One thing practically nobody posting on this movie is getting is the basis for the plot. Most reviewers are content to just mention that it was based on a novel and let it go at that. What I am not seeing is anybody explaining what the basis for the story was in the first place. One particularly unfortunate reviewer actually goes so far as to get it completely backward and blame the decision-making of "the American military" for the situation that leads to the pilots' frustration that in turn leads to the main line of action.My own father was an American naval aviator during the Vietnam War and when I saw this movie it was like it had been written just for him. The entire time I was growing up (at least until Vietnam was finally over) I heard over and over again at home how our pilots were sent out to risk their lives to bomb what my father called "paths in the jungle" in preference to serious targets like downtown Hanoi. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I would never have had to work a day in my life. Over and over again he and his naval aviator buddies would go on about how we won World War II because we bombed real targets like enemy cities but how in Vietnam the aviators were limited by the political leadership in Washington to unprofitable secondary targets in the jungle instead. As my father used to put it, "if you bomb a clearing in the jungle what do you get? A bigger clearing in the jungle!" This was part of a broader skein where American military officers of all branches were complaining that Washington was making them fight the war "with one hand tied behind us!" Later, when I was in high school, it was taught that the bombing targets were actually selected personally by the president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, his secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, and other civilian national security office-holders over lunch at the White House. It is no wonder that as a little kid I could not be blamed if I had thought Johnson's full name was "That A**hole Johnson" and McNamara's "That A**hole McNamara". Unless I watched Huntley-Brinkley (i.e., the NBC Nightly News), I rarely seemed to hear their names mentioned any other way at home.But the policy was in fact adopted for reasons of grand strategy which ultimately hearkened back to the Korean War more than a decade earlier. Specifically, there was a serious concern that if we did attempt a "full-scale invasion" of North Vietnam or even a serious bombing campaign there that the Chinese or Russia might intervene directly with their own uniformed forces, because that had actually happened very unnervingly in Korea, thereby raising the specter of Vietnam "escalating" into World War III. Eventually the idea of increased meaningful bombing in the North also became a lightning rod for the anti-war "pacifist" protester crowd as well, only amplifying their vociferous (actually, loud, obnoxious, and even violent) complaints with increasing purely domestic political effects. Thus, without either an invasion of the North by ground troops or a traditional strategic bombing campaign of the sort that was carried out in World War II, the war dragged on for years interminably with no profit to the effort in sight except for the undertakers.In this story the novel's author Stephen Coonts was well-aware of all this and wrote a kind of fantasy that addressed it, conceiving of rogue pilots (which, sorry for you video-gamers and other fantasy-oriented types, do not really exist in real life) who for once do the "right thing" in spite of dire personal consequences take the war "downtown" without orders and in contravention of American national policy. It was the war every naval aviator and so many others throughout the American armed forces really wanted to see, but was rarely engaged in at any point during the conflict. Yet even so, Coonts limits the target to an artillery park, i.e., a purely military target with no North Vietnamese purely civilian casualty exposure contemplated.I hope this makes the context for this movie clearer to everybody. I will add that while the execution of the story isn't the best possible (I agree that the acting was often too clichéd or histrionic and that Danny Glover came off as a caricature of a clichéd drill instructor than a realistic angry Carrier Air Group commander; even his Steelcase desk was too modern for Vietnam), it is better than the 5.7 average rating prevailing at the time of my post, and I accordingly gave it a 7. It is, after all, only a movie, but one that if properly understood, sheds some light on the history of an era and a conflict that so fortunately is mostly behind us.

