Red Dawn and the Power of Propaganda - Renegade Cut

[@charlesburns5873]

Fun fact: The Soviet t-72 replica used in the movie looked so real that the cia asked where they got it from!

[@soldiersandstuff9607]

It was more like they were going back to the Studio and some CIA guys pulled them over and they were like “Where did you get this Soviet equipment?”

[@askewcat3209]

thats never been proven by anyone its just a myth

[@TheDoorspook11c]

@@askewcat3209 what isnt a myth is Robert K Brown and John Milius are both associated with the CIA.

[@FULANODETAL]

@@volk5373 well CIA agents sometimes are not so clever as in movies,,they are still HUMANS,...

[@travis2726]

Fun fact the dshk in the movie are just re-skinned (for lack of better word) m60s!

[@Verdugo777]

I always loved the part in the movie where the crack Elite Russian Paratroopers wasted their very finite amount of supplies and ammunition blowing up a highschool.

[@Sashko_Dee]

They were so elite that they knew about the Wolverines and wanted them taken out ASAP. I mean these kids completely outclass all the adult civilians with guns AND the US military.

[@paulbabcock2428]

Pitch Meeting "So the Movie can happen"

[@Waterford1992]

Russian paratroopers who speak Spanish.... ok then

[@halbaloney4593]

@@Waterford1992 Cubans

[@MaidenUtah1]

Calumet High School was a CIA front, hence its legitimacy as a strategic target.

[@RaSunTheThird]

I think in one way its about how U.S.A despratly wants to be the underdog. So on this and even star wars they always want to view themselves as the rebels they want to be viet cong becuse its not cool to be the invader.

[@gryffin638]

We haven’t been the underdog since 1776 lol. Other exception is maybe the confederacy, but they deserved to be put down so I really don’t care. I wouldn’t say that we’re the Empire, but we are the Republic. Corrupt, bureaucratic, corporatist, and quite willing to quash the sovereignty of others and even commit war crimes for some credits.

[@SeinenNinja]

@@gryffin638 I would say the last time we were the "underdog" was the war of 1812, but I digress. But it s intentional that the US does protray themselves as that, as it is a smokescreen for the fact that they are the last superpower with enough force to take over.

[@Eleolius]

@@SeinenNinja And yet... we seem to be taking over literally nowhere. Its almost like we never wanted to in the first place.

[@davidegaruti2582]

@@gryffin638 underdog in 1776 ? they had a huge numerical advantage and they were fighting in their homeland , sure the lack of training would be a disadvantage but it's not as hard a disadvantage as many other historical underdog had : scottish fought the english before the american indipendence : they had swords and shields were greatly outnumbered and they had few guns , compared to the english wich used the new model army , they won many battles before the british changed tactics and won . finnish against soviets , vietcong vs USA , evryone in afghanistan , greeks vs persian ...

[@davidegaruti2582]

@@Eleolius yes sure not in territory but but in culturally on the other hand ...

[@FreemanicParacusia]

Learned about a Turkish film series called "Valley of the Wolves." In "Valley of the Wolves: Iraq," the (Turkish) protagonists hunt down an American commander in Iraq who commits a series of war crimes against Iraqi civilians and even executes his own men. I was surprised to learn we were so vilified, until I started to think of how many "American Sniper" and "True Lies" type films I'd watched over my lifetime in which people from the Middle East are stripped down to evil caricatures (as in the latter) or reduced to completely voiceless thugs (as in the former). So much easier to recognize it when someone else does it...

[@lexort4204]

Valley of the wolves sounds like an interesting film given its what we do flipped on its head.

[@kaczynskis5721]

And yet Turkey is a NATO member. A lot of Turkish TV productions have very simplistic values and propagandist intent. Films set during the Cyprus conflict depicted Turks and Turkish Cypriots as noble heroes and Greek Cypriots as moustache-twirling villains.

[@killian9314]

but american sniper is anti war

[@CDexie]

@@kaczynskis5721 Well, the Greek military Junta at the time did attempt a coup and an annexation of Cyprus, but I doubt the film is critical of fascism.

[@benjaminslayton4335]

We've committed our share of atrocities, but Turkey is very low on the list of countries that have any moral high-ground from which to point fingers at us.

[@Collateral0]

In war both sides sees themselves as the hero.

[@DoomMomDot]

this movie was made in response to the movie "the day after" which showed the effects of a nuclear attack, and this movie was expressly made to appeal to those who saw that movie as anti-war propaganda.

