Red Dawn

[[File:Red_Dawn_poster.jpeg|thumb|right|165px|Well, unless you count [[War of 1812|1812]]...]]{{film}}{{title-italics}}
{{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Golden Dawn]].}}
'''''Red Dawn''''' is an [[United States of America|American]] [[propaganda]] film from the 1980s, centering on a hyper-unrealistic scenario in which the [[Soviet Union|Soviet commies]] manage to invade the United States after the [[Cold War]] finally goes [[World War III|hot]]. The film is the ''{{wpl|Citizen Kane}}'' of [[Neoconservatism|neocon]] [[Echo chamber|circlejerks]] and was actually quite successfully executed. It became extremely popular among pretty much everybody at the time, and today it still has a rather large [[Cult|cult following]]. This masterful work of high concept sensationalism was the brainchild of talented Hollywood veteran John Milius, who also co-wrote it along with Kevin Reynolds. It starred a then-popular group of now washed-up (or dead) 1980s actors, including Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey. Its success probably says more about the time in which it was made than any number of "I Love the '80s" programs ever can. If one is able to ignore the kooky concept, dubious political agenda, and cheesiness, it can be a pretty fun movie.

==Plot==
{{cquote|Soviet Union suffers worst wheat harvest in 55 years… Labor and food riots in [[Poland]]. Soviet troops invade… [[Cuba]] and [[Nicaragua]] reach troop strength goals of 500,000. [[El Salvador]] and Honduras [[Domino theory|fall]]… [[Green Party|Greens party]] gains control of [[West Germany|West German]] Parliament. Demands withdrawal of [[nuclear weapons]] from [[Europe]]an soil… [[Mexico]] plunged into [[revolution]]… [[NATO]] dissolves. [[American exceptionalism|United States stands alone]].|||Prologue/opening narration of the film}}

On a seemingly normal day, Soviet paratroopers land on the sporting fields of a [[Colorado]] high school and start doing [[School shooting|exactly what you think would happen when a bunch of heavily-armed men arrive at a Colorado high school]]. A small group of students, led by the brothers Jed and Matt Eckert, run for the hills as their town is overrun by the invaders, who force the townsfolk into an [[Concentration camp|internment camp]]/repurposed drive-in theater. Those who resist are gunned down mercilessly and have their firearms seized from their [[National Rifle Association#From my cold, dead hands|cold, dead hands]]&nbsp;— which the Soviets are able to easily find thanks to the ATF's Form 4473 tracking all firearm purchases. (You hear that, libs? [[Gun control]] will get us all killed!) From their base in the mountains, our motley band of teenagers forms a [[Guerrilla war|guerrilla band]], named the Wolverines after the school football team, along with a downed fighter pilot whom they rescued.

From the pilot, they learn that the Soviets have launched a two-pronged invasion of [[North America]], with one invasion force having seized everything between the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi River and [[Kansas]] and the second one having overrun [[Alaska]] and parts of Western [[Canada]]. [[Washington DC]], Omaha and Kansas City have all been nuked, and Strategic Air Command has been taken out by Cuban saboteurs posing as [[Illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]] from Mexico. (In other words, [[Arizona]] is bravely fighting the Red Menace, so quit'cher bitchin'!) On America's side are the [[United Kingdom]] and [[China]] for some reason (what's left of it, anyway, and referencing the then Sino-Soviet split), while mainland Europe is remaining [[Neutral point of view|neutral]] for an even stranger reason.

Or, to put it in far fewer words, America is invaded by evil commies and 'Merica's fate rests in the hands of Patrick Swayze and "I'm on a drug called Charlie Sheen".<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charlie-sheen-on-gma-im-on-a-drug-called-charlie-sheen-it-will-melt-your-face/ Charlie Sheen on GMA: I'm on a drug called Charlie Sheen, it will melt your face] by Bailey Johnson (February 28, 2011 / 8:55 PM EST) ''CBS News''.</ref> '''Wolverines!!!'''

