Flight of the Intruder

Brad 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.

I 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.

Jim Page... I was on the Indy at the same time! It was my first time at sea, when they filmed the movie. I was eating "mid-rats" in the Officer's wardroom, when a movie crew guy asked me if I wanted to be in the movie. Next thing I know, I was on the Admiral's bridge in a scene with Danny Glover as the only "extra." The scene is early in the movie. Brad Johnson's BN was just shot and he's coming back to the carrier. Danny Glover is called to the bridge and watches as the A-6 lands on the deck. The shot is of Glover's left profile. I am the "officer of the deck" right behind him. You can just see the left side of my face. It was a lot of fun and great stuff to write home about.

I served as a dental officer on the Indy from 1989 until 1991. I moved with the Indy to Yokosuka. Six weeks later, I separated from the Navy.

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

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