RED DAWN: Revisiting a classic patriot film

P

Paul Revere

New member
Last night I again watched the classic movie, Red Dawn. As you may remember, it stars Patrick Swazey and Charlie Sheen.

The movie is about a foreign invasion on American soil by both Russian and Cuban forces (World War III), and the "kids" who fought for the return of freedom, many who lost their lives doing so. It was about survivalism, guerilla warfare, and precious freedom.

It's been years since I last watched this film, but last night I watched with a renewed interest. One of the things that I had completely missed before was the conversation between the Cuban Colonel Bella and one of his men shortly after the invasion. Colonel Bella ordered his soldier to go to the local sporting goods store and bring to him all of the copies of form 4733 (yellow BATF form) so that he could identify the citizens who had firearms in the town.

Citizens who may have owned firearms were then rounded up and placed in a "re-education camp" set-up at the local football field. As the children freedom fighters (known as the "Wolverines") began their attack against the occupying army, these same citizens were lined up and executed.

If you haven't seen Red Dawn, or haven't seen it in some time...see it again. Let that sequence of events burn into your minds. Then understand why its so valuably important for the leftists sitting in Washington to know exactly who owns the 280 million firearms in this country.

Remember, it has nothing to do with reducing crime.
 
Yep, good movie. Plays out the "what if?" scenerio.

One other pro-gun scene shows a cuban soldier yanking a 1911 pistol out of the hand of a dead American. When the soldier bends over you can clearly see a pick-up bumper with the sticker that reads "You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold dead fingers".

With all the Y2K hoopla, this movie takes an interesting look at what might happen. Just substitute the Cubans for your government agency of choice.
 
John Milius who wrote and produced the movie is a huge gun fanatic. In fact, he hosted his own cowboy action shoot a few weeks ago in California.

The movie itself ranks in my personal top 5 of all time....
 
Director John Milius is a true friend of the 2nd Amendment. He did a great job with "Rough Riders" also.

I call them "Warrior Motivation Flicks."


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Bruce Stanton
CDR, USN-Ret.
Sgt., Kings Co. Sheriff - Ret.
 
Was musing on "Red Dawn" last night, AAMOF.

I first saw it when I was 14 or so. What really struck me is that the gun owners who were rounded up went without a fight. WTF?!

Something else that gave me nightmares was when the Americans were standing in front of the mass grave, and they started singing (or yowling, if you prefer) "America the Beautiful." And were very rudely interrupted.
I didn't sleep worth a damn for the next month.

Only one thing to do, guys: don't shoot back. Shoot first.

------------------
Ignorance is takin' over,
We gotta take the power back.
--Rage Against The Machine
 
Coinneach,
Are we back to Claire Wolfe? Too late to vote but too early to shoot?

[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited July 21, 1999).]
 
Dennis,

Yeah, something like that. :)

Personally, I hold to the Libertarian philosophy (surprise): no initiation of force. Unfortunately, it seems that force has already been initiated (armed raids by the IRS, for example).

No, I'm not gonna load up my shotguns with acid-coated nails, or anything like that. Yet. But, I won't be disarmed and marched off to a camp. They'll have to kill me, and I'll take a few (or more) with me. After all, I've nothing to lose, and too much Irish to back down from a fight.

And frankly, I don't give a swut if the goons are wearing Russian or Chinese or American uniforms. They try me, they die. No prisoners. No surrender.

(all together now: arr-arr-arr...)

------------------
Ignorance is takin' over,
We gotta take the power back.
--Rage Against The Machine
 
I, too was a young teenager when I saw Red Dawn. Several scenes made big impressions on me at thet time. One was mentioned in an earlier post about the Americans, lined up next to the mass grave, started singing "America the Beautiful" as they were shot. I also remember seeing the bumper sticker in the background of the hadngun-taking scene.

Another scene that sticks in my mind is when Swayze and his brother sneek into town to visit their father in the concentration camp. I don't remember the whole conversation, but as the two brothers left, their father yelled "Avenge me, boys!".