[@ulture]

speaking as a Posadist, 'The Day After' is reactionary propaganda ;)

[@user-vp9lc9up6v]

@@ulture lmao

[@TurBoChaRgeD011]

the day after isn't even that bad of a post-nuclear society. if you want something that's *really* anti-war and anti-nuke, try Threads.

[@Killgore-ip2yq]

I know it's to late to say this but it was actually Amerika that was made in response to Day after. Red dawn has absolutely nothing to do with that film.

[@ObssesedNuker]

You didn't mention one piece: how the Communists are portrayed as evil and powerful enough to invade the US, but largely too incompetent to track down and destroy a pack of teenagers that start out with no military background and only a bare modicum of survival skills. This fits with propagandistic pieces where the enemy is all powerful unless the people stand up to them at which point they become incompetent and inpotent. It's worth comparing the reality of insurgent warfare with how it plays out in it's romanticized format in Red Dawn. In reality, such irregular forces tend to suffer horrible attrition relative to conventional forces and this attrition is at it's worse during the initial phases when the insurgents are still learning the ropes. Taking exchange ratios in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, which the film in some ways tries to emulate, the entirety of the Wolverines should have been wiped out after killing those first three Soviet soldiers. This is the prime reason that insurgents needs a constant supply of fresh recruits constantly volunteering, if not being forcibly conscripted, from the local populace. But it isn't until very late of the film that the Wolverine's suffer serious losses at the hands of what are supposed to be much better equipped and trained Soviet/Soviet-aligned forces and only after killing hundreds of them. And fresh recruits to the Wolverines are usually treated as extraordinary exceptions instead of the rule. Nor would the aforementioned attrition come from enemy action. Just learning to survive in the wilderness and how to fight as insurgents would probably have killed the majority of the original Wolverines even before the Russians have their say. Explosives making is the most obvious example: for every Iraqi insurgent bombmaker who manages to master his craft, another five die from mistakes made learning how to make explosives.

[@rawrvintageisclassic]

"And we would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling Capitalistic kids!" lol

[@gateauxq4604]

‘Stormtrooper syndrome’

[@GAndreC]

Yep reminds me of karate kid where you had people who had dedicated years to something yet somehow got beat by someone who just dedicated a summer to the art

[@ShifTactical]

*Ehem* battle of grozny

[@silentwitness536]

My understanding is that the wolverines are far behind enemy lines and as such, its easier to survive as opposed to being actually where all the fighting is actually happening - on the frontlines; a place where most soldiers from either side would be. The wolverines were thus only up against young inexperienced troops themselves. The Russians would have put their best troops on the front lines, and their greenest troops, and those recovering from front line injuries etc, simply doing civilian crowd control. My understanding from the movie is that its these troops that the wolverines were up against, not hardened well supplied troops (which they do at the end, which brings about their undoing).

[@OrganizedChaos14]

Holy crap. Do you realize Conan the Barbarian was written by John Milus and Oliver Stone? That's quite a mixture of politics lol

[@stephenmarco2927]

How the hell did they stay in the same room together without killing each other?

[@euansmith3699]

That is the Riddle of Steel.

[@carloszelaya3758]

@@stephenmarco2927 Milius was beloved by many left leaning Hollywood types. He was one of Spielberg's best friends.( then again Spielberg's co producer on Schindler's List now produces Dinesh' D' Souza's ultra right wing psudo documentaries) Milius Wrote most of the Screenplay for Apocalypse Now, which I would hardly call right wing. Weird, messed up, fascinating guy. There is a great documentary called " Millius" on Netflix you should watch. Also I LOVE "Red Dawn" despite the fact that I am a liberal democrat and have ALWAYS BEEN CRYSTAL clear that this movie is right wing propaganda that plays like Reagan's wet dreams. And I think Reagan was a war criminal.

[@agentxiiihh7227]

Olivier stone would of killed him, he served in Vietnam. John Milus is your typical cultist of patriotism.

[@Konform2zoidberg]

Stone was an actual veteran, and milieus always had weird respect for redbox/authoritarian left

[@olivercuenca4109]

He was difficult to work with- “ah come on how bad can it be, just shouting at people or something” - and known to point guns at people - “holy shit, that’s mad!”

[@caesarplaysgames]

Whenever I watched this movie as a kid, I never got the impression that the execution of Daryl was being portrayed as a good thing. I always felt as if it was the beginning of the end for the Wolverines, and that the viewer was supposed to be shocked that they had gone so far as to kill their friend. The fact that Jed isn’t the one who shoots Daryl, and that the kid who does was the one that was portrayed throughout the movie as a morally dubious and exceptionally brutal and cruel person further signified to me that the execution wasn’t a good thing. Maybe this is just my personal read on the scene, but I can’t help but feel that’s also how it was intended by the filmmakers. Other than that I do agree with a lot of your other points though.

