SnoopyStyle
In 1972, Frank Rhodes got left behind in Vietnam and taken prisoner. His father retired Col Jason Rhodes (Gene Hackman) keeps pushing for years to get him back. He's gathered up intel and a target. Then he gathers up Frank's brothers-in-arms to go into Laos for a rescue. He has even built a replica of the camp in Texas and hired Kevin Scott (Patrick Swayze) to get them into shape. All the plans are thrown out the window when the government takes away all of the weapons.The story is bad unrealistic 80s fare. It tries to be better than the various Chuck Norris or Rambo movies. That's why they bought in Hackman. However this exists somewhere in between. It's far too unrealistic to be compelling drama. There's even a sweaty white guy with a parrot. It's also not action oriented enough to be good mindless popcorn fun. It doesn't work either way.
Petri Pelkonen
Retired Marine Colonel Jason Rhodes' son Frank is listed Missing in Action in Vietnam.About ten years later he gathers up a team to get him, and a few others, back.Uncommon Valor (1983) is directed by Ted Kotcheff.He's the same guy who directed the first Rambo movie.There's certainly some relation between Rambo and this movie.Gene Hackman is pretty tough guy to play the lead.He may not have the muscles of Sly, but he's still pretty tough.Patrick Swayze, who is sadly no longer with us, plays Kevin Scott.Fred Ward plays the part of Wilkes.Red Brown is Blaster.Former boxer Randall 'Tex' Cobb plays Sailor.Robert Stack portrays MacGregor.Tim Thomerson is Charts.Harold Sylvester plays Johnson.This movie, despite being a classic masterpiece, isn't lacking in cool action scenes.I mean, when they hit the location of the missing soldiers, all hell breaks loose.If you dig these manly action flicks, then this is your movie.
dighambara
Comments:In my opinion, this is an excellent movie, primarily because it shows the camaraderie and exactly why such teams are so close knit. The scenes in Thailand (Laos) are excellent. Very reminiscent of the back country anywhere in South East Asia. The cast was well selected and worked very well together. I particularly enjoy the part where Sailor is asked about his money, as there are many, manydistractions in places like Saigon, Phnom Penh and Bangkok, as any veteran can tell you...LOLCorrections: Gene Hackman plays the part of a Marine Colonel, not an Army Colonel.In many Armies, a Full Colonel is considered equivalent to a General. Meaning that a civilian calling a Colonel a General may be a mistake and may not.For example, in the Thai Army & Air Force, there are Colonels and there are Senior Colonels. The Senior Colonel is considered the equivalent of a General 'select', but may hold that position for years until there is an opening. To treat him as less than a General would be an affront of great magnitude...
ShelbyTMItchell
Chuck Norris and Sly Stallone really has nothing on Gene Hackman & Company as Hackman can act, first of all. Despite liking Norris and Stallone. But, Hackman knows how to act! He plays Colonel Rhodes, a career military man as his only son, is a POW in Vietnam. Despite the government and everybody else saying to him that he needs to give up. Still, any and all hindrances won't deter him. As he rounds up a group of men from his son's team in the Vietnam War. That have gone onto other things, meaning other jobs, in hopes of saving his son and others left by the war as POWs. And with financial backing from a billionaire, played by Robert Stack, also having a son that is a POW. As the camp is built like a POW camp in order to prepare them for the worse. There, they meet young rookie, Marine reject Patrick Swayze. The first part deals with their training, as the other five vets that aren't sure about Swayze and after not taking lightly being bossed by a rookie young Marine. They mutiny and Sailor, who steals the movie played brilliantly by, Randall "Tex" Cobb teaches the rookie a lesson in a fistfight. As it is revealed by Rhodes, he has a father that's MIA, shot down in Vietnam. There the young Marine is taken in by the vets and also learns to work as a team member, rather than a leader. He learns that he needed to be a team member, not a team leader all along. Second, despite a few obstacles and more government bureaucracy, Hackman's character and the now organized six men, won't stop until they rescue the POWs. Won't give away how they do it or the end, but it is pretty bittersweet. But all in all, it goes to show us, that we shouldn't leave out the POWs. Don't know why Cobb could had been a bigger name and given bigger roles after this. I admit the Swayze character was kind of jerk but then, mellowed out a bit. As well as started to learn to, become a team player. But it is Hackman's movie as he is brilliant in this. As well as the other supporting players. That build support around him.
AD