Also, one of the last scenes where Swayze's brother had been shot, and he was carrying him out of the area, when one of the invading leaders confronts them. The understanding that he gets from seeing his enemy (Swayze) face to face, what his enemy cares most for, causes him to change his views on the meaning of their occupation. He realizes that even if the invasion/occupation is successful, he is not ultimatly in control, and someday he may be on the other side.

Thanks for sharing that "Wake up call" with us.

See you at the rallies in August!

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"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left."
Ecclesiastes 10:2
 
It is Wednesday and on Wednesdays a group of get together for dinner and to watch a video. It sounds like it is going to be a "RED DAWN" night.

Just too bad that the two stars are anti-gun pig f******.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Not to mention the scene where the Cuban Officer (Ron "Superfly" O'Neal?) goes into the gunshop and tells the soldier to pull all the ATF forms and use them for a house to house search for firearms.

Millius is a good man!
Rich
 
I was really young when I saw Red Dawn the first time. I had noticed all the subtle pro-gun scenes even then. One thing that stuck with me at that age was when they shot the deer, and the older brother told the other not to shoot twice.
The first shot alerts the bad guys around you, the second shot lets them home in on where you are. One shot, one kill. I have always remembered that.

thaddeus

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"Don't confuse me with the facts, I already have my mind made up!" - gungrabber X
 
Kewl movie!!.....I think that if we were ever invaded though it would be a lot harder for the invading soldiers.We know the land,we are well armed.Most of us(myself and every guy with a deer gun) would be sniping their asses from far distances ..BTW If they want some BATF forms come get them,Ill be waiting at the gun shop....Hell ya!!!Come get some!!! 3D
 
I bought this movie about a month ago and watched for the first time since I saw it in the movie theater when I was twelve. I to noticed the reference to the 4473 and the bumper sticker scene. Damn movie still sends shivers up my spine!!

Later
Daren
 
Makes you realize just how implausible an invasion by any country would be, now.

Don't remember which liberal comedian it was who was decrying aid to the Contras in the '80's, making fun of stopping Communism in Latin America. Even this liberal had one thing right:

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"Oh yeah, like we really have to worry about a Latin American Communist army invading us! Hell, we wouldn't even need the Army or National Guard to come out for that one; just 2 pickup trucks loaded with with a bunch of Texas rednecks with their rifles and shotguns pulled down from the gun racks ought to do it!"[/quote]

Yep. That's right. And isn't he lucky to enjoy the safety we provide him? (I *do* keep meaning to install a gun rack in my own particular Texas Pickup...)



[This message has been edited by Long Path (edited July 21, 1999).]
 
Well, I am back from the Wednesday night dinner/video meeting. RED DAWN was the film, caribou was the meal.

A very pro-firearms movie. Well made, even if the doctored M-60's did not really look like Russian machine guns. The Cubans and Russians speaking their languages made the movie all the more real. It is kinda funny to watch and listen to a supposed Russian/German/Chinese/Japanese/Cuban/Etc speak correct English when they are cast as the invaders etc.

Lesson learned, burn the 4473's, shoot well, and only once when hunting and DO NOT injest anything that is not food.

------------------
Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
One of my all time favorite films. Having been about in the seventh grade at the time it came out in theatres and buddies with a bunch of kids that had interest in such things, we kind of used that movie as a reference. Such as, "What would you do if that happened here?" or "Where could we hide out around our neighborhood?"

I'm sure you guys remember how tense things seemed back then, like we'd be lucky to ever see the 90's or something.
 
A subtle message of the movie was its timing of release in movie theaters in the summer of '84: Vote for Wally Mondale and Gerry Ferraro and THIS might happen.

Red Dawn was the first movie I saw with real AK-74 rifles. Not AK-47, but AK-74, the 5.45mm tumbling bullet version of the AK. The Russkys apparently liked the M-16 bullet effects and imitated it.

The T-72 replicas look VERY real!

Really love that part where they pop out of the spider holes and ambush the Russan tank crew.

Edmund
 
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