"BAT*21" is above all an exceptionally well made and very worthwhile film based upon a remarkable true story. The action sequences have been brought to the screen with the deliberate intention of not glamourising the necessary depiction of violence (to do otherwise would have been a lethal miscalculation). This film is also able to depict Hambleton's rescue as being a far from easy proposition and you constantly find yourself wondering if the mission will have a successful resolution at all, especially in light of the fact Hambleton is about to find himself caught in an area which is going to be blanket bombed by the Strategic Air Command.
Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route.
Quick Stats
6.3
TMDB Rating
222
Votes
1h 45m
Runtime
—
Budget
$4.0M
Box Office
—
Return
Key Crew
DirectorPeter Markle
WriterWilliam C. Anderson
CinematographyMark Irwin
ComposerChristopher Young
EditorStephen E. Rivkin
Production DesignVincent M. Cresciman
Produced by
TriStar PicturesVision PDG
Where to Watch
Free with Ads
The Roku ChannelSee more on TMDB → JustWatch
Critics & Reviews
1 featuredCast
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
Major Jake Scott
J
Joe Dorsey
Col. Douglass
Michael Ng
Vietnamese Man (as Rev. Michael Ng)
T
Theodore Chan Woei-Shyong
Boy on Bridge
Don Ruffin
Helicopter Crew
S
Scott Howell
Helicopter Crew
M
Michael Raden
Helicopter Crew
T
Timothy Fitzgerald
EB-66 Officer
S
Stuart B. Hagen
EB-66 Officer (as Stuart Hagen)
J
Jeffrey Baxter
Helicopter Gunner (as Jeff Baxter)
