FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER is a long-forgotten Vietnam War drama by CONAN THE BARBARIAN director John Milius. It's about a group of pilots flying bombing missions over the country, initially simply in the line of duty, but then things get personal. Yep, it's another film in the same 'flying' genre as many others like TOP GUN, STEALTH, and the like, and this one suffers from having slightly lacklustre action sequences but a decent cast to make up for it. Aside from the wooden Brad Johnson as the lead, we get treated to solid turns from the likes of Willem Dafoe and Danny Glover, alongside youthful appearances from Tom Sizemore, Ving Rhames, and David Schwimmer. It's not one of the director's best, but it keeps you watching all the same, even if it does go on a little too long.
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merklekranz22 December 2009Recommended viewing, especially for those who have not read the book. The flying scenes are great, with ferocious sound to match. While parts of the story will seem quite familiar, the raid on Hanoi is an unusual focal point of the film, and terrific. Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe have the best developed characters, but overall the acting is fine. The motivation of the different characters is quite interesting and adds to the excitement. Dialog varies from profound to hokey. The film is is recommended as one of the better Vietnam War movies. There is plenty of action, and "Flight of the Intruder" certainly exceeds expectations as entertainment. - MERK
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jrnorman2 February 2007Watch this movie for the flying scenes! It has some the very best shots of an Intruder still or in flight. This aircraft is now out of service with the Navy except as a fueler but I can testify that this aircraft is down right dominating and scary to anyone on the ground when they make a low level pass and this movie captured it all!
That said, I read the book too and yes it is a lot different from the book but then most movies are. The question is does it conform to the spirit of the movie and Flight of the Intruder is close. It does take some short cuts which are even more obvious to a Navy vet but over all, this is one of my favorite Vietnam War movies and about the only one that gives a decent treatment to the carrier pilots.
The romantic part is not much and probably left in to keep it from not having any attractive females but it sure is not needed for dramatic effect.
The political and legal junk is really over blown and trite but if sufficient detail were included the movie would have been 3 hours long.
It is a good "Tiger flick" (war movie) for a rainy day and it has an honored place in my DVD collection! -
mmetzger3226 July 2004Why would anyone watch this type of flick if they didn't want to see a war movie? I read the other review online and was dumbfounded. Rarely in war are their racy love scenes, that's why it's a ware movie! If anything, the fact that some scantily clad bimbo's weren't running all over the deck of an aircraft carrier in the middle of a war zone lent to the authenticity of the film. I mean really, what do you want Demi Moore in her "A Few Good Men" dress uniform? Please!!! (BTW... I liked that movie too.) This movie delivers exactly what an action adventure war buff wants to see. A lot of adrenalin laced action, big guns with big explosion, and the possibility of the main characters dying in the end. It was a good story and a good movie. Willam DeFoe was awesome. But a harlequin novel it's not. So if you're looking for a love story, check out "An Officer and a Gentleman", cause this is not for you.
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chad-mchugh17 June 2010I found the movie interesting. It is probably loosely based on the exploits of Lyle Bull and Charles Hunter who on 30 October 1967 flew a solo flight over Hanoi and received the Navy Cross. Here is part of the citation for Bull: Lieutenant Bull assisted in the planning and execution of an extremely dangerous, single-plane, night, radar bombing attack on the strategically located and heavily defended Hanoi railroad ferry slip in North Vietnam. Although the entire Hanoi defensive effort was concentrated upon his lone bomber, he flawlessly assisted his pilot in navigating the aircraft to the target area and commencing an attack. Seconds before bomb release, six enemy surface-to-air missiles were observed to be tracking on his plane. Undaunted by this threat to his personal safety, Lieutenant Bull assisted his pilot in taking swift and effective action to avoid the missiles and complete the attack, releasing all weapons in the target area with extreme accuracy. After release, four more missiles were fired at his aircraft in addition to the intense anti-aircraft-artillery fire.
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That's it. Was waiting for the beach reunion with smoking 1991 Rosanna Arquette. Excuse me while I rewind a bit.
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Top Gun clone? Absolutely not, this is considerably better than that monumentally overrated snorefest.
Telling a rather generic story set during the Vietnam war this feature stars Willem Dafoe, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Sizemore, Ving Rhames and Danny Glover so it's roster is pretty outstanding.
Now I'm rather bias when it comes to war themed movies, namely because I'm a great big anti-war guy so I tend not to see the appeal. That's not to say I'm anti-war movie, I just tend not to find them enjoyable.
