Week 12: Red Dawn

Dear Avid Reader,

Art imitates reality imitates art. Chicken and the egg. You dig what I'm putting down. I can tell.

Tell Me What's The Difference Between Us And Them

An action movie rarely mirrors life. Usually a dude or group o' dudes takes on a huge army and overcomes using controlled explosions and snappy one liners. There are few examples of this actually happening. And I find it hilarious that our action movies cast the scrappy band of insurgents as heroes and the large advanced army as the villains. I guess maybe we should have blamed the unrest in Iraq on movies like Red Dawn.

And why single out Red Dawn? Because it is a movie that I remember watching as a kid and taking it in as a how-to-film. No seriously. I didn't watch it as much as study it. The thought was not IF the Russians (or anyone) was going to attack, but WHEN. In the initial hours of the invasion, children needed to run away and gather as much supplies as you could. Then setting up camp was vital. And all survivors who made it for a month or so, MUST start a counter attack from behind enemy lines. Never surrender. What happened to my childhood Patrick Swayze? You stole it!

All That Hate's Gonna Burn You Up, Kid.

The characters showed a young generation that they could be extraordinarily successful at harassing the enemy with lightning raids. They used the familiar woods to their advantage, and set traps and stole equipment. And what kid wouldn't want to be in a Red Dawn scenario? No parents, calling your own shots, shooting guns, fighting for...something...America, maybe? Hey why are we killing all these people Pony-Boy*?

*Watch "The Outsiders" to get that joke.

The youngsters in the movie go Lord of the Flies and start slaying people real early in the movie. Why is this? Easy, the adults are too lazy/smart/dumb/awful-human to fight and they get the kids to do it for them. And they start working on the kids early. Mr. Morris is the first adult they meet and he gives them guns and tells them to never come back. Mr. Mason gives them more weapons and gives Jed the impression that he is able to care for his girls. He even tells him that he is a famous "leader". All of this is very attractive to the boys. They so want to please these men, that they are literally willing to die for them.

The Chair Is Against The Wall, John Has A Long Mustache

The prime moment is when does Mr. Eckert screams "Avenge Me". This is the most selfish thing to tell anyone. I'm about to die but I want to die knowing that someone else is gonna die. And this is all after he tells them that his brutal parenting style was to prepare them for this moment of invasion. This post is starting to have shades of The Cowboys post. I'll move on.

Now that the kids are fully brainwashed, they solidify into a very lethal strike force. But in addition to showing kids how to prepare for fights and surviving off the land/enemy, Red Dawn also prepare the viewer for the harsh realities of guerrilla warfare. Don't trust someone claiming to be a friendly solider right off the bat. Turn your grief into rage. Violence is your new therapy. Shoot traitors, period. Never leave a wounded squad member behind, in fact, kill them if you have to. Discipline is king. And it's O.K. to give a woman a gun...it's an emergency after all.

Wolverines!

This is why Red Dawn stands out as an action movie. It is fiction that tries to impact the reality of the audience. It isn't simply entertainment. Red Dawn tries to get the viewer to ask if they are prepared for an invasion. And if they aren't prepared, then the movie provides the novice with what World War III might look like. It will be hard, it will be tough, but in the end America will win through perserverance and loyalty to the Grand Ole Flag. Just sacrifice your life and your grave rock will be turned into a national park.

And isn't the promise of glory after death the best way to recruit martyrs?

Until Next I Blog,

James

P.S. Nice move stoking the fear of Gun Rights Activists by having the enemy use the gun registry to track down the gun owners and kill them. I thought that was hilarious.