History Main / RedDawn

Red Dawn may refer to:

* ''[[Film/RedDawn1984 Red Dawn]]'', a 1984 film involving an invasion of the USA by Soviet Union.

* ''[[Film/RedDawn2012 Red Dawn]]'', the 2012 remake of the former, which involves an invasion of the USA by North Korea.

* ''Film/RedDawn1984'', a 1984 film involving an invasion of the USA by Soviet Union.

* ''Film/RedDawn2012'', the 2012 remake of the former, which involves an invasion of the USA by North Korea.

* ''Film/RedDawn'', a 1984 film involving an invasion of the USA by Soviet Union.

* ''Film/RedDawn2012'', the 2012 remake of the former, which involves an invasion of the USA by North Korea.

* ''Film/RedDawn2012'', a 2012 remake of the former, which involves an invasion of the USA by North Korea.

[[redirect:Film/RedDawn]]

[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/red_dawn_movie_image_3684.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:[-The war to liberate the Mickey D's begins...At Dawn.-] ]]
->''"Soviet Union suffers worst wheat harvest in 55 years... Labor and food riots in Poland. Soviet troops invade... Cuba and Nicaragua reach troop strength goals of 500,000. El Salvador and Honduras fall... Greens Party gains control of West German Parliament. Demands withdrawal of nuclear weapons from European soil... Mexico plunged into revolution... NATO dissolves. United States stands alone."''
-->--''OpeningNarration''

The classic RedScare film, released in the darkness immediately preceding glasnost.

After the opening narration, we cut to a classroom of teenagers in scenic Colorado. Their little piece of America gets invaded by Soviet and Cuban paratroopers. Six students manage to get away in [[TheHero Jed Eckert]]'s truck and escape to the mountains, where they become guerillas against the new communist regime. They're joined by two girls, Toni and Erica, and later [[TrappedBehindEnemyLines downed pilot]] Colonel Andy Tanner, who teaches them some basic military tactics. Oh, and they have guns.

Also noted for the first onscreen pairing of Jennifer Grey and PatrickSwayze, who later costarred in the classic ''DirtyDancing'' to the [[{{Squee}} delight]] of {{fangirl}}s everywhere.

The film is currently being remade, replacing the {{Reds with Rockets}} with Chinese Communists and then replacing ''them'' with [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-china-red-dawn-20110316,0,995726.story North Korean]] Communists and taking place in Spokane, Washington. Not quite as plausible, but time will tell if {{Rule of Cool}} will give it a free pass. However, [[http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/index.ssf/2010/06/release_of_red_dawn_remake_fil.html due to financial problems at MGM]], it seemed like the film's release would be [[DevelopmentHell delayed indefinitely]]. Ironically, the film's only hope seemed to be [[http://blogs.forbes.com/china/2010/06/14/does-an-anti-china-movie-need-a-chinese-bailout/ a loan from China]]. The remake has finally picked up a distributor and will be released [[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/09/red-dawn-remake-to-come-out-next-year-from-filmdistrict.html in 2012]].