==Messages==
To [[Andrew Breitbart|anybody]] claiming that [[Hollywood values|Hollywood is dominated by liberals]] and is unable to make a film about the "[[Jesusland|Real America]]" of [[God]], [[Gun nut|guns]] and glory, here is your answer. This film hits all of the Cold War-era bases: We can't trust those [[Jingoism|flaky Europeans]] to stand up to the Evil Empire! Latinos are [[Secure the border|plotting against us]]! Gun control means we won't be able to fight back against the impending invasion!<ref group=note>Then again, it could be argued that the scene of the man having his pistol pried from his cold, dead hands is sending the opposite message.</ref> We need the [[military-industrial complex|most powerful military on the planet]] if we are going to contain the enemy! And the big one: the [[Communism|Reds]] are going to invade this country ''any minute now'' and we better [[Survivalism|prepare]]! It's not for nothing that ''[[National Review Online]]'' has named it one of the best [[conservative]] movies of all time.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110419013513/http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/177146/15-best-conservative-movies-last-25-years/john-nolte # 15: The Best Conservative Movies of the Last 25 Years] by John Nolte (February 11, 2009 9:00 A.M.) ''National Review Online'' (archived from April 19, 2011).</ref> This shouldn't surprise anybody who knows the first thing about the film's writer and director, John Milius, who has peculiar [[far-right]] political views. In an interview, when asked about his right-leaning viewpoints, specifically his opinion on the [then] rather rapid rise in the [[Religious Right|religious right]] movement, [[identity politics]], and [[Paleoconservatism|paleoconservatism]] he responded with some mental [[wingnut]] contortionism:

{{quotebox|I'm not a [[reactionary]] — I’m just a [[Far-right|right-wing extremist]] so far beyond the [[Christian]]-identity people like that and stuff, that they can’t even imagine. I’m so far beyond that I’m a [[Maoist]]. I’m an [[anarchist]]. I’ve always been an anarchist. Any true, real right-winger if he goes far enough hates all form of [[government]], because [[Sheeple|government should be done to cattle and not human beings]]. Actually I think I’ve found a political voice in [[Jesse Ventura]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121218065324/http://www.filmthreat.com/interviews/49 Joy In The Struggle: A Look At John Milius.] ''Film Threat'' (recovered 25 November 2014).</ref>}}

Elsewhere, he identified himself as not really part of the spectrum, calling himself a [[Utilitarian|"Zen Anarchist"]].<ref>[http://barebonesez.blogspot.com/2014/09/john-milius-motorcycle-muse-to-sons-of.html John Milius, Motorcycle Muse to Sons of Anarchy] by Gilbert Colon (September 13, 2014) ''bare•bones e-zine''.</ref>
Although the ridiculously entertaining wingnut romp that is ''Red Dawn'' is hardly a cinematographic masterpiece, Milius has actually proven himself to be a very talented writer, director and filmmaker, as evident by his more dramatic works, which include ''Dirty Harry'' and ''Apocalypse Now'', the latter for which he won an Oscar.

He's also close friends with George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and the Coen brothers, with characters based on him in the movies ''American Graffiti'' and ''The Big Lebowski'' respectively.

One saving grace of the film as it relates to ''actual'' storytelling realism is that the Wolverines go out in a blaze of glory&nbsp;— at least the movie shows them being killed in the end, rather than going on valiantly fighting the good fight. Or worse yet, staging a scrappy underdog victory from the jaws of the Evil All-Powerful (but somehow not very competent) Commies.