It's a thrilling warlike movie that contains over-the-top performances , drama , poignant vignettes and unsparing action . It takes place at the beginning of the Vietnam war , after his bombardier is killed, Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson), a carrier-based Intruder pilot, questions the purpose of Navy bombing missions and he join forces with another partner (Willem Defoe) to carry out a dangerous objective in Hanoi . Meanwhile , a grumpy general (Danny Glover) surveys their exploits and frustrations but when his aircraft is shot down , he is stranded in the wilds of Vietnam . Alone , he must rely on himself and a whole army after him . Trapped behind enemy lines , only two men with whom he has radio contact can save him and to get him out . As the protagonists come determined to rescue him .Pretty good aerial flick plenty action , tragic drama , fantastic cloudy scenes and breathtaking dogfighting . It's a spectacular actioner including impressive scenarios , fine star cast and memorable acting . It plays like one of these 1940s service propaganda war that was shot in cooperation with US Air Force . This stirring as well as incongruous warlike movie mixes thrills , rugged action and dialog with lots of military scenes , without losing sight of the continuation of its interesting plot or necessities of war and works on various levels . Acceptable budget extended adventures about a maverick pilot and his pal undergoing risked feats on air and bombing on earth . It gets the right balance between the old-style warfare movies and the modern wartime films . Noisy action scenes punctuate the tension without breaking it . Brad Johnson and Willem Defoe give terrific acting in this otherwise passable film , both of whom show professionalism as two crack fighter pilots , two ambitious Lieutenants assigned to risked missions . Danny Glover is top-notch as Cmdr. Frank 'Dooke' Camparelli , he is a grumpy but likable officer subsequently stranded and alone after his plane is gunned down . Secondary cast is frankly excellent as Rosanna Arquette , Dann Florek , Tom Sizemore , Ving Rhames , Madison Mason , J Kenneth Campbell , David Schwimmer , John Corbet , among others . Fine production design and right special effects , as a 1:160 scale model of the city of Hanoi was built for the filming of the bomb-runs scenes , buildings closer to the camera were detailed more while the furthest away buildings in the background we only painted blocks of wood . And being partially filmed on the USS Independence CV-62 . While the story was centered around VA-196, VA-165 was actually the squadron used to film the movie ; all of the aircraft used for filming were re-painted with VA-196 markings used during the Viet Nam conflict era . Colorful and evocative cinematography in super 35 by Fred J Koenekamp . Moving musical score fitting to action by Basil Poledouris , he had originally been scheduled to score Dances with Wolves but reluctantly dropped out to score this film for his close friend John Milius, with extremely damaging results to his career when he found himself suddenly unemployable at any studio making a picture with the then-hot Kevin Costner .The motion picture was professionally directed by John Milius but he stated that making this film was one of the worst experiences he had. He is a notorious screenwriter and filmmaker with several hits , specially on adventure genre as ¨Jeremiah Johnson (1972)¨, ¨Conan¨ , ¨Red Dawn¨, and also made biography as ¨Dillinger¨ , making two films about Theodore Roosevelt , ¨ The Wind and the Lion¨(1975) and ¨Rough Riders¨ (1997) . He was partially the basis for the character of Walter in the cult classic ¨The great Lebowski (1998)¨. Rating ¨Flight of the Intruder¨: Good and entertaining . Compassionate thinkers , lovers warfare genre , and non-pacifists will all find satisfaction here .

The War in Viet-Nam was a mess. For America it lasted better than ten years and left the bodies of over 58,000 plus dead scattered over the backwaters of the country and spilled over onto the shores of the U.S. Yes the war did in fact fracture this country and in many ways, left it wounded beyond repair. This movie called " The Flight of the Intruder " brings to light the skills, courage, and integrity of the Navy pilot. The story, one of many from that era, relates the decision of pilot Lt. Jake Grafton (Brad Johnson) and his bombardier Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Cole (Willem Dafoe) who implement a scheme to take the war to the enemy. By defying their main authority, they fly their single Intruder into North Viet-Nam and drop their bombs not on the dark jungles of that country but in the stock-pile area known as ' Sam City. " Upon their return, they are arrested and brought before the Naval Board of Inquiry. Their commanding Officer, Cmdr. Frank Camparelli (Danny Glover) warned both men not to get too involved with personal losses, now they both stand a good chance of going to prison. The film is an excellent tribute to the officers and men of the US Navy and with all the action and combat drama seen in the movie, there is little doubt this movie will become a war time Classic. ****

"Flight Of The Intruder" at this writing is no longer available on DVD. I ended up watching it on TV. Unlike, say, "Hunt For Red October", "Flight Of The Intruder" is not aging well. Blurry special effects, clunky dialogue and pacing, deviation from the source material, and strange casting choices make this film a curiosity and something of an eyesore in places.Some of the aircraft carrier scenes are authentic, though, and should appeal to anyone who has spent time on a carrier at sea."Flight Of The Intruder" as a book is getting a new 25th Anniversary re-printing. The book stands on its own today much better than the film. Although written in simple language, the book is powerful, personal, and classic."Flight Of The Intruder" as a movie seems under-rated by most viewers, but not by as much as you'd think. It's still very much a mediocre effort.