----
!!Tropes:
* AnalogyBackfire: Only if one assumes this was analogous to the USSR invading Afghanistan. Many Taliban fighters gained experience repelling the Soviets, and would later use those skills attacking civilians.
** And, ironically, Americans.
* AntiVillain: Colonel Bella, who is an officer in the invading army, but finds himself sympathizing with the guerrillas.
* AnyoneCanDie: Even girls, subverting MenAreTheExpendableGender.
* AxeCrazy: Robert slides down the rungs.
* BattleCry: ''[[ClifftopCaterwauling "Wolverines!"]]'' The Wolverines are the school football team. The protagonists leave the spray-painted symbol of their mascot at the site of ambushes.
* BilingualDialogue: Cuban and Russian troops speak their own language, with subtitles. Played for laughs in one scene when a Russian officer playing tourist [[FunWithForeignLanguages pretends to translate]] a forestry sign, saying it commemorates [[InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou a bloody Indian revolt]].
* BittersweetEnding, The kids lose their innocence and [[spoiler:All but two lose their lives]], though it's suggested by the Partisan Rock memorial that AmericaWinsTheWar.
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: The History teacher at the beginning of the movie is the ''very first person'' killed onscreen when he walks up to some [[ItsRainingMen heavily armed paratroopers]], [[WhatAnIdiot asking them]] [[TooDumbToLive what's going on]].
** Everyone thought it was a military training drop which had been blown off course -- people don't automatically [[NothingExcitingEverHappensHere assume they're being invaded]].
** In addition, Aardvark, the [[TokenMinority one Latino]] among the Wolverines, is the first one of them to get killed.
* BrokenBird: It's [[IllKillYou strongly implied]] that one of the girls was raped by Soviet soldiers.
* ChildSoldiers: The movie does a good job of showing how warfare can psychologically scar child soldiers.
* ClifftopCaterwauling
* [[strike:ChinaTakesOverTheWorld]] [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld North Korea Takes Over The World]]: the remake of the film is a slight smaller scale of this trope where the [[strike: Chinese]] North Koreans take over America.
* ClickHello: "You lose."
* ColonelBadass: Both [[CoolOldGuy Tanner]] and [[WorthyOpponent Bella]] qualify.
* DeathFromAbove: Early in the movie, a lone American helicopter shows up a couple of times to strafe or fire rockets at Soviet positions, serving as TheCavalry in a GunshipRescue at one point. Gets an IronicEcho towards the end when a pair of Soviet Hind gunships slaughter half the group. Also, towards the last act of the film, we see American jets doing bombing runs in "No Man's Land".
* DevelopmentHell: The remake actually managed to make it all the way through the production phase, only to get sunk by MGM's financial insolvency.
** It was also delayed because the premise of China attacking America scared off all other major distributors, so MGM had to change the villain to North Korea in order to make it more attractive to film companies, and even then it took several months before it finally found a distributor willing to take a chance on the film.
* DirtyCommunists: Averted; though the movie doesn't stint in depicting Communist atrocities, some enemy soldiers are portrayed as human beings rather than evil faceless mooks.
* DoomedHometown
* TheDragon: Soviet counter-insurgency specialist, Colonel Strelnikov "The Hunter".
** He seems closer to the BigBad actually.
* {{Drive-In Theater}}: Now used as a POW and indoctrination camp.
* EagleLand (Type I, of course.)
* EliteMooks: Soviet ''spetsnaz'' are brought in to track down the Wolverines. They're as effective as all the other mooks. They may however have been the ones responsible for the ambush that got [[spoiler: Robert and Toni]] killed. Colonel Strelnikov is also the one who kills [[spoiler: Jed and Matt, although Jed kills him too]].
* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:The revelation that one of their own has betrayed them signifies a turn for the worst for the Wolverines fortunes.]]
* ExactWords: Early in the movie, a bumper sticker appears, with the line "[[TemptingFate They can have my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers]]". The camera pulls back to show a communist soldier prying a handgun...
* ExecutiveMeddling: Writer-director John Milius wanted to focus on the [[WarIsHell war is hell]] aspect, while the studio pressed for a more idealized presentation. The most obvious result of this is the tacked-on epilogue, which explicitly states that Americans won the war due to bravery of fighters like the Wolverines. Without it, the movie would have left it open if the efforts of the Wolverines changed ''anything'' in the end. The darker approach shows through in several places, such as how many of the heroes meet their ends in meaningless deaths.
** For the remake, the enemies were changed from Chinese to [[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-china-red-dawn-20110316,0,995726.story North Koreans]]. The studio claims this is because North Korea will make a scarier villain, but most observers believe this was done to avoid losing box office revenues in China. This happened after production ended, so they have to digitally alter all Chinese symbols and dub all Chinese dialogue.
*** Actually, it was mostly done to help the film secure a distributor, as no other major studio wanted to touch a film about China invading America.
* ExpandedUniverse: [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=124063 This thread on alternatehistory.com]], which got to 335 pages (!) as of April 2011 before moving to [[http://www.tboverse.us/HPCAFORUM/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=31 its current location]], is a so-called "double-blind what-if" in which posters role-play veterans of the war depicted in the movie. Much discussion on weapons and campaigns of the war, as well as on the fates of surviving movie characters; for example, [[spoiler:Colonel Bella ended up defecting to the Allied side shortly after the events of the movie, became a U.S. citizen and helped U.S. authorities track down war criminals after the end of the war.]]
