Bat*21 (1988) on Netflix
Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton, an electronic weapons expert, is the only survivor when missiles hit his aircraft. Captain Bartholomew Clark, flying nearby, becomes his link to rescue.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.5/1010,779 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton flies as navigator aboard an EB-66C on electronic countermeasures work before a major bombing strike. Missiles are launched at the aircraft, and he ejects as the crew's only survivor. Still descending by parachute, he reaches Captain Bartholomew Clark by radio; Clark flies a forward air control aircraft near the wreck and becomes his link to rescue. Because Hambleton knows electronic weapons systems and holds valuable information, the North Vietnamese begin an all-out search for him. He judges his position too dangerous for rescue aircraft, so he plots a route to the river that bounds the target area and sends Clark a code drawn from golf courses he knows.
Cast
- Joe Dorseyas Colonel Douglass
- Theodore Chan Woei-Shyongas Boy on Bridge
- Scott Howellas Helicopter Crew
- Michael Radenas Helicopter Crew
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bat*21 (1988)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Hambleton was not lifted out by helicopter: during a covert nighttime operation more than two miles behind enemy lines, he was rescued in a land operation by U.S. Navy SEAL Thomas R. Norris and VNN Petty Officer Third Class Nguyen Van Kiet.- The rescue the film dramatizes actually took over eleven days, during which a major attack was delayed, resulting in numerous South Vietnamese soldiers being killed and wounded.
SPOILER
During the real search a Forward Air Observer aircraft was shot down; USAF 1Lt Bruce Walker and USMC 1Lt Larry Potts parachuted to the ground safely and eluded capture, and six more Americans lost their lives in an ensuing attack.- The film was shot entirely on location in Sabah, Malaysia, with the Malaysian Army and the Royal Malaysian Air Force supplying resources, locations, aircraft and pilots, including Captain V. Thiagarajah, who flew both on and off camera.
- The 1980 book the film is adapted from was written by William C. Anderson, a novelist and retired United States Air Force colonel.
- Popular Mechanics listed the film in the "best" category of "The Best (and Worst) War Movies of All Time", characterising Bat*21 as the "Best Vietnam War Movie".
