As propaganda artists go John Milius is up there with Eisenstein and Riefenstahl. In terms of right wing paranoia in the eighties this film is not only the perfect showcase specimen, it is also full of desirable teenage heart throb actors making the paranoia so much more relatable to the average movie goer.
Technically speaking the film is a testament to a perfectionistic preoccupation with the Soviet union as the enemy. Rarely will you see a film from the eighties with actual Soviet weaponry (usually you'll see Chinese copies, such as in Rambo) or this attention to detail. And as far as the plot is concerned, it might seem ridiculous today given that we know perfectly well that the Soviet Union was collapsing from within at the time the film was made, however this film is based on contemporary strategic analysis from various US defence and intelligence institutions.
One often overlooked aspect of this film, as well as Milius' other efforts, is that while the film is certainly pro war, pro guns and masculine to the point of being kitsch is that war is realistically portrayed as having human costs. psychological trauma, death and suffering is integral to the story, and never glossed over.
While this film is far from my own political views, it's truly a masterpiece and deserves attention as a diorama of a prolific world view in the eighties.
Technically speaking the film is a testament to a perfectionistic preoccupation with the Soviet union as the enemy. Rarely will you see a film from the eighties with actual Soviet weaponry (usually you'll see Chinese copies, such as in Rambo) or this attention to detail. And as far as the plot is concerned, it might seem ridiculous today given that we know perfectly well that the Soviet Union was collapsing from within at the time the film was made, however this film is based on contemporary strategic analysis from various US defence and intelligence institutions.
One often overlooked aspect of this film, as well as Milius' other efforts, is that while the film is certainly pro war, pro guns and masculine to the point of being kitsch is that war is realistically portrayed as having human costs. psychological trauma, death and suffering is integral to the story, and never glossed over.
While this film is far from my own political views, it's truly a masterpiece and deserves attention as a diorama of a prolific world view in the eighties.