On B List of Movie Reviews

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Bat*21 (1988)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 5/18

Bat21
5/18: During the Vietnam War, U.S. Air Force (USAF) Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton was aboard an EB-66 aircraft (call signal Bat 21) that was shot down by a surface-to-air missile on April 2, 1972.

Consquently, the search-and-rescue mission to locate him was the longest and the costliest in the history of USAF, spanning almost twelve days which resulted in the loss of eleven lives and five aircraft and the capture of two airmen. Was it necessary, even for one person? I think not.

Bat*21, mostly a two-man show featuring Gene Hackman and Danny Glover whose character never existed in real life, is almost nothing to what actually happened, but it's a solid film, regardless. One reviewer, who was a pilot during the Vietnam War, said the following:

"Having flown this same mission into NV I knew what I had to be prepared for. This crew in the movie seems to be not paying attention as to what their job was. When I flew this mission, myself and my crew were silent and no talking about lawn furniture. I was in radio contact with a navy ship who kept me advised to the migs that were coming my way.

Also my ECM operator was busy jamming radar and I was busy avoiding missiles sent my way. Needless to say we survived because we were alert and prepared and not talking about retirement. This is why I give it three stars [out of five], it simply is not an accurate representation. Of the 100 missions I flew out of Takhli I cannot remember any verbal chatter other than what was related to the mission. If in fact this is what happened, then this would explain why they got shot down."

By the way, soldiers wouldn't be stupid to engage themselves in long conversations through the radio while stuck in the combat zone.

All in all, although Bat*21 detracts too much from the actual facts, it plays well for a Hollywood picture.