[@kenpower2304]

BTW The National Review has always hated Ayn Rand. Look carefully at magazine cover shown at 6:54. They hate her because of her atheism.

[@georgekerscher5355]

Seems about right. Although, it did appear from that National Review cover of Ayn Rand that the NR seem to agree with her politics/philosophy given that it says "A Greatness Stunted by Hate" and that the subject of that sentence is presumably Ayn Rand herself

[@gabrieltallent8080]

"BAd subreddit posts", not sure against who, but shots have been fired.

[@Jayk129]

Fun Fact: Harry Anderson Middle School in Omaha Ne are the Anderson M.S. Wolverines. And yes it is because of this movie. The first class of 8th graders attending the school were allowed to vote on the mascot that was used and they picked this. How many impressionable young kids in the 35 years since the school opened in 1986 have absorbed this movies message once they learn where their school mascot comes from.

[@umusuuk]

Cool to hear the old theme tune in there again. One aspect that could have been mentioned, is that there is a subtext in the movie, that is not that it's satirizing right wing views, but rather, that the Soviets represent the federal government, and the people of the town represent American gun owners. I read in an article somewhere that Milius said that much himself, but can't really find it right now (google search is mudied by results about the remake). Another quirk, of course, is that a major inspiration for the Wolverines was the Taliban, which obviously didn't age well.

[@leonardorossi998]

I don't know: the Taliban are still there after all. And I'm not sure there isn't someone who wish he could kill people who don't think like him as well as them.

[@spamfilter32]

Well, to be fair to Milius about modeling the Wolverines on the Taliban, at the time, they were our allies; we were training and supplying the Taliban, the Mujaheddin and even bin Laden and his Al Qaeda.

[@terryshakespeare4915]

I fucking love red dawn WOLVERINES !

[@pyromaticidiot9785]

I am an anarchist but this is one of my favorite movies from my childhood and is one of my guilty pleasures😭

[@pbfloyd13]

NGL since the invasion the idea of fighting Russians has kinda become a guilty pleasure.

[@homefront1999]

I still find it somewhat funny that the Soviet Union would be able to land in America and even funnier that they'd make much progress. Like how did they get past the Allied fleet? I don't believe that the Soviet Union has ever had a fleet that can stand up to America let alone it's allied also. Edit: The funniest part of all would be that a bunch of random Carriabian countries formed together and took out Mexico and was able to also invade America. America would most defiantly not be ok with a hostile regime building up in the south and would strike them before they gain power.

[@kayzeaza]

I like the movie. I’m a liberal I really didn’t see it as right wing propaganda. More like an alternative history idea. The Cold War had one foot in the coffin by the time this movie came out

[@Ulfstigandr]

Alternate history much like mad max 2.

[@AlexSaysHi2013]

Wasn't one of the main goals of the film to breed sympathy for the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan?

[@Joe-vo2wk]

Red Dawn is an outstanding movie and no one can change my mind

[@reductorsonico]

"no one can change my mind" that is how propaganda works :)

[@Joe-vo2wk]

@@reductorsonico couldn't propaganda from the other side change the mind of someone who fell for propaganda?

[@user-vp9lc9up6v]

@@Joe-vo2wk i mean idk I sqw this movie when I was little and it kinda hit me the wrong way its a cool action movie but I just saw it as that and when I got older and kinda read between the lines I realized oh yeah this feels like propoganda the whole shooting up the school in the beginning never made sense to me as kid too and even then I knew it was trying to put the invading military in a bad light nevertheless you can say the same about almost evry war movie but it felt that this movie kind of went out of the way to make them seem like monsters

[@ObviusRetard]

@@Joe-vo2wk Propaganda generally banks on pre existing biases and moves the viewer further in one direction, It's generally designed for people that have little opinion on a subject or are already in favour of it, rather than for those that are opposed to the ideas.

[@topdollarblackpillgangster4908]

Favorite words of every idiot.

[@thumblesteen7696]

Professor Michael Parenti did a great historical analysis of this and many other US propaganda films called ''Rambo and the Swarthy Hordes''. He's got a great sense of humour, he's informative, and is probably the most well informed expert on Eastern Bloc history in English speaking academia. If you search the title within the quotation marks you'll find it on youtube. I feel like it compliments this video real well.

[@TheMeatwade]

I will have to say it isn't very wise to tell the viewer they should hate a movie. Because you say they should. The viewer should determine this on their own.

[@renegadecut9875]

Then it's a good thing I didn't say that at all.