At least one person, though, has argued that ''Red Dawn'' has the exact opposite message. At [[Cracked.com]], Philip Moon insisted that the film is really a subversive ''[[anti-war]]'' movie&nbsp;— nobody in the US notices the massive military buildup across the Rio Grande and the Bering Strait, the US has [[Iraq War|alienated its allies]] so much that Canada doesn't even warn the US that the Soviets are coming, or even bothers to stop them, the US armed forces are completely impotent when the invasion comes, and the Wolverines get more respect from the Reds than from their own goddamn country.<ref>Philip Moon. [http://www.cracked.com/article_18812_5-reasons-red-dawn-secretly-subversive-anti-war-film.html "5 Reasons 'Red Dawn' Is Secretly a Subversive Anti-War Film."] ''Cracked'', October 23, 2010.</ref> On the other hand, the same website has also analyzed the movie as an allegory for the Soviet invasion of [[Afghanistan War|Afghanistan]], meant to show why Americans should care about what is happening there.<ref>Steve Clark. [http://www.cracked.com/article_15017_5-kick-ass-action-movies-that-are-pure-propaganda_p3.html "5 Kick-Ass Action Movies That Are Pure Propaganda." (#3: ''Red Dawn'')] ''Cracked'', September 25, 2007.</ref> That is not necessarily very far-fetched, as "Zen Anarchism" is a noninterventionist and semi-peaceful ideology that only believes in violence if the general social utility is at risk. That would make Milius the greatest [[Trolling|troll]] in the history of Hollywood.

==Hollywood Has Run Out Of Ideas, Part 9,458,512==
Before you ask, yes, a remake came out in 2012. In fact, it ''was'' remade a few years before, with Chris "The Mighty Thor" Hemsworth <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4y7209adbQ</ref> and Josh Peck starring, and the evil Russians replaced with evil Chinese coming to collect on America's debt. MGM was planning on releasing it in 2010 just in time for Thanksgiving, but those plans were put on hold on account of MGM filing for bankruptcy. As the film sat in limbo, someone got the idea to try to be [[Political correctness|politically correct]] and digitally change the villains from Chinese to [[North Korea]]ns so as to avoid pissing off Chinese [[censor]]s and thus losing access to the lucrative and rapidly-expanding Chinese film market…<ref>Landreth, Jonathan. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9a9ec43069ab4f97784bd1acb15d858d "Chinese press rails against 'Red Dawn'."] ''The Hollywood Reporter'', 6 June 2011.</ref> [[Irony|perhaps proving the point of whoever decided to portray the Chinese as the villains in the first place]].

The finished film was finally released by the indie studio FilmDistrict on November 21, 2012… and by all accounts, it was fucking terrible,<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_dawn_2012/ Currently standing at a pitiful 11% on Rotten Tomatoes.]</ref> lacking even the cheesy, right-wing 1980s swagger that makes the original so enjoyable to watch with one's buds and a six-pack of beer with the kill count turned on.<ref group=note>Seriously — the DVD comes with an option to put a meter on screen keeping track of every kill, gunshot, and explosion. See how Charlie Sheen's #winning streak stacks up against ''Call of Duty'''s pros! (Spoiler: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUNjqn4sc14 he placed third, behind Swayze and C. Thomas Howell.])</ref> Shaky cam, you are the bane of modern action movies. No, the remake is not even propaganda, the core aspect that is responsible for the sheer novelty of the original, which is honestly kind of perfect in its own way, like [[George W. Bush|Doublya's]] weirdly endearing personality. That still does not change the fact that the original ''Red Dawn'' is the perfect movie to watch when you feel like staying in for the night and bringing home a thirty pack of Natty Lite. That being said, ''Red Dawn'' is most certainly a staple of not just propaganda and cheese, but is ''actually'' a legitimate American treasure.

"WOLVERIIINNNEESSSS!!!!!!"

==Similar works==
===''Tomorrow, When the War Began''===
Not content to be left out of the action, the [[Australia]]ns, courtesy of writer John Marsden, have their own version of ''Red Dawn'' in the form of the novel ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'',<ref>{{wpl|Tomorrow Series|Tomorrow Series}}</ref> that spawned a seven-book series and a spinoff set after the war. Unlike ''Red Dawn'', ''Tomorrow'' goes out of its way to keep the nationality of the invading country ambiguous and largely avoids getting into politics, instead focusing on teen-lit drama and action scenes, though the fact that the last book in the series is dedicated to the resistance movements in [[Tibet]], [[Timor-Leste]]<ref group=note>Under [[Indonesia]]n rule in 1993, the time the first book in the series was published.</ref>, and West Papua should provide some clues.

