Le vol de l'Intruder

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

I've heard it said, "This is not repeat not a chick flick."

Wrong. I loved this film. I was impressed by the way the film dealt with personal relationships. Yeah - get worried, fellas, because one of the main themes is about how guys deal with losing guy friends. It's also about how guys deal with keeping guy friends, but I won't bore you...

If it makes you feel any better, there's a scene in a bar that involves a zipwire and a mudpit with an alligator, and some cool flight stuff that includes 'how to make the new non-pilot sick.'

Didn't have a 'chick' problem with it, which is probably why I'm so proud of my hardbound copy of "Baa Baa Black Sheep" autographed by Pappy Boyington. Don't count the women out when you watch this film. It has its clunker moments, but they are few, and thankfully they don't occur in the air.

Politically insightful in spots, and for the most part, a good two hours spent. Seriously, this is a good movie; do see it.

Named 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).

Recommended 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

It'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.