40 Years Later, ‘Red Dawn’s Message Is as Clear as Ever

Jed Eckert (Patrick Swayze), Robert Morris (C. Thomas Howell), and Matt Eckert (Charlie Sheen) hide in 'Red Dawn.'

The Big Picture Red Dawn is one of those movies where the initial premise sounds a bit ridiculous at first, but the longer you watch it, the more drawn in you become. It's a survivalist action-adventure that grows on you over time, and now, 40 years later, still resonates with audiences. With a stellar cast that included Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Grey, Lea Thompson, and a young Charlie Sheen, Red Dawn made waves at the box office and became an '80s favorite.

The east coast of the U.S. was then attacked by Soviet warheads that annihilated any federal leadership, giving the Soviets free rein over the western part of the country, now entirely disconnected from any nuclear support. Though the Midwest largely remains free, Colorado and its neighbors are under complete Soviet control. In many respects, Red Dawn is more thought out than this year's Civil War, even if the remainder of the plot still feels a bit fantastical.

The political analyst continued by likening Red Dawn to more famous pictures such as First Blood and Star Wars, which likewise frame the rebel characters as the heroes against a broken and disturbed establishment. Though the political undertones of these films are indisputable, Red Dawn is so much more than that. Of course, it's unclear whether this subversion was intentional by director John Milius or just geopolitical happenstance.

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