an alternate dystopian America as tensions from the Cold War peaked. The movie Red Dawn saw their breakout into the movie industry.

Directed by John Milius, the movie tells the story of a fictitious invasion of the United States by Russian forces. A small group of guerillas, known as “Wolverines”, would engage in a military campaign to liberate their hometown of Calumet, CO. It would be the subject of a poor remake in 2012 that had Chris Hemsworth in the lead role.

Milius went to film school with George Lucas and many others who became famous in Hollywood and had stories of adventure or sagas in a galaxy far away. For Milius, he would make his name known in Hollywood with his contribution to Apocalypse Now as scriptwriter which was nominated for an Oscar in that category. He was possibly the only conservative filmmaker at the time. He even directed Conan the Barbarian which was successful considering another rising star in Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Unlike many war films, Milius showed a different side to war that is never looked at. Much of his obsession can be credited to when he was disqualified from service due to asthma during the Vietnam War era.

In one scene of the movie, someone among high schoolers was spying for the Russians. Jed wants to execute him and a Russian soldier. Jed’s brother Matt opposes.

Matt: What’s the difference between us and them?

Jed: Because…. We live here! and unloads his pistol into the Russian.

Matt wanted to show sympathy for his captors. Sadly, his brother showed no mercy. Throughout history, there have been times when situations have popped up. War can never be the answer. St. Augustine once said, “War should be waged without love of violence, cruelty, or enmity.

Red Dawn is a good action movie that came out about five years prior to the end of the Cold War. It came at a time when Ronald Reagan was looking to dissolve the Soviet Union without a violent confrontation.

It is a solid eight out of ten. It has a good cast with young talent looking to build their experience and some good plot twists.