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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 15512
Released: December 19, 2000 |
| Our Price: $9.09 |
| Used Price: $8.36 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Only the bravest of men risk their lives to save others! In this "suspenseful and engrossing actiontale" (Boxoffice) based on a true-life rescue story, Oscar(r) winner* Gene Hackman (Unforgiven) and Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) portray a pair of valiant American soldiers up against impossible odds for survival and rescue within war-torn Vietnam. After his reconnaissance plane is shot down behind enemy lines in Vietnam, Lt. Colonel Hambleton (Hackman), a career soldier who's used to calling the shots from behind a desk, must now figure out a way to survive in the jungle! Luckily for him, he manages to establish radio contact with an Air Force pilot, Bird-Dog (Glover), who makes it his mission to save his stranded comrade. To plan the dangerous rescue, the two soldiers communicate by secret code. But when the enemy intercepts their messages, it's only a matter of time before the code is broken...leaving both men at risk of being caught and imprisoned.
Description of Bat 21:
Gene Hackman is a fighter pilot in Vietnam. When he gets shot down behind enemy lines, he manages to hang on to his radio--and maintains contact with Danny Glover, back at the base. Hackman must rely on his own instincts--and the long-distance assistance of Glover--to work his way back to his own territory. The script, by Marc Norman and William Anderson, can't rise above war-movie clichés and Peter Markle's direction can't lift it. Neither can David Marshall Grant, as an overly passionate copter jockey whose rescue attempt proves more hindrance than help. But crafty veterans Hackman and Glover know a thing or two about transcending mediocre material with performances of depth and humanity. --Marshall Fine
Bat 21 Reviews:
A horribly distorted book and movie that commercialized a true event 
2009-12-15 - This movie based on the book of the same name (Bat 21), written by William C. Anderson, is the most contemptable collection of lies and bullcrap ever written about a Search and Rescue mission, developed, conducted and flown by the 1st USAF Special Operations Squadron (Douglas A-1 Skyraider...Call Signs: Sandy and Hobo). I was a USAF combat pilot assigned to both the 1st SOS and the 56th Combat Operations Wing at Nakom Phanom Thai Air Force Base during the period of this rescue. The movie and book is nothing more than a total distortion of the events, including the fictitous Birddog pilot, all done for the sake of greed and pure commercialism on the part of the author. The Bat 21 (EB-66 navigator) rescue mission, which in fact was a dual rescue, concurrent with Nail 38 (OV-10 pilot), shot down in the same area, at the same time, was one the most brilliantly conceived, heroic and unselfish Search and Rescue missions flown in the Vietnam War. So twisted and distorted is the movie, when compared to the truth, that is is scorned and reviled by almost every A-1 Skyraider pilot, and Jolly Green helicopter pilot who flew and sacrificed their lives (Jolly Green 67...5 KIA) on this SAR mission, for eight continuous days. Also deleted from the true story were the US Army RECONDO unit. It would almost take another book to tell the true story, compared to the manufactured fiction writen by the author.
Old Warriors 
2009-09-20 - Great story and was sorry to hear that Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton recently passed away.
My favorite war movie. 
2009-08-01 - Well, it's a toss up with "Full Metal Jacket". Anyway, this movie definitely takes a different twist on the typical war movie. There's not alot of shooting or explosions, but rather it deals with the psychological aspects of a pilot, Bat 21(played by Gene Hackman)shot down over Vietnam. While creating a bond of friendship with "Bird Dog", a pilot that's watching out for him, and guiding him to a safe rescue (played by Danny Glover), he sees war from a different perspective than he's used to seeing it; from the ground. He learns about himself, and it changes him..."I'm through with killin'" says Gene Hackman, is one of my favorite quotes. Not that I'm an anti-war hippie, but I think it accurately portrays the feelings of a man whose immersed in a situation such as that, never having experienced it. I highly recommend this movie. Not only because it's very entertaining, but as my Dad used to say "you might learn somethin'". But didn't most Dads used to say that?
Exciting and well told true story
2008-05-22 - Yet another example of excellent casting here paring Gene Hackman with Danny Glover. The film is riveting, and even while telling the story of Bat 2-1, it delves into the heart of Vietnam, where Bat 2-1 made his 18-hole sprint to freedom. Highly recommended.
A Great 80's War Movie
2008-04-02 - I have enjoyed this movie for years. It has a good story, great acting, and you don't get tired of it.
