Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- propulsive
- alarmist
- patriotic
- action movie night
- cold war double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly found the young ensemble appealing and the action energetic, but considered the alarmist premise and self-serious anti-communist nationalism silly or simplistic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Soviet, Cuban, and Nicaraguan troops invade Colorado, turning Cold War tensions into an alternate-history military crisis.
Jed, Matt, Robert, Erica, and their fellow students flee school and become guerrilla fighters while still teenagers.
The Wolverines wage guerrilla warfare under an explicitly American banner against Soviet occupation forces.
The teenagers operate from Colorado highlands and winter wilderness, using rifles, pistols, and bows against patrols.
Films like Red Dawn, and why
The Tomorrow War
shares cold war paranoia, teenage resistance fighters, occupation warfare, and heightened patriotic action
The Battle of Algiers
shares guerrilla warfare, civilian resistance, invasion anxiety, and militarized coming of age
Invasion U.S.A.
shares counterfactual national invasion, survivalist combat, and politically charged action spectacle
The Hunger Games
shares young protagonists confronting occupation, violent resistance, and earnest anti-authoritarian adventure
Movie Details
- Director
- John Milius
- Release Date
- 1984-08-10
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (926)
Cast
- Patrick Swayze
- Charlie Sheen
- C. Thomas Howell
- Lea Thompson
- Darren Dalton
- Jennifer Grey
- Powers Boothe
- Brad Savage
- Ben Johnson
- Harry Dean Stanton
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, AMC
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Red Dawn about?
- Teenagers stranded in occupied Colorado become a fierce guerrilla band fighting a communist invasion from the mountain wilderness.
- What is Red Dawn like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Red Dawn as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Red Dawn violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Red Dawn as graphic.
- What did critics think of Red Dawn?
- Critics broadly found the young ensemble appealing and the action energetic, but considered the alarmist premise and self-serious anti-communist nationalism silly or simplistic.
- Which films are like Red Dawn?
- Films with a similar feel include The Tomorrow War, The Battle of Algiers, Invasion U.S.A., and The Hunger Games.
- How long is Red Dawn?
- Red Dawn runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Red Dawn?
- In United States, Red Dawn streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, AMC.