Flight of the Intruder suffers from the standard genre tropes, is cheesy, macho-nonsense but does have a charm to an extent. The ending is strong which certainly makes up for everything else but it can only go so far.
With that amazing cast and very impressive flight visuals you can't take away from the film just how much they've accomplished here, it's just not my bag.
The Good:
Very impressive visuals
Wealth of talent present
The Bad:
Oddly structured
Love interest was needlessly tacked on -
SnoopyStyle2 February 2015It's 1972. The A-6 was the US Navy's medium attack bomber during the Vietnam conflict. It was called the Intruder. They fly low and alone over enemy airspace. Lt. Jake 'Cool Hand' Grafton (Brad Johnson) loses his bombardier with a peasant rifle shot. He questions the course of the war. Frank Camparelli (Danny Glover) is his commander. Political considerations keep the zone around Hanoi and Haiphong from being bombed. Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole (Willem Dafoe) is a veteran flyer on his third tour newly arrived on the carrier. Jake meets Callie Joy (Rosanna Arquette) packing up for his bombardier's widow. Virgil is Jake's new co-pilot. Jake asks Virgil to bomb Hanoi. He relents after Boxman (Tom Sizemore) gets killed. He tells Jake about SAM city.
It's a bit of 'Top Gun', a bit of 'Road House', a bit of 'Animal House' and a whole lot of pro-war militarism. The tone is a mess. The humor is broad low grade. The romance is stiff and melodramatic. Brad Johnson is not the best lead. He has limited range. The good news is the movie has Willem Dafoe and also Danny Glover. What works are the planes and the missions. The flying action is done well although the miniatures are a little obvious and the special effects aren't the best. However the first run in Hanoi is terrific like the Star Wars trench run. In fact, that's what is better than 'Top Gun'. These are war actions with the characters getting shot at and killed. That makes those scenes more compelling. -
Yonhap S4 December 1999Just an opinion but maybe the chances of novel-based techno-thrillers (aside from Tom Clancy's) basically stopped here in this movie. Flight of the Intruder is a novel based on Stephen Coonts' first book. The movie touches on interesting premise as we see the effects on the American pilots (in this case, the A-6 pilots of USS Independence) due to the US government's decision to limit the targets in bombing North Vietnam. Brad Johnson is pretty much what I imagined for the character of Jake Grafton. Had the movie been successful the latter books could use Tom Berenger. This is one of those times when less than stellar effects do not get in the way of enjoyment. The opening bombing scene and the adventure in SAM city were awesome.
Sadly, the story doesn't hold much and the ending is not so great. The daytime climax is really cheesy and doesn't fit well with the rest of the movie (and this climax itself doesn't flow well either). It's also pretty much a given when you have soldiers, pilots, and/or sailors in bar, chances are there'll be a barfight. The very short moments with Grafton and Cali were cool though and the movie could have utilize this subplot well.
The verdict: 3 of 5 stars. -
ma-cortes19 November 2012It's a thrilling warlike movie that contains over-the-top performances , drama , poignant vignettes and unsparing action . It takes place at the beginning of the Vietnam war , after his bombardier is killed, Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson), a carrier-based Intruder pilot, questions the purpose of Navy bombing missions and he join forces with another partner (Willem Defoe) to carry out a dangerous objective in Hanoi . Meanwhile , a grumpy general (Danny Glover) surveys their exploits and frustrations but when his aircraft is shot down , he is stranded in the wilds of Vietnam . Alone , he must rely on himself and a whole army after him . Trapped behind enemy lines , only two men with whom he has radio contact can save him and to get him out . As the protagonists come determined to rescue him .
