Retour vers l'enfer

This forgotten little movie was probably inspiration for much more famous movie made later – „Missing in action" with Chuck Norris (1984) and "Rambo 2 " with Sylvester Stallone (1985) . All three movies have a similar story , but it was Ted Kotcheff's (director of … "Rambo : First blood " made in 1982 ) movie that first used such story . Furthermore , it's actually based on real life story of Green Beret Colonel Bo Gritz (read the F.A.Q.) . From this three movies I think that "Rambo 2" is the best movie and "Missing in action" the worst. "Uncommon valor" is forgotten , but fun movie that is worth watching.

It's always a pleasure to have a Gene Hackman in a movie . His character is a strong , quiet and determined man who will do a lot to find his son . He's a true heart of the movie . Patrick Swayze also appears in this movie and gives a heartfelt performance, the best in his career . It was also good to see Randall "Tex" Cobb . He brings a lot of humor into the movie , while never making it campy. A silent hero of the movie for me is Fred Ward who plays a man with traumatic war past. The rest of the cast is also good. Watch out for Michael Dudikoff ("American ninja") in a small role of Blaster's assistant.

The movie mainly concentrates on the characters and the relations between them . The training takes a lot of the movie time , yet it's never boring. It's interesting to watch it , because the filmmakers invest our feelings into the characters . When the final of the movie appears we care about what happens to the characters . That's a big plus for the movie. Still , people who like action might be disappointed. I wasn't. I give it 6/10.

Gene Hackman is always a pleasure to watch, and he lifts this implausible POW-rescue escapade with a mature and convincing portrayal of a father strugglingto come to terms with the fact that his son was listed missing-in-action during the Vietnam War. The whole cast is quite impressive actually, consisting of old pros (Hackman and Robert Stack), future stars (Patrick Swayze, Fred Ward) and familiar bit players (Tim Thomerson, Harold Sylvester, Randall Tex Cobb, Reb Brown).

Hackman plays a retired army officer - a veteran of the Korean War - who desperately seeks closure on the matter of his son's disappearance in Vietnam. In the early '80s, he receives photographic evidence that American POWs are still being held in the south-east Asian country of Laos. In fact, one of the prisoners on the photo looks like his son. He assembles a team of ex-Vietnam vets, trains them for a return to combat, and heads off with them to Laos on a clandestine rescue mission.

This film seems to have been the starting point for Chuck Norris's 1984 offering Missing In Action, and Sylvester Stallone's 1985 hit Rambo, First Blood Part II. However, Uncommon Valor is much better than both of those overblown comic-strip follies. Although the action in this movie takes liberties with credibility, the character development is at least quite decent and the mental impact of fighting and losing friends in a war is explored. The cast give good performances (Swayze in particular, still a relative unknown here, gives the best performance of his career to this day). Ted Kotcheff directs well, conveying disparate moods - angst, humour, horror, excitement - very nicely in a variety of scenes.

Uncommon Valor is hard to swallow in terms of believability, but it is a well-made, well-acted and entertaining jungle rescue film.

This is probably one of the best movies I have watched. Period. I'm not gonna dwell into the plot (a bunch of other guys here already did). So what I will say is that it is indeed as realistic - in terms of the actors who played the veterans called upon to settle some "unfinished business", the fears that viet vets harbor even after all these years, and the realistic nature of the POWs (who I must say performed really well, one not being able to speak English, another can't leave the garden he is forced to tend to). Even to the point of the senator not wanting to see "that old MIA colonel again." From what I have read on the issue over the last 20 years, the film (to me at least) hits it "right on the nail." And who can forget French restaurant owner with his parrot. The directors made it look to seem that he has been around since the French were in Vietnam, and who managed to crave a little business for himself, gun dealing. And the introduction! Awesome! Awesome! (Marines under fire dashing across the field being pursued by NVA as choppers hover overhead; all in slow motion with haunting music). It's a great movie.

None of that nonsense like what was featured in Missing in Action and Rambo II; now those are bad comedies. They are just an example of a good story that's mishandled to turn into complete garbage.

My thanks to all who were involved in the research and making of the film. You've done a great job, Ted, Gene, Reb, and all you others.

Re-visiting "Uncommon Valor"(1983) Arguably he best "Going back to "Nam' to rescue the POW's flick!...And the first. What a cool, underrated movie this is and what a cast: Gene Hackman, Fred Ward, Robert Stack, Reb Brown, Patrick Swayze, Tim Thomerson and Randall "Tex" Cobb as the scene stealing "Sailor". The plot is simple: Ten years after his son went M.I.A. in Vietnam, U.S. Marine retired Colonel Jason Rhodes assembles a private rescue team to find Americans held in P.O.W. camps in Laos. What really makes this work is top notch acting, great action, the comradery among the group and the nail biting finale. By the end, you are so invested in the characters and objective, you really feel bad when any of the characters buy it. Very tight and good direction by Ted Kotcheff ("North Dallas forty" and "First Blood"). Really, a good movie and well worth a visit or re-visit!

Ted Kotcheff directed this exciting adventure film that stars Gene Hackman as Marine Col. Jason Rhodes, who has become frustrated with his own(U.S.) governments refusal to launch a rescue mission into Vietnam to rescue P.O.W.s he believes are still there, including his own son. He is approached by a rich businessman named McGregor(played by Robert Stack) who agrees to finance his own rescue mission which he wants Rhodes to command, since he too has a son who is a P.O.W. Rhodes then recruits some marines(now civilians) to help him on the mission(played by Patrick Swayze, Tim Thomerson, Randal 'Tex' Cobb, Fred Ward, & Reb Brown) First they must train and prepare, then launch the rescue mission, which is quite dangerous for many reasons... Rousing film with a good cast and interesting premise(which would be re-used many times later!) A bit far-fetched perhaps, but good fun.