Flight of the Intruder (1991)

Director:

John Milius

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Coonts (novel)
Robert Dillon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War

Tagline:

The only thing they can count on is each other.

Plot:

After his bombardier is killed, Jake Grafton, a carrier-based Intruder pilot, questions the purpose of Navy bombing missions...

Plot Keywords:

Navy | Vietnam | Aviation | US Navy | Aircraft Carrier

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 23

12:00 PM

HBO

Cast

Danny Glover	...	Cmdr. Frank 'Dooke' Camparelli
Willem Dafoe	...	Lt. Cmdr. Virgil 'Tiger' Cole
Brad Johnson	...	Lt. Jake 'Cool Hand' Grafton
Rosanna Arquette	...	Callie
Tom Sizemore	...	Boxman
J. Kenneth Campbell	...	Lt. Cmdr. 'Cowboy' Parker
Jared Chandler	...	Lt. (j.g.) Jack 'Razor' Barlow
Dann Florek	...	Lt. Comdr. Mad Jack / Doc
Madison Mason	...	C.A.G.
Ving Rhames	...	CPO Frank McRae
Christopher Rich	...	Morgan 'Morg' McPherson
Douglas Roberts	...	Guffy
Scott N. Stevens	...	Hardesty (as Scott Newton Stevens)
Justin Williams	...	Lt. Sammy Lundeen
John Corbett	...	Big Augie

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-14 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

A 1:160 scale model of the city of Hanoi was built for the filming of the bomb-runs scenes. Buildings closer to the camera were detailed more while the furthest away buildings in the backround we only painted blocks of wood.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At Po City, when Jake Grafton goes on the hanging chair, CPO Frank McRae is watching. His mouth is silent but you simultaneously hear his voice cheering Jake on.

Quotes:

Boxman: [preparing to go into Po City] Preflight, kid: money?
Razor: Yeah, I got some.
Boxman: Prophylactics?
Razor: I got two!
Boxman: Oh yeah? I always carry twenty-six myself.
[Razor giggles]
Boxman: That's not a joke!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

Underrated and under-appreciated.

I can't understand why TopGun is so hyped yet nobody has even heard about this movie? Sure its not as glamorous or stylish but it is far more realistic. Perhaps some people just don't consider the old A-6 Intruder bomber as glamorous as an F-14 Tomcat fighter? Unlike Topgun, this movie is faithful to facts and the footage is much much better. The combat scenes are brilliant and the way they show the intensity of anti-aircraft artillery and machine gun fire from the ground really illustrates the difficulties of air warfare. Also unlike Topgun, where the MiGs were fake aircraft and really American F-5s, the MiGs in this movie were real MiGs. So were the SA-2 Divinia SAMs that were fired by the thousands. The combat and dogfight scenes were far more realistic than topgun even if they looked a bit less flashy.

This movie is a real gem and a must see for anybody interested in aviation or war related movies. If you are clueless about aviation and just want a no brain entertainer, stick to topgun.