Synopsis
Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route.
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Cast
- Gene HackmanLt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
- Danny GloverCapt. Bartholomew Clark
- Jerry ReedCol. George Walker
- David Marshall GrantRoss Carver
- Clayton RohnerSgt. Harley Rumbaugh
- Erich AndersonMajor Jake Scott
- Joe DorseyCol. Douglass
- Michael NgVietnamese Man (as Rev. Michael Ng)
- Theodore Chan Woei-ShyongBoy on Bridge
- Don RuffinHelicopter Crew
Recommendations
- 80
Washington Post
With both left and right wings flapping, it is a dandy thriller for political moderates... It's smart, but not too smart, like a Chuck Norris movie if Chuck got a PhD. - 80
The New York Times
It's hard to imagine what the film might have been with anyone other than Mr. Hackman in this role, for this actor's quintessential decency and ordinariness have never seemed more affecting. It's precisely the lack of bravado in Hambleton that makes him an interesting character, and a poignant anti-Rambo. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
BAT*21 was shot on location in Malaysia, however, and it looks authentic and gets us involved through the energy of its performances. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Director Peter Markle, whose credits include TV documentaries and commercials as well as "Young Blood," has taken pains to make this a craftsmanlike production, shot in Malaysia, full of laborious attention to detail and enterprising stunt flying. Regrettably, the script doesn`t fly quite as smoothly. - 63
Miami Herald
What we have here is a solid war story with excellent performances, but a largely superficial look at Vietnam's atrocities. If Bat 21 says anything, it's that Hollywood is reluctant to release any more pure-action Vietnam pictures. However thin, there must be some message to the madness. [21 Oct 1988, p.E8] - 60
Los Angeles Times
For all the serious efforts on the part of all involved, Bat 21 (rated R for the usual war-film bloodshed) doesn't rise above the routine. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
Hackman turns in his usual solid performance, and Glover is strong as the pilot who develops a deep empathy for the officer, although the device of having the men interact almost entirely by radio limits development of their relationship. - 60
Variety
Glover turns in a solid job but, as with Hackman, he remains one-dimensional.
