Director: Peter Markle
Starring: Gene Hackman, Danny Glover, Jerry Reed
Running Time: 105 minutes
Synopsis: During the Vietnam War, Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton (Gene Hackman) parachutes into enemy territory when his reconnaissance plane is shot down. Hambleton is a veteran intelligence officer, and the North Vietnamese prioritize his capture. He makes radio contact with forward air patrol Captain Bartholomew "Birddog" Clark (Danny Glover), flying a Cessna. Birddog becomes Hambleton's main contact with the outside world as he navigates in enemy territory over several days and the army struggles to mount a rescue mission. A looming massive American air strike in the area adds time pressure.
What Works Well: Based on actual events, the story of a war-time rescue under enemy fire enjoys themes of friendship, survival, and most effectively, the difference between the brutality of up-close combat and the comparatively serene world of an intelligence officer far from the front lines. Gene Hackman and Danny Glover establish a remote cockpit-to-ground rapport, and both actors convey the weight of their ordeal through lived-in performances. Director Peter Markle maintains control of the material with no superfluous scenes and a focus on capturing the rigours of a jungle warfare environment, and capably weaves in the improvised golf course code Hambleton used to communicate his arduous travel path.
What Does Not Work As Well: The enemy perspective is non-existent, and this is a men's-only world with no female roles. The climax goes over-the-top in layering on improbabilities, then keeps looking for more.
Key Quote:
Birddog (over the radio to Hambleton): Let's get the basic relationship down... I'm the lifeguard, you're the drowning man. If you relax, I can bring you to shore. If you fight me, then I'll have to slap you around.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.