Pretty good aerial flick plenty action , tragic drama , fantastic cloudy scenes and breathtaking dogfighting . It's a spectacular actioner including impressive scenarios , fine star cast and memorable acting . It plays like one of these 1940s service propaganda war that was shot in cooperation with US Air Force . This stirring as well as incongruous warlike movie mixes thrills , rugged action and dialog with lots of military scenes , without losing sight of the continuation of its interesting plot or necessities of war and works on various levels . Acceptable budget extended adventures about a maverick pilot and his pal undergoing risked feats on air and bombing on earth . It gets the right balance between the old-style warfare movies and the modern wartime films . Noisy action scenes punctuate the tension without breaking it . Brad Johnson and Willem Defoe give terrific acting in this otherwise passable film , both of whom show professionalism as two crack fighter pilots , two ambitious Lieutenants assigned to risked missions . Danny Glover is top-notch as Cmdr. Frank 'Dooke' Camparelli , he is a grumpy but likable officer subsequently stranded and alone after his plane is gunned down . Secondary cast is frankly excellent as Rosanna Arquette , Dann Florek , Tom Sizemore , Ving Rhames , Madison Mason , J Kenneth Campbell , David Schwimmer , John Corbet , among others . Fine production design and right special effects , as a 1:160 scale model of the city of Hanoi was built for the filming of the bomb-runs scenes , buildings closer to the camera were detailed more while the furthest away buildings in the background we only painted blocks of wood . And being partially filmed on the USS Independence CV-62 . While the story was centered around VA-196, VA-165 was actually the squadron used to film the movie ; all of the aircraft used for filming were re-painted with VA-196 markings used during the Viet Nam conflict era . Colorful and evocative cinematography in super 35 by Fred J Koenekamp . Moving musical score fitting to action by Basil Poledouris , he had originally been scheduled to score Dances with Wolves but reluctantly dropped out to score this film for his close friend John Milius, with extremely damaging results to his career when he found himself suddenly unemployable at any studio making a picture with the then-hot Kevin Costner .
The motion picture was professionally directed by John Milius but he stated that making this film was one of the worst experiences he had. He is a notorious screenwriter and filmmaker with several hits , specially on adventure genre as ¨Jeremiah Johnson (1972)¨, ¨Conan¨ , ¨Red Dawn¨, and also made biography as ¨Dillinger¨ , making two films about Theodore Roosevelt , ¨ The Wind and the Lion¨(1975) and ¨Rough Riders¨ (1997) . He was partially the basis for the character of Walter in the cult classic ¨The great Lebowski (1998)¨. Rating ¨Flight of the Intruder¨: Good and entertaining . Compassionate thinkers , lovers warfare genre , and non-pacifists will all find satisfaction here . -
hisown5 September 2005Because my dad was a A-6 Bombadier/Navigator in Vietnam, I have a bias regarding this movie. It is highly entertaining and action-packed, however, the truth of the story lies somewhere in the middle and there's not much of it in this screenplay. I'm sure that many of the Navy's aviators in Vietnam grew weary of hitting "suspected" truck parks, oil refineries and missile sites, but I have yet to hear tales from my dad or his buddies about anyone who decided to fight their own war and fly through downtown Hanoi in order to destroy a SAM (surface-to-air missile) storage area all on their own. Guys got shot down a lot during the war, yes, but they were mostly Air Force guys (that's meant to be a dig!), and rarely a Navy A-6. In this movie, we see several from one squadron on the same cruise go down. Not too realistic. The quickly referred to "Operation Linebacker" was a real mission (proud to say that my dad was in the first plane over N Vietnam on that mission) and followed up by Linebacker II later on. It was not, however, inspired because of what the two lead characters in this movie did. The flying is pretty realistic though and it is nice to see the not-as-sexy-as-a-fighter-jet Grumman A-6 Intruder in a movie; I give it three stars for that. Still...I would rather listen to real bomber pilots and b/n's relate their adventures in 'Nam and aboard ship. If you want a real Vietnam movie, stick with "Apocalypse Now", "Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon".
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starringdash18 July 2006I can't understand why TopGun is so hyped yet nobody has even heard about this movie? Sure its not as glamorous or stylish but it is far more realistic. Perhaps some people just don't consider the old A-6 Intruder bomber as glamorous as an F-14 Tomcat fighter? Unlike Topgun, this movie is faithful to facts and the footage is much much better. The combat scenes are brilliant and the way they show the intensity of anti-aircraft artillery and machine gun fire from the ground really illustrates the difficulties of air warfare. Also unlike Topgun, where the MiGs were fake aircraft and really American F-5s, the MiGs in this movie were real MiGs. So were the SA-2 Divinia SAMs that were fired by the thousands. The combat and dogfight scenes were far more realistic than topgun even if they looked a bit less flashy.
This movie is a real gem and a must see for anybody interested in aviation or war related movies. If you are clueless about aviation and just want a no brain entertainer, stick to topgun. -
Aly20012 February 2017So many war films can be either great, mediocre or terrible while others just fly under the radar without much attention; "Flight of the Intruder" falls into the latter category of being ignored. Truly a shame as this film is more of a drama based around the central characters rather than war itself.