** [[RedDawnPlus20 Now has its own TVTropes page]].
* FunnyMoments: Most notably the elite paramilitary group...Eagle Scouts. It was a blink and miss moment, but the Arapaho National Forest information sign [[RussianHumour when translated by Yuri turned out hilarious]].
* GagSub: Done with the Spanish and Russian subtitles on [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B3Ewl1CzWg this youtube version]]. There's a {{Rifftrax}} out there as well.
* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp: Peace broke out with the Russians what, a year after this was made? And it's not like it was the height of the Cold War either, despite military overspending... But then again, the movie takes place in an AlternateHistory anyway.
* [[spoiler:TheHeroDies]]: Which contributes to several more tropes being played straight.
* HeroicSacrifice: Several.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters:
-->'''Tanner''': "All that hate's going to burn you up, kid."
-->'''Robert''' ''(carving 'kill' notches on his AK-47 with a balisong)'': "Keeps me warm."
* ImproperlyPlacedFirearms / RareVehicles / JustPlaneWrong: Generally averted with [[WeaponsUnderstudies mock-ups]] ranging from machine guns to APCs and helicopters, though a sharp-eyed weapons buff can still tell the difference. EliteMooks use the [=AK74=] rifle (or at least an effective facsimile, mocked up from the same Egyptian AK copies used by the other "Soviet" extras), rarely seen in movies made before the collapse of the Iron Curtain. A mock-up of a T72 tank was so accurate it reportedly caught the attention of two CIA men who wanted to know where it had come from.
* INeedAFreakingDrink: Tanner needs one after the kids express their ignorance of common military tactical terms.
* InsertGrenadeHere: When the group is pinned down by a tank (which doesn't see them) one of the main characters attempts this but gets hurt pretty badly and is unable to complete the task. [[spoiler:Instead he sets off a smoke grenade so that friendly fire can spot the tank and blow it (and him) up.]]
* InvadedStatesOfAmerica: Shining example.
* ItsUpToYou
* JustPlaneWrong: SA 330 Pumas stand in for Mi-24 Hind-A gunships since the actual chopper wasn't the sort of thing you could borrow back in the day.
* LaResistance
* UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar: A captured soldier starts giving his name and rank, and gets promptly beaten up.
-->"No-one gives a damn who you are!"
In the same scene,
-->"This violates the Geneva Convention!"
-->''''"I don't know what that is!"''''
* {{Minion With An F In Evil}}: Colonel Ernesto Bella is initially introduced in a way that suggests he's the movie's {{Big Bad}}. However, not only is he not in charge of the local occupying force, but is shown to be far more reasonable than his Soviet counterparts (he criticizes them for the stupid tactic of shooting civilians after every Wolverine attack, saying that they're only gaining support because of it). He eventually becomes increasingly disillusioned with the war to the point where after the Eckert Brothers' last stand, he momentarily holds them at gun point before ''letting them go'' and dropping his gun in disgust. In other circumstances, Bella could well have been a classic WorthyOpponent.
** In the scene where civilian prisoners/hostages are executed after the Wolverines make their first kills of Soviet soldiers, Bella is clearly far more disgusted by the [[TheQuisling town mayor's]] horrified reaction than by the defiance of the executed hostages.
* MissingBackblast: Averted: In the final battle two of the American guerillas fire their RPG-7's at the command trailer used by a Soviet general. An enemy soldier who comes round the corner behind them at that precise moment falls to the ground screaming as he's been scorched by the backblast.
** Subverted in at least one scene, where one of the Wolverines loses his hat while firing an RPG-7.
* MoodWhiplash: The movie keeps shifting between pure {{Narm}} (often with lines about patriotism and fighting spirit) and genuinely dark moments.
* {{Narm}}: "AVENGE ME! AVENGE ME!"
* {{Not So Different}}:
** The Soviet soldiers in general. When they're not getting shot or blown up, they talk about their families, goof around, invent hilarious translations for English signage, and otherwise act a little like tourists.
** One of the Wolverines asks this when Jed is about to execute both a captured soldier and [[spoiler: The Mayor's completely unwilling [[TheMole turncoat]] of a son]].
-->'''Matt''': "What's the difference, Jed? Tell me, what's the difference between us and them?"
-->'''Jed''': "Because...[[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry WE LIVE HERE!]]" ''(shoots soldier)''
** Colonel Bella gets his moment as well when the aftermath of a Wolverines raid [[HeelRealization reminds]] him of his own guerrilla fighter past:
--->'''Bella''': "I have seen this before. But these are my men!"
* NukeEm: Precision nuclear strikes wipe out silos in the Dakotas, plus key communications points like Omaha, Washington, and Kansas City. Further strikes are averted by the Soviets' need to take the United States intact. Other countries though...
-->'''Jed Eckert''': "Well, who *is* on our side?"
-->'''Col. Tanner''': "Six hundred million screaming Chinamen."
