Flight of the Intruder

1991 "The only thing they can count on is each other."
5.8| 1h55m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 18 January 1991 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Jake Grafton and his bombardier buddy, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Cole, are two soldiers embedded in the Vietnam War growing frustrated by the military's constraints on their missions. Despite the best efforts of their commanding officer, Cmdr. Frank Camparelli, to re-engage them, this disillusioned pair decide to take the war effort into their own hands with an explosive battle plan that could well get them court-martialed.

Genre

Action, War

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Director

John Milius

Production Companies

Paramount

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Flight of the Intruder Audience Reviews

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Robert Falzmann A smart story about the true character of America and the free world -- not of government, mind you. Simply put, don't count on Uncle Sam; only yourself and each other. Forget the mirage of left- versus right-wing politics. Forget religion and other hypocrisies. Like most stories about Vietnam, this film examines the inherent madness of mass society. The U.S. Military had no chance in South Vietnam. The North was committed to a systematic extermination of the pesky U.S. presence. Like the disappearance of Indian tribes and wolves from the native American landscape by government sanction, the U.S. military in South Vietnam was powerless against the madness perpetuated against them. The film is really about the pursuit of love, life, and liberty as opposed to suppressing or killing the wild inside of us. But most people are just afraid of the wild and so they kill it.
Alyssa Black (Aly200) So 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.
lost-in-limbo Two pilots aboard an US aircraft carrier during the Vietnam war take the war into their own hands when they commandeer an A6 bomber, known as the "Intruder" and head over protective airspace to bomb Hanoi. Something promising couldn't eventuated, but I found "Flight of the Intruder" to be rather mundane despite being well-made and capturing the atmosphere aboard the carrier. Story arches are there, but they feel quite moody, superficial (like the rushed romance angle with Rosanne Arquette's character) and cliché. Its slow-build up is planned in a calculative manner, but when it came to the action scenes, it just didn't ignite much in the way of thrills despite some stellar visuals and aerial photography. Although it's more than just a basic action joint, as comradeship between the pilots is probably its strong point along with its anti-war sentiment putting this war into perspective with some strong script writing. Especially when Johnson's rogue character becomes frustrated by questioning his orders and the stirring speech about knowing the difference of dieing for something than dieing for nothing. Brad Johnson and William Dafoe (quite a laid-back, charismatic performance) lead the way as the two pilots then in support is credible turns from Danny Glover (barking out the orders), Tom Sizemore, J. Kenneth Campbell and Ving Rhames.
nickyt187 Flight Of The Intruder is a great film and a better war film at that. It is sad to see how underrated and looked over it has become. Like other users have stated I guess you can relate its lake of popularity as a result of other "Top Gun" type films released in that time period.This film is one of the few that depicts the Vietnam War in a way that is not a "feel good about ourselves America" style that was plagued with films like "Missing in Action" and "First Blood Rambo pt.II". It depicts the downfall and low morale that arrised towards the end of the war.So many great actors are in this film and even though they do not all have killer performances, they make for a great cast that blends well together. While watching this film I couldn't stop laughing at some points because the interactions of cast members and the jokes they made.Like "this is the most fun you'll ever have with your clothes on Doc...O Jesus" or "Got room for a six pack and a pizza" and Willem Dafoe's reaction to the bar fight. It was just great to watch.The flight and bombing scenes are well done and shows the frustration of loosing friends to "A bunch of trees" day in and day out. With the lose of public support at home and unknown reason we are still fight lingering in the tone. It does a great job showing this.The ending scene is one of my favorite scenes in all the films I have scene. As it clearly depicted scenarios that plagued American pilots through the war. It also showed should the brotherly love for one another and how they would go into hell to get them out even if they loose their own lives.Even Brad Johnsons romantic interest was done well. It was there but it wasn't overly excessive.Overall this is a great movie and worth a watch. Effects are good, story is good, characters are great and you will walk away with a good taste in your mouth.Enjoy, Nick