Taking place during the conflict in Vietnam, the film tells the story of a group of pilots and their daily lives serving their country. The film examines much of what goes on behind the scenes for the pilots while observing them in combat as well.
The central character is pilot Lt. Jake Grafton (codename: Cool Hand), a brash but talented young man who goes through numerous trials as a Navyman from being embroiled in one of America's most contentious wars to losing his wing-man during one mission to a contentious relationship with his superior officer and new senior co-pilot. Portrayed with believable vulnerability by Brad Johnson, the actor brings a cocky charisma that makes Jake likable despite his arrogance. Johnson keeps the character grounded in reality as Jake must cope with loss when his co-pilot 'Morg (Christopher Rich)' dies and butts heads with his superiors yet Jake matures throughout the film.
Playing Jake's new co-pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole, following Morg's death is the ever reliant Willem Dafoe. Lt. Cmdr. Cole is a seasoned Navy pilot, as he constantly reminds Jake Grafton early in their partnership, and is a straight-arrow but proves he is willing to bend the rules when called upon. The character is almost reminiscent of Dafoe's role as Sergeant Elias in "Platoon" except Cole is more reserved than the outgoing personality of Elias, but Cole does look out for the younger officers similar to how Elias treats Chris Taylor in "Platoon". Dafoe brings his mentor-like wisdom to Cole in addition to a battle-weary exterior and a selfless demeanor particularly in the film's explosive finale when everything rests on the combat veteran's shoulders to aid his comrades.
As Grafton and Cole's superior officer, Commander Frank Camparelli, is seasoned actor Danny Glover. Glover plays the character as a no-nonsense hard-nose and stickler for the rules, but secretly has a soft side for the men under his command. Camparelli is particularly hard on Jake and Virgil; Jake due to his brash actions and Virgil for his compliance in the younger officers' escapades. However Camparelli displays his compassion in the face of hardship such as the death of Grafton's co-pilot. He is also skilled in combat as seen in the final act of the film as Camparelli follows Grafton and Cole on their final assignment.
Truly an under-appreciated film that should be experienced by all. -
alik_jii26 November 2003I´ve had the novel "Flight of the Intruder" in my bookshelf for years and when I saw the DVD in local store it didn´t take me long to purchase it. Not very clever move.
If you haven´t read the book this film might entertain you; it has some action, flying-scenes, and couple of well-known actors from other films(eg. Dafoe and Glover). If you read the book first like I did and enjoyed it, I doubt that this movie will satisfy you. I understand that filming a novel is no easy task and directors have to take shortcuts sometimes to keep the movie in decent running-time. What I don´t understand is mixing plot somewhat completely, changing characters to just barely familiar compared to novel and leaving out important happenings. So, big disappointment for me. I recommend everyone who hasn´t read the book to read it and those who read to book and haven´t seen the film to borrow it from somewhere instead of buying it. -
newfenoix-122 April 2003Brad Johnson's line, "fighter pilots make movies, bomber pilots make history." is very true. The A6 Intruder is one of the unsung heros of the Vietnam War. This bird served as the Navy's primary attack aircraft from the early sixties until very recently when its role was taken over by the F-14 and F/A-18. It is very refreshing to see a movie about the more glamorless aircraft in the inventory. The reason that people don't like this movie is REALISM! It isn't about dashing "Top Guns" going Mach 2. It is about the guys that had to dump the bombs from very low altitude and hope they get back home. These guys were exposed to EVERYTHING! It was dangerous work. It still is dangerous work. Army attack chopper pilots and Navy/Marine/Air Force attack bombers pilots are the guys that put it on the line everytime they fly; either in combat or in peacetime.
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gavin694231 March 2016During the air war over Vietnam, a US Navy A-6 Intruder tactical bomber pilot schemes with a hardened veteran to make an unauthorized air strike on Hanoi.
Director John Milius later recalled, "That was Paramount with the Paramount control, and they tried to control every aspect of it. I'd spent more money than I'd ever spent before, because they told me how much I was going to spend on it. They didn't let me control it. I would have made that movie for at least $5 million less." One can only imagine what Milius would have done with complete control!