-->'''Darryl Bates''': "Last I heard, there were a billion screaming Chinamen."
-->'''Col. Tanner''': "There *were*." ''(tosses his booze on the fire, so it gives out a great burst of flame)''
** This exchange may become HarsherInHindsight or HilariousInHindsight with a remake, since the Chinese [[strike:are]] were the prospective villains.
** It's never explained what happened to the rest of the Nuclear Triad, like the SSBN's each of which carry at least a dozen Missles and most of which are likely carrying mutiple warheads. Or the Nuclear Armed B-52's, which were often kept on Airborne Alert during the Cold War. Apparently the subs and bombers decided to sit out the war as well.
* OneSidedBattle: The Wolverines regularly wipe out [[{{Mooks}} larger forces]], even though guerilla doctrine advises using a large number of guerillas to attack much smaller army units. There is some thought given to tactics however, such as making an ambushed force take cover in an area covered by claymore mines, or [[WeNeedADistraction using the girls to plant bombs]]. Also by the end of the movie all except two of the Wolverines have been killed.
* PragmaticVillainy: As stated above, Bella opposes killing civilians not because it is morally wrong but because it increases support for the Wolverines.
* PrecociousCrush: Toni falls in love with older and married Colonel Tanner, though there's nothing physical between them except a bit of tussling.
* TheQuisling: Mayor Bates. Unusually for this trope, he's clearly following the enemy out of fear alone, and is obviously terrified and disgusted by his town's [[DayOfTheJackboot new occupiers]].
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan inspired the film.
* RealitySubtext: The current political climate necessitated the change of the antagonists in the remake from China to North Korea.
** The notion of using Chinese in the first place for the remake due to the Dissolution of Soviet Union. Noted that China was originally an ally of the U.S. also fitting the affiliation of China towards the end of the ColdWar.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Robert drinks the blood of the first deer he shoots, and notes he likes the taste. He eventually ends up the most AxeCrazy of the Wolverines.
-->"Then you'll be a real hunter. My dad said that once you do that, there's going to be something different about you, always."
* RecycledInSpace: [[RippedFromTheHeadlines The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]....in America!
* RedsWithRockets. And [[TankGoodness tanks]]. And [[ItsRainingMen paratroopers]]. And [[DeathFromAbove Hind gunships]]. And [[MoreDakka ZSU-23-4 self-propelled]] [[AntiAir anti-aircraft guns]].
* TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: Unarmed prisoners and [[CoupDeGrace enemy wounded]] are shot by the Wolverines.
* ShmuckBait: The Wolverines see a Soviet truck drop some supplies on the road so clumsily that it screams too easy, yet they get them without suspicion and pay the price as a Soviet attack helicopter attacks.
* SpotTheImposter: On being asked what's the capital of Texas, Colonel Tanner replies "Austin" and is immediately accused by Toni of being a DirtyCommunist. He replies that she's seen too many movies. It doesn't help that Tanner's answer that Austin was the capital of Texas was correct, while Toni was certain that ''[[WhatAnIdiot Houston]]'' was its capital. Likely a ShoutOut to a well-known incident during the Battle of the Bulge (see the RealLife section of SpotTheImposter).
* TruthInTelevision: When the film was released, NPR had a former member of the Dutch Resistance give a review of it. He said the movie exactly portrayed the life of a partisan force, including the desperation, mistrust, and "cannibalism" (ie, "swallowed a bug" scene) that occurs.
* TokenMinority: Averted for the remake. Early scripts mentioned an Asian American Wolverine named Erica Yu. However, "Erica" is now being played by the white Isabel Lucas.
** TokenEnemyMinority: The remake's {{Wikipedia}} page lists Asian American actor Ken Choi as part of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dawn_%28upcoming_film%29#Cast cast]]. His character's surname is Smith so it can be presumed that he's a [[ButNotTooBlack half-white]] American good guy. Alternately, he may be adopted, or the name could be a placeholder.
* VoiceOfTheResistance: Radio Free America.
* WarriorPoet: When Col. Bella writes home to his sweetheart, it's nothing if not beautiful.
* WorldWarIII
* YanksWithTanks: A single M1 Abrams appears briefly, curiously unsupported by other armour or infantry.
* YouMeddlingKids: And the Reds [[ItsUpToYou would have won]], too.
* YourMom
-->'''Spetsnaz about to be executed:''' Dogface! [[{{Lzherusskie}} I show you how soldier dies!]]\\
'''Robert:''' I've seen it before, pal.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The movie essentially transplanted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to a different setting, placing a group of typical American youth in the roles of the Afghan freedom fighters.
** Which becomes HarsherInHindsight considering what [[OsamaBinLaden they]] [[WarOnTerror caused]]
----

* IKnowThatGun / RareVehicles / JustPlaneWrong: Generally averted with [[WeaponsUnderstudies mock-ups]] ranging from machine guns to APCs and helicopters, though a sharp-eyed weapons buff can still tell the difference. EliteMooks use the [=AK74=] rifle (or at least an effective facsimile, mocked up from the same Egyptian AK copies used by the other "Soviet" extras), rarely seen in movies made before the collapse of the Iron Curtain. A mock-up of a T72 tank was so accurate it reportedly caught the attention of two CIA men who wanted to know where it had come from.