Bat*21 (1988)

Director:

Peter Markle

Writers (WGA):

William C. Anderson (book)
William C. Anderson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him.

Plot:

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Vietnam | Punctuation In Title | Asterisk In Title | Digit In Title

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton
Danny Glover	...	Capt. Bartholomew Clark
Jerry Reed	...	Col. George Walker
David Marshall Grant	...	Ross Carver
Clayton Rohner	...	Sgt. Harley Rumbaugh
Erich Anderson	...	Maj. Jake Scott
Joe Dorsey	...	Col. Douglass
Reverend Michael Ng	...	Vietnamese Man (as Rev. Michael Ng)
Theodore Chan Woei-Shyong	...	Boy on Bridge
Don Ruffin	...	Helicopter Crew
Scott Howell	...	Helicopter Crew
Michael Raden	...	Helicopter Crew
Timothy Fitzgerald	...	EB-66 Officer
Stuart B. Hagen	...	EB-66 Officer
Jeffrey Baxter	...	Helicopter Gunner (as Jeff Baxter)

Also Known As:

Bat 21 (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Company:

Bat 21 Limited L.P.

Trivia:

As a U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, "Gene" Hambleton commanded the 57first Missile Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base from 1965 to 1971. He is better known as by his tactical radio call-sign, "Bat 21", he used in Vietnam when he was shot down in 1972 while jamming enemy radar, and parachuted behind enemy lines. When on the ground Col Hambleton found himself in the midst of an invasion force of over 30,000 North Vietnamese troops. While evading capture for eleven days he used his survival radio to call in air strikes against the invasion force. Rescue crews gave him coded instructions for where to go to be rescued based on golf course that he had played at different air force bases. Hambleton's harrowing ordeal was recounted in the book Bat 21 (1980), which was made into a movie of the same name in 1988. He died from cancer on September 19 2004 at age 85.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the movie, the aircraft flown by "Bird Dog" was not actually a Cessna O-2 observation aircraft, but was a civilian Cessna 337 Skymaster, painted gray. An O-2 would have multiple windows in the doors and floor to allow visibility of the ground.

Quotes:

Col. George Walker: You know anything about golf, Clark?
Capt. Bartholomew Clark: No, sir. Golf wasn't big in my neighborhood.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

Outstanding Film with Glover & Hackman

Missed this 1988 film and just recently viewed this outstanding film concerning the Vietnam War. Danny Glover,(Capt. Bartholomew Clark),"Missing in America",'05, who has a flying mission concerning the whereabouts of Gene Hackman,(Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton),"Class Action",'91, who experiences many difficulties and finds out the real truth about what WAR IS ALL ABOUT. They even map out a plan to use a golf course in order to accomplish their mission. There is plenty of action to keep you on the edge of your seats. Whenever Gene Hackman or Danny Glover appear in a film, you know it will be well worth your time. ENJOY