Roger Ebert called the film a "mess", noting that "some scenes say one thing, some say another." Others have complained about the special effects. I thought it was alright. Not a great film, but in retrospect somewhat interesting due to the cast. I mean, wow, a pre-"Friends" David Schwimmer and a pre-"Pulp Fiction" Ving Rhames? -
silencer-7255112 August 2022So this movie may not have the AAA casting, editing or scripting of Top Gun. But if you love war movies about air combat, then it's a must watch.
In contrast to Top Gun, this movie focuses on air-ground combat in the Vietnam war, so you won't see any dog fights... What you will see is about twice as much amazing footage of low altitude air-ground combat against a multitude of AA, flak and SAM sites.
And despite not having an early Tom Cruise, many of the actors in this film are still extremely well known today and for the age of the film they pull off their roles pretty well.
This movie must have had a hell of a budget in it's day, and if you're after a good quality flick with a ton of jets and a bucket load of action then this is definitely something you should add to your watch list. -
bernie-12210 July 2008I don't know why this film gets such rave reviews. I went into it with no expectations other than to enjoy it. I wasn't expecting Top Gun, and fortunately I didn't get that. I didn't get much enjoyment, either.
Actually, I did have some expectations, because it has Willem Dafoe and Rosanna Arquette in the cast, so how could it be bad? It could be bad because of over-the-top direction and screenplay, that's how. This is easily the worst performance by Dafoe I've ever seen. So he must have been acting according to directions. Arquette was just wasted. She should have said "no".
So, imho, this film was ruined by being eye-rollingly corny, which appears to be what a lot of people want, and they identify it as "realism". To me, realism is the sort of thing we got in "Behind Enemy Lines", which is a textbook example of how to make a film of this genre. See Top Gun again instead. It's shallow, but at least it's entertaining. -
Gatorman925 February 2017One thing practically nobody posting on this movie is getting is the basis for the plot. Most reviewers are content to just mention that it was based on a novel and let it go at that. What I am not seeing is anybody explaining what the basis for the story was in the first place. One particularly unfortunate reviewer actually goes so far as to get it completely backward and blame the decision-making of "the American military" for the situation that leads to the pilots' frustration that in turn leads to the main line of action.
My own father was an American naval aviator during the Vietnam War and when I saw this movie it was like it had been written just for him. The entire time I was growing up (at least until Vietnam was finally over) I heard over and over again at home how our pilots were sent out to risk their lives to bomb what my father called "paths in the jungle" in preference to serious targets like downtown Hanoi. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I would never have had to work a day in my life. Over and over again he and his naval aviator buddies would go on about how we won World War II because we bombed real targets like enemy cities but how in Vietnam the aviators were limited by the political leadership in Washington to unprofitable secondary targets in the jungle instead. As my father used to put it, "if you bomb a clearing in the jungle what do you get? A bigger clearing in the jungle!" This was part of a broader skein where American military officers of all branches were complaining that Washington was making them fight the war "with one hand tied behind us!" Later, when I was in high school, it was taught that the bombing targets were actually selected personally by the president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, and other civilian national security office-holders over lunch at the White House. It is no wonder that as a little kid I could not be blamed if I had thought Johnson's full name was "That A**hole Johnson" and McNamara's "That A**hole McNamara". Unless I watched Huntley-Brinkley (i.e., the NBC Nightly News), I rarely seemed to hear their names mentioned any other way at home.
But the policy was in fact adopted for reasons of grand strategy which ultimately hearkened back to the Korean War more than a decade earlier. Specifically, there was a serious concern that if we did attempt a "full-scale invasion" of North Vietnam or even a serious bombing campaign there that the Chinese or Russia might intervene directly with their own uniformed forces, because that had actually happened very unnervingly in Korea, thereby raising the specter of Vietnam "escalating" into World War III. Eventually the idea of increased meaningful bombing in the North also became a lightning rod for the anti-war "pacifist" protester crowd as well, only amplifying their vociferous (actually, loud, obnoxious, and even violent) complaints with increasing purely domestic political effects. Thus, without either an invasion of the North by ground troops or a traditional strategic bombing campaign of the sort that was carried out in World War II, the war dragged on for years interminably with no profit to the effort in sight except for the undertakers.
In this story the novel's author Stephen Coonts was well-aware of all this and wrote a kind of fantasy that addressed it, conceiving of rogue pilots (which, sorry for you video-gamers and other fantasy-oriented types, do not really exist in real life) who for once do the "right thing" in spite of dire personal consequences take the war "downtown" without orders and in contravention of American national policy. It was the war every naval aviator and so many others throughout the American armed forces really wanted to see, but was rarely engaged in at any point during the conflict. Yet even so, Coonts limits the target to an artillery park, i.e., a purely military target with no North Vietnamese purely civilian casualty exposure contemplated.
