In hindsight, it's odd that John Milius didn't get to make more movies in the counter culture 70s than the Reagan-era 80s when you would think his bare chested machismo would have been more in fashion - especially when this and Conan the Barbarian were quite successful. Maybe he was too much trouble - too outspoken or annoying or something. Maybe he was too much of a public joke. Maybe the stars never aligned. Or maybe there was a more satirical edge to his work in the 70s - he didn't take himself so seriously. There's a lot of black comedy in Apocalypse Now, Judge Roy Bean, Dillinger and The Wind and the Lion - the attitudes of the characters have freshness. That went in the 80s.
This benefits from a very strong premise - so strong it was used in the Tomorrow When the War Began series and also a remake. And there are plenty of fun things about the film - it gets right into the action, the opening sequence of the students fleeing town under attack is exciting, the scenery is beautiful, the production design top-notch.
I thought the acting was good. Sure it's a bit campy to see a cast including Patrick Swayze, C Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson and Charlie Sheen but they can all act - they're believable teens. Swayze is a believable heroic lead; Thompson is very good. The adults include Powers Boothe, Harry Dean Stanton, Ron O'Neal and William Smith - a decent line up. There's a bunch of other young kids in there I didn't recognise.
I love it how "into it" Milius is. The storyline really is a Milius wet dream - you get to hang out in the Rockies fighting for freedom by killing people, living out tropes from World War Two films. It's harsh and bitter and tough - it's quite a downbeat movie, but that's all part of the dream ("I wish I could die gloriously", "I wish I could be tired and resigned at the end").
There were some very effective emotional moments. The initial attack; saying goodbye to parents; the little romance-but-not-really between Lea Thompson and Powers Boothe; the death of Jennifer Grey; C Thomas Howell going down in a blaze of glory going "Wolverines" (actually this is more campy fun); Lea Thompson reaching freedom; Patrick Swayze killing his former friend for betrayal.
The action sequences did get monotonous. Things started well with that opening attack but then it became one ambush after another. (I find this a few times in Milius films - he's not great at action).
A bigger problem was the lack of distinguished characters. The young people are all basically "young people" with Swayze a bit older and heroic and the mayor's son a bit nerdy. It was hard to tell them apart - it helps that some of them are stars. I wish that some were at least a different race or something to tell them apart. There's no real character development - the affect of war on people etc. I wish they'd had less explosions and more drama. (I've read an original draft of the script which did.)
Anyway it's an interesting film. I think Milius attracted too much attention for making it though - it turned him into a bit of a joke and it's one of those successes that could actually harm your career.
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