[@wolftone6]

Rocky 4, Rambo 3 and Red Dawn, are obvious propaganda films.they are so over the top they are entertaining. Top Gun is a very subtle propaganda movie, I think is far more dangerous than the likes of Red Dawn

[@araisannanoda3688]

Top Gun basically is an Air Force recruitment film

[@331Grabber]

@@araisannanoda3688 Navy but I get your point.

[@w.b.5369]

So I'm confused by the sentence, "The Soviet Union is portrayed in almost Orwellian terms". I mean yeah, that would be appropriate, wouldn't it?

[@w.b.5369]

Renegade Cut lol good video, keep it up

[@lukabajic9729]

Actually not. It was in no way worse than USA

[@communismyes5607]

@Feli Aslan You loose all credibility when you claim Stalin was antisemitic. He literally made antisemitism sometimes punishable by death.

[@AidanMclaren]

@@communismyes5607 Makes sense, considering he was a Freemason/Illuminatus.

[@endlessnoise9173]

Rocky IV is another example of propaganda from that era.

[@NathanGatten]

Not really, since it ends with a "why can't we be friends?" Message. Actual propaganda wouldn't even dare open the idea that russians and Americans could be friends.

[@zynikercommi9467]

Rocky 4 was a good movie, and it was enjoyed in post-USSR and it quite well known. Red Dawn - was not even known in post-USSR, even after reassessment of soviet legacy when all criticism was allowed for a short period of 8 years or so and became mainstream in Russia (not to mention other republics). The reason is - it's just boring. Another offensive example was Rambo 3 - but again, it was well known, because it was interesting to watch. And oh boi, now it's so funny to rewatch Rambo 3 with all this current political context.

[@spamfilter32]

@@zynikercommi9467 The first Rambo was a great movie (never saw the others, but they seemed to be mostly derivative drivel based on the promotional materials). First Blood (as it's proper name is) dealt with themes such as PTSD, soldiers abandoned by their government after service, corrupt police, treatment of the homeless, etc.

[@Branflakes143]

I'm as left as it gets, but is it really wrong to enjoy Red Dawn for what it is on the surface? It's a good war movie, with really good practical effects, and a pretty good storyline. It's still one of my favorite movies of all time, and I'm not entirely sure I agree with the video completely. The "bad guys" are portrayed pretty fairly if you watch it more. Colonel Bella truly believes in the cause of Communism, yet doesn't agree with the harsh methods of his side. The Spetsnaz colonel near the end isn't even really a bad dude, he realizes that reprisals against civilians doesn't work, and stops his troops from killing civilians from that point out, and plenty of the Soviet soldiers seem to be just normal people thrust into a global war that they didn't want.

[@Redem10]

Considering Walter Sobchak is based on John Milius, I'd say change the dialogue wth lines from the great lebowski

[@richardlahan7068]

I saw this in the summer of 1984 with my dad.

[@NA-AN]

Heh

[@andyhoov]

Even knowing all this, I can't help but enjoy the film almost as a strange artifact from another world. It's somewhat like the enjoyment I get from the recent deluge of Christian propoganda films. However, Red Dawn is actually infinitely more well made than those pieces of trash.

[@AnandVenigalla]

andyhoov and it’s made by a real filmmaker who’s had a hand in some really acclaimed work like Dirty Harry and Apocalypse Now and Conan the Barbarian

[@ReaverLordTonus]

To be honest, the film abandons any hope of being taken seriously when they mention the Soviet Union was experiencing Famine and yet somehow they are able to raise and feed an army large enough to mount a land invasion of America's heartland with allies who are also not in the best of shape in terms of resources. You would essentially have the bulk of the soviet army stranded in enemy territory since likely half of Russia would have been nuked to kingdom come so the troops in America would have no means of supply, no government to receive orders from, and no homes or families to return to. The entire film presents a scenario so unrealistic, it is only overshadowed by the remake of the movie set in modern times and featuring North Korea as the villain. Alternate history scenarios depicting america falling to another world power at least has some rational explanation for it, Perhaps America should have been the one going through famine and economic hardship, resulting in a cutback on military spending and allowing the Soviets a free hand in Europe, this would lead to unchecked communist revolutions in the world and forcing the major democratic powers to stand down to preserve global trade and avoid war, leaving America the stubborn hold out. You could also have a growing movement within the United states, driven by a starved and impoverished portion of the population, meaning that the enemy the Wolverines would be facing would not only be Soviet and Latin American, but other Americans as well would favor the communist takeover and so insiders could have facilitated the invasion and large groups of Americans cooperating and even openly supporting them. This scenario would have been a little more believable and the film would have represented a true underdog story and could have even inspired sequels as the wolverines would have been the spark to ignite a counter revolution that would eventually lead to reclaiming the US as a democracy, giving a moment of pause to the rest of the world who have been on the sidelines.