I hope this makes the context for this movie clearer to everybody. I will add that while the execution of the story isn't the best possible (I agree that the acting was often too clichéd or histrionic and that Danny Glover came off as a caricature of a clichéd drill instructor than a realistic angry Carrier Air Group commander; even his Steelcase desk was too modern for Vietnam), it is better than the 5.7 average rating prevailing at the time of my post, and I accordingly gave it a 7. It is, after all, only a movie, but one that if properly understood, sheds some light on the history of an era and a conflict that so fortunately is mostly behind us. -
PeterJackson2 February 2001I read a comment describing this film as "a guys flick". Well, since I'm a "guy" and most viewers seem to agree with me, I must say that the "guy" who wrote this was giving the film way too much credit. This film has some of the dumbest dialogue ever spoken out on screen. I won't repeat it here, I guess you better watch the film to get the picture. Or even better: don't watch it, if you don't want to waste your time. Whatever this film is supposed to be, it's nowhere close to the facts. The pilots scream out really really stupid oneliners (if you can even call them that) and seem to mean it too. Somewhere between those lines the Brad Johnson character even quotes Lord Tennyson! Did they really think that would make a more intelligent character out of him? Well, whatever, but this films is so stupid and one-dimensional that it's really hard sitting through it. I guess it must have been even harder for actors like William Defoe and Danny Glover to make this film. A true waste of time. 3/10 (and watch out for "Friend" David Schwimmer!)
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While being fairly lackluster and about a half hour too long, this film is worth viewing at least once to appreciate its decent storyline based on a decent novel and to view a movie interspersed with a few notable actors plus a surprising amount of then relatively unknown actors, such as Ving Rhames (Pulp Fiction), David Schwimmer (Friends), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), and John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding). The extensive aircraft carrier scenes were filmed aboard the U.S.S. Independence (CV-62) soon after I had arrived onboard during my active duty U.S. Navy stint. During the time of filming, I got a chance to have an impromptu one-on-one breakfast with the director (John Milius), got to read a copy of a script left in a stateroom by an actor, watch the just-developed reels of fight deck operations with Milius himself, and actually participate in a few scenes (one of which included the final flyover scene of the "Independence" in which I was one of many 'manning the rails'; a tradition of lining the edges of the entire flight deck while entering a port, and another of which was ostensibly left on the cutting-room floor).
This movie presents itself as many of the other movies of director John Milius (Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn) - slow and ponderous, with hints of something potentially greater going on just out of reach of the director (and the viewer waiting for something more interesting to happen). Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe both came across as fairly believable and likeable bomber pilots, although I can now see why Brad Johnson never really became more prominent as an actor. Very interestingly, the U.S.S. Independence (CV-62) actually directly participated in the Vietnam War very similarly as depicted in `Flight of the Intruder' (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: she was the first Atlantic Fleet carrier to deploy in support of Vietnam operations, and participated in the first major series of coordinated strikes against vital enemy supply lines north of the Hanoi Haiphong complex, successfully evading the first massive surface-to-air missile barrage in aviation history, plus the first successful attack on an enemy surface-to-air missile installation). Although `Flight of the Intruder' is one of the weakest Vietnam-related motion pictures, and as of early 2004 not yet released on DVD, it is still shown on TV occasionally and would definitely be enjoyed by military movie lovers. -
view_and_review24 February 2020This movie was horrible.
Two Navy pilots figure that they can make a real impact on the Vietnam War if they strike Hanoi, a target off limits for political reasons. Disobeying clear and direct orders they go into restricted air space and blow up a lot of SAM's (surface to air missiles) all with patriotic music in the background. This act is an impetus for North Vietnam to step away from peace talks. As a counter move, or out of sheer spite, our most glorious president ever, Richard M. Nixon, ordered that all Vietnamese heavy artillery targets be struck.
You see, these rogue pilots caused the war to finally go into full throttle. Their moralistic disobedience was a direct cause of all restrictions being lifted on the U.S. pilots that were itching to blow some crap up. Even the two rogue pilots were pardoned as a nod to the validity of their actions.
