I know a lot of people think Red Dawn is a classic and have a fondness for it because they first watched it when they were young, but having just seen it for the first time as a 46 year old - somehow missing it back in the 80s - I have to say that this movie was tough to make it through. With the exception of maybe Powers Boothe, the acting here was very bad, this, from people who would become decent actors eventually, but they certainly weren't here. The plot and the action is preposterous. We're supposed to believe that a small group of high schoolers are taking out trained soldiers from Russia and Cuba, throwing grenades, launching RPGs and blowing up tanks and shit? Some of the photography and cinematography was good, and the film had an interesting premise - Lord of the Flies meets The Dirty Dozen meets Apocalypse Now - but it's too ridiculous to suspend disbelief. If the kids had been trained by an experienced vet first, it still wouldn't have made much sense, but it would have been a little more believable, instead of high schoolers (with just graduated Patrick Swayze) just mowing down troops with assault rifles. Needless to say, it doesn't end well, but at least they put up a hell of a fight on their way out.

Oh you've gotta see _Red Dawn_.... It's not particularly good, but you've got to see it.

_Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal._