Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- somber
- grounded
- serious movie night
- war film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Bat★21 as a lean, well-made, worthwhile Vietnam War film notable for its unusual non-combatant perspective and unsentimental action.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert rather than an infantry combatant, making his isolation and extraction the film's defining viewpoint.
Hambleton and Clark use reconnaissance, terrain knowledge, and golf-course landmarks to plot a route to safety.
The film depicts enemy contact and soldiers' deaths with deliberate restraint and emphasizes the difficulty of the rescue.
Hambleton must evade enemy forces while knowing the area will be subjected to carpet-bombing.
Films like Bat★21, and why
Rescue Dawn
Vietnam War survival drama centered on a stranded serviceman and a high-risk rescue operation
Platoon
grounded Vietnam War combat drama emphasizing military missions, danger, and moral seriousness
Behind Enemy Lines
tense military rescue narrative with an isolated protagonist navigating hostile territory
Hamburger Hill
lean, realistic war drama focused on battlefield survival rather than metaphysical commentary
Movie Details
- Director
- Peter Markle
- Release Date
- 1988-07-21
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (226)
Cast
- Gene Hackman
- Danny Glover
- Jerry Reed
- David Marshall Grant
- Clayton Rohner
- Erich Anderson
- Joe Dorsey
- Michael Ng
- Theodore Chan Woei-Shyong
- Don Ruffin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bat★21 about?
- A stranded Vietnam War specialist turns personal knowledge of the terrain into a desperate plan for survival as an air-ground team races to extract him.
- What is Bat★21 like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bat★21 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bat★21 violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Bat★21 as brutal.
- What did critics think of Bat★21?
- Critics broadly regard Bat★21 as a lean, well-made, worthwhile Vietnam War film notable for its unusual non-combatant perspective and unsentimental action.
- Which films are like Bat★21?
- Films with a similar feel include Rescue Dawn, Platoon, Behind Enemy Lines, and Hamburger Hill.
- How long is Bat★21?
- Bat★21 runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bat★21?
- In United States, Bat★21 streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