My goodness this movie was disgusting. The worst Vietnam War movie I've ever seen. This was nothing but some jingoistic military propaganda. "Woo haa! We're #1. U-S-A. Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out," pom pom BS. I guess the 90's is when Hollywood turned the Vietnam War into some glorious heroic war with righteous U.S. soldiers doing all kinds of brave miraculous stuff even in opposition of their commanding officers.
Our two hero boys were so good and so selfless that even when they were grounded they hopped in their jet to go save their commanding officer and help blow up stuff. So what if they were grounded; they would continue to defy orders to be the heroes they were meant to be.
Their CO was played by Danny Glover who was nothing but a raspy voiced cliche and an R. Lee Ermey wannabe. He spit out one bad line after another such as, "You don't have permission to die," and other military horse crap like that.
The "heroes," Virgil Cole (Willem Defoe) and Grafton (Brad Johnson), were two raging soldier boys that were willing to risk their lives and, at least, their careers for what was "right." They believed they could really end the war. No more bombing soft targets for them, they alone with just one jet, no navigation, and a jammed radar, were going to bomb the Viet Cong nerve center and change the course of the war. It was as stupid as it was arrogant. I only hoped that there would be some form of rectification or a lessons learned from their action. The lessons learned: you too can disobey orders, invade heavily fortified enemy territory, blow up crucial targets all by yourself and change the course of history. Operation Infinite Self-Righteousness. -
When I saw this movie for the first time it seemed like Deja vu. the first part of the movie was like I was reliving a part of my life when I was aboard the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Saratoga (CV-60) in 1985. The ship in the movie was the U.S.S. Independence (CV-62) and it's the same ship in design as the Saratoga. When I was on that ship a pilot died suddenly when his A-7 exploded on approach and it was caused by a bomb arming and exploding on its own. We had an memorial service at the same place on the ship and it really blew my mind. From then on I have admired that movie and have watched it several times. To this day I get really choked up. Hey, it's not as well made as the Godfather but it isn't a bad movie either. But I feel it deserves better then a 5.3. Hey veterans out there, start voting.
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allmoviesfan24 March 2023Named for the Grumman A-6 Intruder and based on the Stephen Coonts novel of the same name, featuring his major protagonist Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton (Brad Johnson), "Flight of the Intruder" is a Vietnam War-era fighter pilot movie, featuring Naval aviators rather than Air Force pilots. It is reminiscent of Top Gun, though a much more under the radar film. It shouldn't be, because this is as good a film about aviators as there is. Sure, it's a little gung-ho, which is not how we generally like our Vietnam War movies - think "Platoon", "Full Metal Jacket" or "Born on the Fourth of July" - but the action scenes are good, if a little low-budget, and it shines a light on a part of the war effort that hasn't really grabbed much Hollywood attention over the years.
Johnson is pretty good as Grafton, ably supported by the always-reliable Willem Dafoe as his bombardier, Virgil Cole, and Danny Glover (another always-reliable actor) as Frank Camparelli. Rosanna Arquette has what could be termed just a little more than a cameo as Callie, Grafton's love interest. (In the book universe, Callie ends up marrying Jake Grafton). -
fntstcplnt23 December 2019Directed by John Milius. Starring Brad Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Danny Glover, Tom Sizemore, Jared Chandler, Rosanna Arquette, Ving Rhames, J. Kenneth Campbell, Fred Dalton Thompson, Madison Mason. (PG-13)
Late in the Vietnam War, an A-6 Intruder pilot (Johnson) convinces a veteran bombardier (Dafoe) to join him on an unsanctioned mission over Hanoi to take out a surface-to-air missile depot. Pedestrian war film with thin characterizations and a cliché-riddled script (there's even time to squeeze in a barroom brawl) adapted from a novel by former naval pilot Stephen Coonts. Serviceable aerial action photography, but the visual effects are often awful; less likely to elevate the pulse than make the viewer wish they were watching an equally dumb but far more watchable air combat picture ("Top Gun," "Memphis Belle," etc., take your pick). Charisma-deprived leading man Johnson (think: a bland Tom Berenger) is a wash-out, Glover can't settle on a tone for his skipper character, Arquette is wasted in a superfluous romance sub-plot that (graciously) gets hardly any screen time; only a surprisingly understated Dafoe comes close to creating an interesting character. A Vietnam War movie made with the complete cooperation of the US Navy; that should be all the warning that's needed. Released the day after the combat phase of Operation Desert Storm began--talk about poor timing.
35/100