Red Dawn is about a Russian-Cuban-Nicaraguan-Hispanic invasion of America. A small group of American teenagers calling themselves Wolverines engages in guerilla tactics against the occupiers. The Wolverines are insurgents. This is the major irony, and the screenwriters make the most of it, being close in time to the Vietnam War.
Colonel Bella (played by Ron O’Neal) is the local Spanish-speaking commander. Another irony is that he was once an insurgent himself who used guerilla tactics, but now, to protect his men’s lives, he orders them to travel outside “secured areas” only in squad size. The Russian in charge is Bratchenko. He tells Bella that the wolverine insurgents are “beasts,” another irony in all those wars in which Americans are the occupiers and regard insurgents as terrorist beasts. Furthermore, Bratchenko’s reaction is like that of Americans, yet another irony. Occupiers are occupiers, regardless of nationality. He tells Bella “You must kill every one of them, eventually. It’s the same as Afghanistan.” And that’s yet another unanticipated irony with the Americans having replaced Russia in Afghanistan. And he adds “They’ll never stop,” an apt comment for what the U.S. is experiencing now in Afghanistan. Bella answers “Look, I was always on the side of the insurgents. I have no experience in these matters, but it would seem necessary to win the support of the people. As our opponents used to say in Vietnam, ‘win their hearts and minds'” Bratchenko replies “And they lost, Ernesto.” In this movie, the Russians and Cubans eventually lose and the Americans regain their country. Hmm, is there a lesson in that?
Bratchenko reassures Bella that morale is crucial and tells him to keep the men in secure areas and that the men will forget about the Wolverines. At that instant, a Wolverine who has infiltrated sets off a huge explosion. The shoe is on the other foot as this incident ironically foreshadows Iraq and Afghanistan, 20 years before they occurred.
ADDENDUM: Murray Rothbard has a complete review of this movie, I am informed by Tony Flood. And it’s a good one. See here.
1:30 pm on September 23, 2012