The book is regarded as one of the great Australian young-adult novels, and the American Library Association lists it as one of the best Young Adult novels published between 1966 and 2000. In 2000, the [[Sweden|Swedish]] government distributed copies of ''Tomorrow When the War Began'' to Swedish teenagers to teach them to like reading. Oh, and it's also been turned into a movie, released in 2010, which was the highest-grossing Australian film that year.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456941/ IMDB: ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' (2010)]</ref>

===''Homefront''===
Milius, has returned to the money trough with the FPS [[video game]] ''Homefront'', which has much the exact same story as ''Red Dawn'': the 
Chinese
 North Koreans have invaded America, and you are a part of the resistance, fighting across suburban Colorado to kick them out. It's derivative of other modern FPS, but competent.

==Inspiration for part of an illegal war==
During the [[George W. Bush]]'s falsely-justified [[Iraq War#Iraq War|war on Iraq]], the mission to capture [[Saddam Hussein]] was called "Operation Red Dawn".<ref name=hussein>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080927031723/https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2003-12-17-red-dawn_x.htm Red Dawn imitated art] (12/17/2003 9:42 PM) ''USA Today'' (archived from September 27, 2008).</ref> Army Captain Geoffrey McMurray had picked the name, who said "Operation Red Dawn was so fitting because it was a patriotic, pro-American movie." and "I think all of us in the military have seen ''Red Dawn''",<ref name=hussein/> indicating that it is the perfect film for misguided soldiers.{{efn|This is also extremely ironic when you consider the plot of the movie.}}

==For Trivial Pursuit Night==
''Red Dawn'' was the first movie ever to be released with the MPAA's then-new PG-13 rating, created in the wake of PG-rated movies like ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' and ''Gremlins'' that caused controversy with their violent content yet weren't quite bad enough to be rated R. As a matter of fact, by today's standards, it is tame, even more so than a family movie like ''Rogue One''. Then again, this could just be the classic example of run-of-the-mill [[Political correctness|snowflake oversensitivity that is currently destroying the twenty-first century, which will ''surely'' bring an end to Western Civilization as we know it]]. That, or maybe it is [[Conservative correctness|the opposite]], just like how the [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] propaganda piece known as ''Frozen'' would have been rated as a soft G back in the 1990s, while ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' would probably not be released at all due to [[Catholicism|its anti-Catholic sentiments]], or, at least, religious [[hypocrisy]]. Despite such, that just goes to show how much of a kiddie movie ''Red Dawn'' is by today's standards.

In the world of ''[[Grand Theft Auto|Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]]'', the rabidly right-wing gun store chain Ammu-Nation runs a film festival that proudly boasts "free screenings of the documentary ''Red Dawn''!"<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTUtyB51wYM Vice City Gun Store Commercial (Ammu-Nation)]</ref>

The film that can most contend to stand as ''Red Dawn's'' one true successor is the far more subtle, violent, and high-quality piece of propaganda ''[[American Sniper]]'', by fake libertarian and wingnut Clint Eastwood. Propaganda aside, as well as the fact that Chris Kyle was a total [[asshole]], especially for his lies about beating up the true hero and legendary folk hero Jesse Ventura.

==See also==
*[[Red scare]]

==External links==
* IMDb — [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087985/ ''Red Dawn'' (1984)]
* Trailer — [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_I4WgBfETc ''Red Dawn'' (1984)]
* IMDb — [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234719/ ''Red Dawn'' (2012)]
* Trailer — [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoqlBHSePw0 ''Red Dawn'' (2012)]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Cold War]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]

Categories: Cold War, Films, Propaganda