Movie #61 - Bat 21

"Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him."

From the entire resume of these two actors in this film (Danny Glover and Gene Hackman), this is one of the better films made by these two gentlemen. Glover and Hackman have a strong rapport throughout the progression of this movie and you really begin to feel the despair of the issue at hand, the rescue of Hackman's character.

I believe this movie is influenced by actual events, but overall, it depicts some of the major problems with the Vietnam War. Without getting into details and political opinions, the Vietnam War was difficult for the U.S. military due to the extreme conditions of jungle warfare. As shown by this movie, we spent 2 hours watching how many lives would be lost to try to save one man who was stuck behind enemy lines.

What trivializes the strength of this movie is Hackman's failed attempt to "re-make" the concept of this movie by making Behind Enemy Lines starring Owen Wilson. Not only is Owen Wilson not an action movie star, but this movie follows the same progression and predictable plot as this 1988 classic, as Hackman really loses credibility in the remake for fans who remember this original film. Although not intended to actually be a remake - it clearly is.

Overall, Bat 21 ranks higher up on the Vietnam War movie genre. I wouldn't mind seeing films about this era again because I believe the WWII genre has been overplayed in recent years. Would definitely like to see some war movies out there... but I hope Hollywood stays away from the current incursions in the Middle East since there are still active soldiers there.

Here's a thought, maybe we should find out what happened in WWI, there are only a handful of movies done about that era and there are many more unexplored stories that could be translated into war movie classics in the future.