[@caetanosilveira153]

I see it as the sequel to "If the Footmen Tire You..." The strange fixation on a hypothetical invasion of Cuba into the US is particularly fascinating in both examples, especially the idea of Cuban death squads roaming the country to slaughter the good Americans seemingly only to anger the population. Red Dawn adds the great plot idea that Highschool students in a small town in the center of the country completely destroy the invading Cuban/Soviet forces, as well as make the Cuban military abandon Communism through the display of their patriotism.

[@Youngblood457]

When someone says intellectuals can’t be strong-willed. The first thing that pubs in my head is then what is Teddy Roosevelt then?

[@charlescopeland3954]

I loved this film as a kid and it's still a guilty pleasure, but it really does have a lot of gall. The general theme of youths in resistance is compelling to me, but pitting middle American youths against Soviets and their Latin American allies in the 1980s is a slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of people in South and Central America who got to experience the real version of the first 15 minutes of this film- courtesy of US policy, tax dollars, equipment and training. I think they *should* do a remake of this film, this time placed in actual events. Set it in any given country the US government has interfered in in the last seventy years, you'll have an enormous series of locales to film in.

[@nottodaywillj2723]

Not a remake, but set in latin america; Innocent Voices - 2004, very good as it depicts the El Salvadorian war in the eyes of a child, he had two choices be drafted by the junta, or join the weaker communist guerrillas, he witnesses what war does to a man, and how explicit the summary executions were. It is also based off true events, or is a true story. What makes it all closer to the suggestion you made was that of Youths in war, one of this films biggest things is anti-child soldier use.

[@kennethd.9436]

Glad you’re examining the messages of propaganda in this film. Flipping the narrative is what needs to be seen when one country invades another. If we as a country would not tolerate an occupation, why should other countries permit one? That 70s show has the perfect quote: “The three branches of the government are Military, Corporate, and Hollywood.” -Hyde

[@TheRazmereShow]

.... Can I still enjoy Conan the Barbarian?

[@DNS9859]

NO CROM FOR YOU!

[@Demonjazz420]

Come now. Conan the Barbarian is a bloody masterpiece.

[@professorlaserfist8590]

As long as you have the discipline of steel.

[@patrickmann3123]

No but Mad Max is still ok.

[@minyassaion2124]

No movie have politic and politic baaaaaad

[@chiptankgirl]

I learned that in Russia there is a brand of toiletries named red dawn. They used to be Красная Заря but they changed it to French to look more fancy. Aube Rouge

[@joaquincobas2223]

Naming a toilet "Red Dawn" feels like a bad omen

[@deathlarsen7502]

Red Dawn is an awesome movie

[@earthspace8666]

No, the writing is just bad.

[@gewhiz1494]

Interesting parts of the movie for me, besides the trauma the teens experience is the more humanizing parts - like when we follow the Cuban officer and his hatred of the war, the scene where they are betrayed by one of their own and have to determine without any external guidance how to deal with the traitor, and even smaller moments like the scene where the bumper sticker says, “you can have my gun when you tear it from my cold dead hand,” only to see an invader pry a hand gun from the grip of a corpse. The movie is haunting on a level that seems almost anti-war. No e of the action scenes are heroic, it’s desperate firing from cover and ambushes. As well as dealing with issues in the harshest, realist light. I honestly think they film wants it both ways (these are are heroes/war is hell) and does so amazingly well.

[@danproposkanovovski]

When I watched Red Dawn, one thing that stuck with me is that the American insurgents use Vietnamese-style trap doors (something you showcase at 13:40). It's fascinating how the whole movie is a complete reversal of historical facts to the point of not only casting the US as the invaded country but also appropriating fighting techniques that were used against it.

[@darkhero352]

I'd still consider it enjoyable 80's cheese. I get if you don't enjoy the more exploitation style films but i think there is still fun to have with movies like this around the right friends.

[@jamielewis3833]

One possible way to explain how the teenagers were able to defeat the Russians so easily is that the many of the Russian soldiers were conscripts who were poorly trained. They could have been hurried through basic training because they needed all the troops they could get for the invasion of America. Didn't we do that in Vietnam?

[@jcampbell003]

Red Dawn is one of the greatest movies of all time.

[@renegadecut9875]

lol

[@dharma_star]

"Audience manipulation" .....That pretty much sums up the entertainment,corporate,and political businesses right there. Some might include religion in this,but I'm not in the mood to go there:)

[@claudettes9697]

I’m still spooked by helicopters because of this movie.

