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Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Sizemore ... see more see more... , J. Kenneth Campbell , Jared Chandler , Dann Florek , Madison Mason , Christopher Rich , Douglas Roberts , Adam Biesk , Reb Brown , John Corbett , Richard Fancy , Mike Jolly , J. Patrick McNamara , Adam Nelson , Jeff O'Haco , Ving Rhames , Peter Sherayko , Scott N. Stevens , Fred Dalton Thompson , Justin Williams , Ken Wright , Duane Matthews , Mindy Marin , Akio Mitamura , David Schwimmer , Rick Dano , Hugo Napier

Two pilots go against the rule book in a bid to win the war in Viet Nam in this speculative military drama. Lieutenant Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson) is a U.S. Navy pilot stationed aboard an aircraft car... read more read more...rier after the death of his one-time flying partner Morgan McPherson (Christopher Rich), who perished during a recent, ill-advised mission. Lt. Grafton, who has become cynical about the current state of military affairs, is convinced that if the war were left to the soldiers rather than the politicians overseeing the Pentagon, United States victory would be swift and assured. Grafton shares this opinion with Virgil Cole (Willem Dafoe), a supremely confident new pilot under his command, and together they commandeer an A-6 Bomber, known as The Intruder, for an unauthorized bombing raid against Hanoi. The city had been declared off-limits because it was believed that it would have a negative impact on the Paris peace talks, so the raid lands Grafton and Cole in hot water. However, when the talks break down, President Richard Nixon authorizes the pilots to lead a new strike against Hanoi with everything they've got. Ving Rhames and David Schwimmer both appear in small roles that predated their respective rises to fame (in fact, this was Schwimmer's first movie). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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49% liked it

5,752 ratings

Critics

25% liked it

12 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: John Milius

Release Date: January 18, 1991

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DVD Release Date: July 1, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (128)

  • holyoaka
    September 11, 2010
    holyoaka
    This film focuses on the frustration some pilots felt during the Vietnam War when they flew off of their carriers night after night to bomb worthless targets, and they had to run a gauntlet of ground fire and missles to get there, and they didn't always come back. When one pilot... read more loses his bombardier/navigator he decides to carry out his own mission, on that he thinks will really matter. I like it!
  • zardoz3
    May 25, 2010
    zardoz3
    Call it "Top Gun" with balls.

    "Red Dawn" director John Milius' big-screen adaptation of the Stephen Coonts novel "The Flight of the Intruder" upholds not only the finest traditions of the Hollywood aerial combat epic, going back as far as Howard Hawks' "The Dawn Patrol" (1930... read more) as well as its gild-edged 1938 Errol Flynn remake, Mark Robson's "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1964) and Walter Grauman's 1964 British fighter-bomber classic "633 Squadron," but also issues a highly-politicized, anti-war statement without undercutting its high octane ingredients. How they got the U.S. Navy to ante up all that fabulous equipment for an anti-war movie still amazes me. The aerial sequences rank among the very best, particularly when the A-6s explode in the air as the pilots bail out. Part of the dramatic punch of "Flight" is that our heroes fly jets that have no guns on board to retaliate with during an airborne enemy assault. They have to radio for help when it comes down to that. This raises the stakes considerably in the Robert ("The French Connection 2" & "Prime Cut") Dillon & David ("The Warriors" & "Nighthawks") Shaber screenplay that thrusts these Navy pilots into several suspenseful situations.

    When "Intruder" flies, you cannot beat its dog-eared, but flag-waving heroics, even if a couple of renegade A-6 Navy carrier pilots played by Brad Johnson and Willam DaFoe unfurl them for our entertainment. Indeed, all the clichés remain intact in this virtual remake of "The Bridges at Toko-Ri," except "Flight" boasts a happy ending. Basically, "Flight" is a testosterone flavored tearjerkers for guys. When he loses his bombardier to a stray bullet at low altitude, Lt. Jake 'Cool Hand' Grafton complains about the targets they pick. Not long afterward the death of Grafton's, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole Dafoe comes on board, with a bad reputation for having allegedly abandoned a fellow pilot on the ground in North Vietnam. The two become best buddies after a near-death encounter in the night skies over North Vietnam when they dodge at least four Surface-To-Air missiles and plan an audacious mission that they fully expect to be court-marshaled for by the Navy brass. Along the way, "Flight" bogs down momentarily for an obligatory romantic subplot involving a Navy widow Callie (Rosanna Arquette) and her daughter.

    Mind you, the movie never captures the complexity of the novel, but remember this is a genre movie and the romantic subplot is sort of expected. Sure, they could have put more bang into it in emotional terms, and may very well have. Sure, you can tell that the Tom Sizemore character is going to bite the bullet when he learns that he is a dad, albeit an illegitimate one. The cast is first-rate, too. Look for Ving ("Pulp Fiction") Rhames in an earlier role as well as David ("Friends") Schwimmer as a duty officer. One of the few things that date this aviation saga is the choice of "Lethal Weapon's" Danny Glover as the shouting authority figure who makes life rough for our heroes. An uncredited Fred Dalton Thompson has some choice moments as the Court-Martial captain. "Now is the time to come to Jesus," he warns them as their trial gets underway but yields surprising results. The Paramount DVD is a bare bones version without a Milius commentary that I think all die-hard Milius fans would have welcomed. Can we say "Special Edition" in the future with a JM commentary?
  • jeg0u812
    April 23, 2009
    jeg0u812
    Kinda cheesy in retrospect. But Dafoe and Glover carry this one further than it would go on it's own.
  • wolverineland
    March 29, 2008
    wolverineland
    I liked this movie so much more than "Top Gun". Sure it didnt have the Top 40 soundtrack and soapy romance but it did have Dafoe hitting another great classic oddball performance out of the park. This movie wasnt realistic but it sure as hell was cool. Alpha-Mike-Foxtrot.

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Critic Reviews

Brian Mckay
March 17, 2003
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com

Decent Vietnam war film. Dafoe's presence can only help.

Clint Morris
September 18, 2002
Clint Morris, Moviehole

Less entertaining than any of the leads have ever done.

Scott Weinberg
July 27, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Inert gung-ho Vietnam adventure.

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
April 14, 2008
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Hal Hinson
January 1, 2000
Hal Hinson, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

January 18, 1991
Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 18, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

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