Bat 21

A very thought provoking movie. It really shows the emotions of war.

Love this movie. This and Flight of the Intruder are my favorite movie about that era.

Perfect. Was exactly as described. Very fast delivery!

Excellent movie. Released October 1988. Tri-Star pictures. Gene Hackman and Danny Glover are great. It’s based on a true story..If you’re a movie buff you should ad this one to your library. It’s that good.

Gene Hackman plays a career Air Force intelligence officer with a passion for golf. He looks for the day when he can retire and try to join the pro tour. In the meantime, however, he is still a serving officer in Vietnam.Retirement is fairly close when he gets shot out of the sky while riding on a B-52 mission. He is the only survivor and he is someone that the Viet Cong would very much like to capture. He has to run for his life. In his running, he is aided by a forward air controller played by Danny Glover.Hackman knows that the area he is in is due to be carpet bombed in a few days and he has to get out of there. The problem is that the VC are listening in on the radio and that makes planning problematical until golf proves to be a useful escape tool. Hackman knows the layouts of the world's military golf courses like the back of his hand and comes up with a code using golf terms and the layout of well known military courses to let the rescuers know how to keep up with him. Its still tough going, though, and the VC don't give up easily.This is a rather good movie and one could almost be fooled into thinking that Danny Glover really does love his country...almost.

Story is fabulous and the suspense is killing so my rating on this is A grade plus for an classic that will have you in turmoil. Gene and Danny makes this something to watch and not forgotten to soon. Actors are fantastic bringing this to realistic proportions that the feeling is there touching out for help. Based on a true story of an officer in a plane who gets shot down in Vietnam and now they have got to retrieve him and bring him home as he holds a lot of information. The pick up points are made but certain things are rising up and the mission is in jeopardy if they try to get to him. At the finish the rescuers are also in peril. The action is fast and thrills by the minute waiting for what is next that's coming at you around the corner, you won't be disappointed with this full on moving show even a marvellous classic like this should be in your collection. Don't take my word as I like a huge range of shows, now try to relax and complete your mission of watching this fabulous movie with munchies by your side and remote in your hand. Enjoy

Bat 21 is an excellent story about the truth life shoot down and rescue of Lieutenant Colonel Iceal E. "Gene" Hambleton, the sole survivor of an USAF EB-66B Destroyer electronic warfare aircraft. Portions of the film were highly dramatized, including the climactic battle. Some characters were composites of real people, while others were created for the film. However, some other details were accurate, including the fact that Captain Larry Potts was of African American ancestry.With all of that said, I highly recommend this movie to anyone that enjoys war movies or want to learn something about the Vietnam War and LtCol. Hambleton's and rescuers "code talk" that helped lead to the rescue of Hambleton.The actual rescue took over eleven days, during which a major attack was delayed, resulting in numerous South Vietnamese soldiers being killed and wounded. Several attempts were made to recover Hambleton. Two helicopters were lost and members of its crews were killed or captured. A Forward Air Observer aircraft was shot down and USAF 1Lt Bruce Walker and USMC 1Lt Larry Potts parachuted to the ground safely, eluding capture. In an ensuing attack, six more Americans lost their lives attempting to rescue him. The North Vietnamese, alerted by the intense efforts to find the flyer, increased their efforts to find Hambleton. Walker was discovered and killed by the Vietnamese forces. Hambleton was finally rescued in a land operation by U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. j.g Thomas R. Norris and VNN Petty Officer Third Class Nguyen Van Kiet during a night-time, covert operation from more than 2 miles (3.2 km) behind enemy lines.

Accurate account of the rescue. I spoke with Lt Col Hamilton before this movie was made and it is accurate to what he told me. And this was before he wrote the story and a movie was even considered!