[@schmelzwah]

honestly I enjoyed Red Dawn as a typical big dumb action movie, but it was still dumb. I watched it got a good chuckle out of how ridiculous it was and how bad the acting was and moved on.

[@HeavyJ713]

schmelzwah I like this movie because it holds good memories for me like Roger rabbit warriors ghostbusters Bloodsport to me it's just an 80's action flick no more no less

[@Sashko_Dee]

At least the original Red Dawn was ideologically driven. The clown factory that made the remake changed the aggressors from Chinese to the DPRK so they could sell the movie in China. The funny part is even with the changes it still never made it over there.

[@ShadowSonic2]

Apparently, originally it was going to be about some Arab Terrorists who somehow managed to take over their town...even they realized that was too ridiculous.

[@Archeopteryxman421]

Fun fact: this was meant to be an parallel with the then current Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Make of that what you will.

[@lukabajic9729]

I dont see how. Soviet Union was invited by Afghanistan's democratically elected government against islamist terrorists funded by USA

[@ShoreshFathi]

Shit remember the Monarchy in Afghanistan approved of the parlament, the Communist won and then America got coup happy as always and the Afghanis asked for Soviet aid but due to Gorbashit being shit as always... it was to nothing and the right wing fascist Al Qaida won with Americas big cock preparing to enter its hole and fuck the Afghan population with Capitalism

[@AnthonyRobinson-rc9yd]

This is still a really great movie and very entertaining.

[@Eatmyyshorts]

Has anyone seen the beast the tank movie made by us about a Russian tank crew in Afghanistan

[@paulkerr5082]

I have, very good film.

[@ZImpresive]

Wait wait! Then Red Dawn wasn't an ironic film????

[@steelmagnum]

What are your feelings towards video games of a similar nature such as Freedom Fighters, or the Homefront series?

[@renegadecut9875]

Never played any of them.

[@seoulkidd1]

In 1987 there was a mini series by ABC called AMERIKA about a successful invasion of USA.

[@vstrxl]

the deadmau5 in this video caught me off guard. good selection of score, and good message.

[@Model_BT-7274]

They just made the soviets behave like the US military lmao

[@Wolfen443]

Is a 1980's film, there are so many things in it that are not real. But, you know the romanticism of wart or resisting an invader is hard to resist.

[@TheGamedragon96]

But what if I just want to see some Reds get blown away?

[@TheGamedragon96]

That's an egg on my face.

[@leonardorossi998]

@Itflak. To be fair, Americans did that too. Avatar, Predator, Aliens and so on.

[@NathanGatten]

Well I'm canadian so I think it's cool to see americans and russians get blown away in movies. Suckers!

[@leonardorossi998]

Oh, and if you are content with just seeing Russians and Americans get blown, there's also pornhub :P

[@iesuhernandez3780]

ltflak he never said "russians" he said "reds". Just like how people hate "nazis" not "germans".

[@strikesaber]

This movie is awesome. Especially compared to the last remake which is crap.

[@anthonyhenriques7654]

neither rendition is all that great. enjoy it all you want but the first film is peak 1980's mediocrity

[@andywellsglobaldomination]

You remind me of the guy who loved STAR WARS because he saw it as a kid but hated THE PHANTOM MENACE because he saw it an as adult. I saw both as an adult, and STAR WARS isn't the least bit better than THE PHANTOM MENACE, which had far superior graphics in its cinematic run.

[@andywellsglobaldomination]

A NEW HOPE is a retconned version of STAR WARS, which had crap SFX and was being edited even as it was being exhibited, with new prints replacing the older ones during the run. And Lucas spent a good 20 years revising STAR WARS into A NEW HOPE.

[@1SaG]

"even by Swayzean standards" ... nice one! :D And yes: It is important to detach yourself from a movie such as Red Dawn and remember that you're not watching real people but the filmmakers' "agenda" on screen. In the case of Milius, the nature of that agenda should be clear to anyone who is even slightly familiar with the man and his track-record.

[@takayasu2009]

A year or two years later, a TV mini-series called ‘Amerika’ starring Kris Kristofferson is made. It takes place in the US under the Soviet occupation. Never seen it but I believe it’s anti-Soviet propaganda.

[@mortimerBerlin]

In this context, I would love to hear your take on "american sniper", Leon. As a non-american, I found it unbearable to watch. Apparently it was a big hit in the US...

