When Patrick Swayze died I was reminded of the film, Red Dawn. I read a few comments by pro-gun folks about how great it is. Well, I finally got around to seeing it again, and although I like movies with shooting and violence, this one was terrible. That's my considered opinion, terrible. Critics must have agreed, according to the IMDB site there was only one award nomination. And they list everything under the sun for films with merit. Wikipedia had an interesting notation, "National Review Online has named the film #15 in its list of 'The Best Conservative Movies'"
What's your opinion? Did you like the movie? What did you like about it?
While watching the film last night, I could see the appeal it might have for the libertarian-minded and the ultra-patriotic viewer. If anything it reinforced my opposing stand to the gun rights movement usually embraced by those types.
I must admit though, I love the action scenes in movies, even in this one where they weren't all that convincing. For example when the girl was mortally wounded and asked for a hand grenade to kill herself so she wouldn't be captured and interrogated. Then you realize she's going to take out one of the bad guys when he comes for her. I love that stuff. But, it's a movie.
The folks who prepare for something like this by stockpiling weapons and encourage others to do the same, in my opinion, are mistaken. I believe they're operating out of some mental disorder or other, there are probably several, but they have lost touch with reality. My term for what many of them seem to have is "grandiose victimism."
Some have responded, in proper macho fashion, that they don't plan to be victims. I guess their thing would be "grandiose vindication," that's living in the fantasy of coming out on top in the "life and death" struggle for rights and survival.
The film "Red Dawn," is the classic tale of "grandiose victimism," Patrick Swayze's and Charlie Sheen's characters heroically sacrificed their lives for the cause and all they had to show for it was an anonymous plaque in their honor.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
I've never seen the movie. But from what i've read on both pro-gun and anti-gun blogs I know at some point, commies fall from the sky, someone screams "wolverines", and they use the 4473s to go around confiscating guns.
ReplyDeleteYou have to consider that the movie was released in 1984 and the politics between America and the USSR at that time to appreciate the appeal of the movie.
ReplyDeleteYes, the acting was horrible but it struck a cultural nerve.
kaveman, I think you're exactly right. Do you think that "cultural nerve" is more prevalent today than it was when the movie came out?
ReplyDeleteI always liked Terry Nation's "The Survivors". I find the 70s version better than the remake, but the remake did raise some interesting points (the 70s version was dated).
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to use a gun agaist a bacterial agent that wipes out 90% of the world's population.
Forget the gun, learn other survival skills such as how to farm.
I, personally, don't choose 'killer' movies as 'entertainment.' Seems to me that if one is drawn to such a theme, one ought to read the Detroit News or the Baltimore Sun.
ReplyDelete"Red Dawn" is a fantasy movie; as such, it's no different than most Disney fare.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that a small faction of gunloons tend to believe its closer to a documentary. That a group of untrained, but gun-wielding, teenagers can both take on and prevail against a trained military force.
It also tends to trivialize war as something that's kind of fun and adventurous.
--JadeGold
Hollywood is remaking this movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of the original and the remake looks like it is going to be interesting.
ReplyDeleteHere is an article showing some of the anti-American propaganda posters that they created for the new film.
http://io9.com/5370777/red-dawn-remakes-anti+american-propaganda-posters/gallery/
Laci - Then what would you use to defend your crops from theft and your livestock from both theft and attacks by critters?
ReplyDeleteIt also tends to trivialize war as something that's kind of fun and adventurous.
ReplyDeleteFar too many hollywood movies do that.
As for Red Dawn, I've never been a fan of it. Perhaps I'm just too young.
Uh Jade, have you ever even watched the movie? Not only did they not prevail, they did not survive. They successfully harried small units and generally just disrupted things behind the lines as peasant partisans have done the world over. That is until the professional military had enough and pretty much wiped them out.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was made at the height of the cold war. I haven't seen anything about the remake but I would guess that it would be more about honoring the original movie than creating a new propaganda piece.
That a group of untrained, but gun-wielding, teenagers can both take on and prevail against a trained military force.
ReplyDeleteDidn't happen in the movie, but it has happened throughout history.
I'm actually not a big fan of Red Dawn either. The action scenes are dumb (real soldiers hit the dirt and roll when a machine gun opens upon them, but soldiers in the movie stood in neat lines and looked slowly around to see where the bullets were coming from) and the acting is mediocre. It wasn't real popular at the time. I saw it once at the time and moved on.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one who's stockpiling weapons against the EOTWAWKI, but so what if someone is? some would say that learning how to farm and stockpiling seed is also paranoid, but I don't see the harm in that either.
There are few dangerous situations where someone says, "DAMN! I sure wish I'd been disarmed!" Owning guns means owning options.
But in any case ... it certainly is true that civilians can't stand up against an army.
Remember when the viet cong guerilla's fought the American army for 10 years and we totally stomped their butts? What a joke that was, huh?
and then there was the insurrection in Iraq where citizens with improvised weapons and light arms dared stand up against the mighty US army. What a joke that was too, huh? Sure got their clocks cleaned!
Oh, wait ... we LOST in Vietnam and only won in Iraq when we got those armed citizens to join us and take over their own neighborhoods. Huh. Kind of absolute proof that civilian arms ownership is worthwhile, isn't it?
Sorry about that. Looking forward to seeing your pro-gun blog posts now, Mike, because I know you're too smart to keep repeating all the same things now that they've been disproved. ;-)
"Forget the gun, learn other survival skills such as how to farm."
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the saying, "Those who beat their guns into plowshares, plow for those who don't."
Having a farm will do you no good if you can't protect it from animals of both the two and four legged variety.
Stephen - Also consider that anti-gunners consider almost anything a "stockpile."
ReplyDeleteHave a .22 rifle, .22 pistol, and three bricks of Federal bulk pack from Walmart? Guess what? You've got a "stockpile" are are a dangerous man.
Remember, The Brady's tried to pass a law that would have required a special "arsenal license" for someone owning just what I mentioned above.
Red Dawn was a so-so movie, but the most memorable thing about it was how much some critics HATED it -- not for being a so-so movie, but for being so politically incorrect.
ReplyDeleteThe opposite occurred with another movie: "Amazing Grace and Chuck." Although also mediocre, some critics loved it for being so politically correct.
Basic theme: Young boy persuades sports stars to go on strike until all countries renounce nuclear weapons.