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Flight Of The Intruder [1991]


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Low octane
Review date: 2007-11-30 Rating: 6 out of 10

John Milius with an aircraft carrier to play with - he must have thought he'd died and gone to Valhalla, or at least until Flight of the Intruder got trapped in release date hell and proved his last theatrical release to date. Originally scheduled for Summer 1990, but put back to avoid a clash with Air America, its Autumn release was then postponed so that Paramount could use it as a standby for the cinemas that had booked Godfather III just in case Coppola didn't finish editing in time. He did. Then, to cap it all, three days after finally opening in the States in a re-edited version, the first Gulf War started, rendering it almost unpromotable because of his gung ho reputation.

Yet in actuality, hawkish sentiments confined to a great one-line riposte to Jane Fonda's Sixties politicking, Intruder continued the mellowing of Milius and is rather more aware than Top Gun of the moral implications and complications of its tale of Navy pilots during the Vietnam war. It's not without its problems: Willem Dafoe gives an uneasy performance and is prone to a VERY odd giggle even by his standards while Danny Glover doesn't actually appear to have anything to do until the last reel (Rosanna Arquette has even less reason to be there), with Basil Poledouris' score far from the standards of his previous collaborations with the director (the composer shared in the bad luck, dropping out of Dances With Wolves to score his friend's film, with disastrous consequences for his career at the time) - but it was none the less a qualified return to form for the director.

It also shows how his strengths and weaknesses had become reversed, his interest in quieter moments now taking precedence over the pyrotechnics and plotting. Extremely well filmed but with a go-nowhere narrative and the kind of curiously passionless action scenes that marred the thematically more interesting Farewell to the King, his heart just doesn't seem to be in them anymore. The finale, which owes more than a little to The Bridges at Toko-Ri, is distinctly underwhelming, and the aerial scenes are particularly disappointing, with the pivotal raid on 'Sam City' coming over more as a video game than cinema (ironically, the video game had better graphics despite coming out before the film). However, there are still a fewstunning shots, including an amazing slow motion shot of rescue planes passing a downed jet, and Milius is fully at home with the Scope screen.


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Reviews


Quite a thrill
Review date: 2005-11-16 Rating: 8 out of 10

If you are in for fast aircraft and US heroes, this movie will be just right. Despite the rather poor special effects (when the Intruder runs the gauntlet of fire in the middle of Hanoi), the movie is quite a thrill.

Flight Of The Intruder [1991]
Review date: 2003-10-28 Rating: 8 out of 10

if you like fast low flying aircraft and lots of take-off's and landing's from aircraft carriers, you will love this dvd! it may not be as big as 'Top gun', but it sure has a high place in the vietnam air-war tittle in your dvd collection.

finally a war film by someone who was there!
Review date: 2000-12-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

if you have read the book which is excellent by the way you will love this film it is like top gun (but keeps the romance to the minimum) but with a bomber instead of a fighter (for a change). The story is set in the vietnam war and is about the a pilot jake grafton whose bombardier is killed while on a routine bombing mission 'hitting a bunch of trees'he becomes jaded and starts to question why are they fighting a war that no one wants to win,so he and his new bombardier virgil cole who agrees with graftons thinking decide to do there own mission and hit a worthwhile target for a change this scene includes some very convincing visual effects that make you believe that you are flying with them and makes a change from the usual unconvincing war films effects and as much as possible uses real aircraft and not models on wire,the only small thing that lets the film down is after the opening scenes the story meanders along until cole turns up,but still is a good film and has some good scenes.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Tom Sizemore
Willem Dafoe
Rosanna Arquette
Danny Glover
Brad Johnson

Creators:
Danny Glover (Primary Contributor)
Willem Dafoe (Primary Contributor)
Brian E. Frankish (Producer)
Lis Kern (Producer)
Mace Neufeld (Producer)
Ralph Winter (Producer)
David Shaber (Writer)
Robert Dillon (Writer)
Stephen Coonts (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Paramount Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Entertainment
EAN: 5014437818935
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-10-06
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1991-01-18
Language: English (Original Language)
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