[@Advent3546]

Martin Bohm Propaganda is a powerful tool

[@BrickersInArms]

Martin Bohm when I first watched American Sniper I was quite shocked at how it seemed to adopt such an overt neo-Conservative view of the Iraq War and would agree that a surface reading of the film certainly seems to purport as such. I do however strongly recommend you watch a video essay on KZbin called 'American Sniper: Anti-War Misinterpreted' as it completely changed my view of the film and made me appreciate the underlying sentiment of the film.

[@leonardorossi998]

Well, Clint Eastwood can be an extremely subtle and graceful directur. Which makes it even more apalling that he would endorse Trump. I mean, I didn't expect him to endorse Hillary or anything, but if there is one person that is the antithesis of grace and subtlety that is him.

[@mikeyoung6347]

I was in high school when this movie came out. Its an awesome classic! Its the remake that was terrible.

[@cst.9552]

Would really enjoy your view on the newer Red Dawn.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The Russia-language sign at 1:26 is wrongly spelled - perhaps deliberately, perhaps just through ignorance.

[@realworldhistory266]

I remember whenever both movies were free on KZbin

[@josephott7357]

10:45 Just curious, what's that flag on the windshield there?

[@danthelowblood2653]

This movie was my shit might watch again

[@krashkow]

Fingers crossed that this comment section stays civil. Now for my own bit: This video pretty much sums up my own feelings towards Red Dawn. I've always found it to be a manipulative, far-right fantasy and have never understood people's affection for the film, regardless of their politics. It's artless and obvious, without any moral complexity or broader comment beyond "reds are bad." There are deft ways to weave politics (right, left, or center) into a film, but Red Dawn isn't deft in the least.

[@troyschulz2318]

My feelings are maybe a bit more mixed. It's propaganda, sure, but I don't think it's completely without merit. Technically it's competent enough, and while the script and direction is certainly drenched in John Milius usual right-wing wingnuttery and jingoism, I think it still has enough of his characteristic moodiness to give it some modicum of depth.

[@Inspiration_Date]

0:35 - Now there's some music that takes me back...

[@ulture]

can anyone tell me what the song is that's playing at 8:44? it's familiar but I just can't quite place it. thanks

[@ZanneReid27]

I totally get what you’re saying with this film. I didn’t watch this film until I was an adult but heard a lot about growing up and when I finally watched it, didn’t get why people thought so fondly of it. I definitely picked up on some of the more conservative undertones of the film which didn’t help endear me to it. I just felt like the whole thing fell flat me like the characters were all very robotic.

[@Gomez1915]

The worse Cold War era American propaganda film is Rocky IV. That movie is ridiculous

[@robertpolanco1973]

@Gomez1915 - I AGREE with you. "Rocky IV" was indeed a propaganda film of the Cold War-era. The same goes for "Rambo: First Blood, Part II" and "Rambo III" as well.

[@saidtoshimaru1832]

A great video! I know there will be comments calling you out for being "liberal", but the video is not about right wing ideals, it's about the manipulative, mostly perverse, mechanisms of this kind of propaganda.

[@Lorensic-Files]

I remember seeing this movie when I was 18 and thinking that the US has a huge military, why was the only response to a Soviet invasion one helicopter, one F15 Eagle airplane and a couple of tanks? The whole war was won by a group of high school students? Still we all fell into shouting Woverines! and Avenge ME! when playing paintball. I get that it was a hokey pretend movie with a bunch of propaganda in it on both sides, the wolverines and the Soviet and Cuban advisors guys and trying to make the parallels of Vietnam and what the US would do if we got invaded.

[@jacktwan]

So now I can't wait to hear what you have to say about Forrest Gump!

[@jacktwan]

Indeed! Do you think it's a more subversive piece of propaganda (more so than Red Dawn), or is it a misguided attempt to sanitize a mean spirited book?

[@jacktwan]

Right on. For the record I was deeply disturbed by the ramifications of Gump ever since the first time I saw it on opening day. Kind of like being a Rush fan, I had to hide my disdain for the film for years due to too many people viciously disagreeing with me....I believe it is a very dangerous film.....ANYWAY, I look forward to your take down when you get around to it!

[@macgeek2004]

OK, so I’ve not seen Forrest Gump in YEARS, but...wait, it was propaganda? How? I just thought it was a story about a stupid man bumbling his way thru the latter half of 20th Century American history? Serving in Vietnam, inadvertently kicking off Watergate, etc., etc. Was it propaganda in support of finding a cure for AIDS or against drug use (because Jenny)? I’m confused...

[@jaimedeleon1194]

I idolized Milius for his art and I thank you for humanizing him for me. Some decent storytellers can also be hostile jerks.

[@andywellsglobaldomination]

I don't care about my surgeon's politics, only that their hands are steady!

