Red Dawn

1984 • 113 minutes
4.5
330 reviews
52%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

About this movie

In this lively (and paranoid) adventure set in the mid-1980s, the US stands alone, abandoned by its allies. The USSR and Cuba start selective bombing, then invade the US and quickly capture the central part of the country. The film takes place entirely in a small town taken by surprise by paratroopers. A band of teenagers (led by Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell) escape to the mountains and become a group of tough guerillas who launch a series of surprise attacks on the murderous and nasty Red invaders. But the teenagers start getting a bit troubled themselves. In their brutality, are they becoming just like their enemies? The band of teens fight on, becoming smaller and smaller. They help pave the way for the eventual victory of the main American Army, busy elsewhere in the Republic.
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.5
330 reviews
superbug1977
February 8, 2015
If you were young when this movie was released then you understand its place in cinema. I find that young people today cannot appreciate this kind of movie. Of course, many things are generational; and this was a classic for my generation.
10 people found this review helpful
Samuel Jones
August 24, 2021
I love this movie so much! It's great how it's not following the military but everyday high students. This movie also makes me want to cry when they're sitting on the bench towards the end of the movie 😭. It's amazing how emotional this movie will get at some moments. The only thing is I wish it was a mini series of 4 to 7 episodes because they try to put so much stuff in a 2 hour movie and I feel like they could have put in so much more to help it flow a little better.
Coiled Steel
April 11, 2019
Original much better than the sequel. So realistic at the time, i heard CIA was concerned! Very strong plot and character development. Wolverine, Patrick Swayze, and Air Force Lt.Colonel, Powers Boothe - both very tough. Over the top violence - but based in Cold War Reality! Commie, Left Wing critics all hated it, undestandably SO - as it "took no prisoners," "pulled no punches," and offered NO apologies!