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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.

Box-office hit of the 80s about a misfit team re-reunited by Gene Hackman to carry out a suicide mission behind enemy lines . A group of Vietnam vets are drafted to go on a near-suicide mission and to rescue one of their own left behind and taken prisoner by the Vietnamese . ¨Uncommon valor¨ is an entertaining film with Gene Hackman who aware his son can still be alive and decides to go in after him . As Hackman is a tough officer along with the ordinary and troublesome team of unadapted ex-soldiers of Vietnam . The retired military man himself training a group of rebel and misfit soldiers for a dangerous assault on Laos. In the hands of hardboiled director Ted Kotcheff and a tough-as-leather cast headed by Hackman , that's all the plot that's needed to make one rip-roaring wartime flick . Supported by a rich businessman ,Robert Stack , whose son was also a POW, the bunch engages in a perilous and violent adventure attempting to rescue the POWs and at the same time re-direct their lives . Hackman's mission is two-fold and in violent style : first turn his soldiers into a hard fighting unit and later on they go to invade Laos in search of prisoners , still Missing in Action . The unit formed by diverse characters include a cocky hunk as Reb Brown , Harold Sylvester as a chronic malcontent , Randal Tex Cobb as a ready-to-blow nutty , Fred Ward as a lame-brained soldier , Tim Thomerson as old veteran and a beginner Patrick Swayze . The first half of the film allows the colorful cast of character actors to have their fun as they get their tails whipped into shape and develop shaky relationship with their leader . The final part is all action, as the commando wreck havoc and then run for their lives. The relentless assignment is set against strong training, risked adventures and hazardous feats . The dangerous mission includes a two-fisted group formed by a motley and diverse squadron played by all-star cast of the 80s . This is a rugged actioner concerning about an experienced officer , Col. Rhodes , he undertakes training the valiant unit of soldiers that get a chance to redeem themselves . At the end they must participate in the suicidal mission behind the enemy lines , to wipe enemies and rescue prisoners by means of a violent assault over a strongly protected camp.

Gene Hackman as Colonel Rhodes who gathers a motley crew assumes the character of the leader in this thrilling war movie stunningly directed by Ted Kotcheff , being well scripted by Joe Gayton and uncredited by also actor Wing Hauser. This is a routine Actioner with prestigious star Gene Hackman as the Vietnam veteran resulting to be one of the best roles he'd made in the 80s , as he's fine as tough , cold , obstinate Colonel . This formula action/war/thriller packs frantic movement , perilous adventures , relentless feats , and buck-loads of explosive action and violence . The noisy action is uniformly well-made, especially deserving of mention the rip-roaring final scenes on the concentration camp , including some spectacular shootouts and bombing . Apart from the values of team spirit , cudgeled by Gene Hackman into his rebel group , the film is full of feats , suspense , and thrills . Rough Hackman is good as leader of the motley pack together to thwart enemy camp , as well as the largely secondary cast with special mention to Randall Tex Cobb and Patrick Swayze . Atmospheric and exciting musical score by James Horner and appropriate cinematography filmed by cameraman Stephen Burum in several locations from Bangkok, Thailand ; Hanalei, Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA (Vietnam rice paddy);Indian Dunes, California, USA (Texas training camp); Lumahai Valley, Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA (Laotian POW camp). This is is a wartime typical vehicle and into the ¨ Vietnam war genre¨ and regarding ¨rescue commandos¨, which also belong : ¨Rambo II¨ , and ¨Colonel Braddock¨ trilogy with Chuck Norris , all of them dealing with relentless soldiers attempting to free some American people still held prisoners in a far prison camp into Vietnam . Although the movie has some aspects a little tough to take , this moving film still has its fine moments getting an adequate atmosphere with agreeable results , furthermore grossed lot of money at the box office .

A rousing men-on-a-mission action-adventure with an angry political message, this covers the same ground as Rambo 2 and is almost as entertaining. The great Gene Hackman plays Colonel Rhodes, a father haunted by his son's disappearance behind enemy lines during the Vietnam War. For years he tries, and fails, to convince the US government to help him find Frank. In a last-ditch attempt, he recruits several of Frank's comrades-in-arms, who each, in his own way, has unfinished business with the war, to join him on a daring rescue mission.

What follows is a by-the-numbers but stirring action film, with an extremely likeable cast including Fred Ward, Tim Thomerson, and a young Patrick Swayze. James Horner provides another of his brilliant 80's action scores, by turns haunting and pulse-quickening. The set-up and training sequences are rock solid and fun, and the final rescue mission is downright exciting. I liked it better than The Dirty Dozen, which had way too much comedy for me to take it seriously. Uncommon Valor strikes a much better balance between popcorn heroics and its more sobering themes, both human and political. It's an underrated film, one I never tire of watching.

American forces going back into Vietnam to settle a score, now there's a well-worn premise for an '80s movie. But in all fairness, Gene Hackman blazed that trail for Norris and Stallone. "Uncommon Valor" is as manly as they come, wielding a righteous cause and a well of brute testosterone. And for a great deal of the running time, it's a by-the-numbers war movie. I have to admit, that's not really my thing, so I started drifting after awhile.

It's a good cast, but Hackman deserves high praise for his sympathetic performance. The damn thing opens with him stalking the streets of Bangkok in hopeless search of his POW son. Washington's no help and his desperation is palpable. The stake are a lot more real when he's around.

6/10 Stray thought: what is with the milquetoast pop songs that end these '80s 'Nam movies?

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.