[@ShirDeutch]

I've never seen this movie. Curious thing about Operation Red Dawn: the first mission on RTS game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is called Operation: Red Dawn. If you're not familiar with it, the premise of the game is that the Soviet Union... invades the United States. Hmmm...

[@dominiccasts]

In fairness, Red Alert already established the alternate world with a stronger USSR as well as a NATO replacement fairly plausibly, seeing as it's an alternate WWII. Invading the US is still pretty difficult and impractical, but at least the setup is there. That being said, the game is decades old, so I'd have to actually see it to be sure. Given the politics of C&C Generals and that RA2 and Generals were made by the same studio, it wouldn't surprise me if the Red Dawn reference was unironic.

[@troyschulz2318]

This outta be an interesting comments' section.

[@vernonpuglisi4795]

Yesterday was homecoming, I went to the parade, the game , walking home , a police car and state trooper scream through town. I said isn't this how "Red Dawn started ????

[@rey5118]

I have difficulty understanding the mindset of people who are pro-war but never served in the military. It seems to make them feel tough even though they have nothing to do with the conflict. It’s like the Pokémon trainers who send their creatures into battle and then take all the credit.

[@WTFisTingispingis]

AVENGE MEEEEEEEEE

[@christophertaylor1153]

At the time the movie was made, if I am correct, the President of the United States at that time was a former actor.

[@gregyoung9980]

Did anybody else notice the Deadmau5 music in the background?

[@neilgin1]

all enemies, foreign and domestic

[@robinmakesthings]

Ironically, got a Marines propaganda ad before this video 🙃

[@JustinLott1980]

What music did you use for this? Thanks.

[@MrCondor26]

Would love to see you do a vid essay on John Milius.

[@albedoshader]

It is kind of ironic that this propaganda movie starts with “NATO dissolves-United States stands alone”, as a negative comment on how dangerous these Greens in Germany are (they are to blame for the dissolution in the movie universe, after all), and nowadays we have Trump, who is the epitome of a right wing sociopath, doing the very thing that the movie basically blamed on “them hippies”.

[@kaczynskis5721]

It's very much early 1980s preoccupations - Red Dawn is very much of its time. Ironically it was the Warsaw Pact that dissolved - NATO is still there, admittedly with some stresses and strains.

[@karnmagic4875]

Is it just me or does Renegade Cut sound a lot quieter now, like “ASMRenegade Cut?”

[@renegadecut9875]

I sure wish people would stop referring to me as if my name is the name of the show. I also sure wish people would stop referring to me in the third person in my own comments section.

[@karnmagic4875]

Renegade Cut Sorry. My bad.

[@daviddiaz529]

Naming an operation or callsigns after a film, film characters or a sport is common. It's done so that people, tactics, objectives are standardized and are easy to remember.

[@aidani4633]

I still think its a great movie.

[@troyschulz2318]

Is it possible to enjoy this movie while also acknowledging that it's also jingoistic right-wing propaganda? Maybe I just have a soft spot for John Milius as a filmmaker. I'm a left-leaning libertarian, by the way.

[@benvigus8705]

It's strange looking back at right-wing "entertainment" and realizing just how much it corresponds with the people who threaten others based on things such as "weakness", different colored skin, and national origins.

[@whyloechoedome8122]

Song is Strobe by deadmau5 great inclusion btw

[@krisg4815162342]

Wolverines!

[@HistoryMonarch1999]

I know this is a old video so no one will see this but I just rewatched the 2 versions of red dawn and it always rubbed me the wrong way, I couldn’t put my finger on it until now with this video. And another explaining the original idea for red dawn 2012 I mention this cause for a few years I had a scene written out with a story that kept changing narrative wise, but after watching the movies and video essays I decided to try using the red dawn concept to make an anti war story to criticize nations like the US or Russia who intervene to make sure their policies are the ones that rules. Like a reverse red dawn with a US invasion. It needs ironing out and I just wanna say great work on the video for helping inspire me.

[@macnsqueeze2737]

Great video! I do think, however, you missed the point of the execution scene. I don't think that Patrick Swayze was supposed to be sympathetic.

[@michaelbalfour3170]

I'm not going to lie, I love the film for fun action and ott nationalistic plot even though I am a left leaning Scotsman XD

[@albion65]

You left out Milius' best film THE WIND AND THE LION.

[@HombreDeCalifornia]

For some reason this one never came to my country (in South America). And it's got nothing to do with the propagandistic thing of it, cause we got some of those too. Up until recently (a video of Alternative History Hub) I had never heard of it.

[@christophera556]

I definitely agree with what the commentator in this video says about the movie Red Dawn being a right wing propaganda movie.