Uncommon Valor (1983)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Uncommon Valor (1983) is a underrated Vietnam war flick that I have grown up with it, it is one of the best classic Vietnam films from Patrick Swayze, alongside with Gene Hackman! I really love this film to death. I grew up watching this movie it was all time my favorite war film. This movie was made before Missing in Action and Rambo: First Blood Part II was released. This film shows a great courage and heroism to US soldiers who served in Vietnam who were missing in action and were held captive in Vietnam camps. This movie is about a U.S. Marine officer who puts together a team of Vietnam vets who served in Vietnam and he try's to rescue his son, who he believes is among those still held in Laos after the Vietnam War. Directed by Ted Kotcheff who previously directed First Blood (1982). I used to had this movie on VHS but I don't have it anymore and I can't get the Blu-ray because it is not released yet. This is my first number 1 Patrick Swayze movie he ever made. It is his best work from the 80's, even tough he had a small role. I really had a blast and fun watching him in this movie, playing a Marine Kevin Scott."Boy, you just bought the whole can of whup-ass!" "Boy, you usin' that oriental martial bulls**t on me's gonna get real expensive." Plot: Ten years after his son went MIA in Vietnam, U.S.Marine retired Colonel Jason Rhodes assembles a private rescue team to find Americans held in POW camps in Laos.What I love about this movie is: you have a solid excellent cast: Gene Hackman, Patrick Swayze, Fred Ward, Reb Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Harold Sylvester, Tim Thomerson and Robert Stack. This is a fantastic war movie, it has drama, action and humor. This film has it all and it done so well with it is heart sleeve. I don't understand why this movie is so underrated and forgotten, like no one mentions this movie today. This was Randall "Tex" Cobb's second film later he played another Vietnam vet in MacGyver (1985) Season 3 Episode 16 (1987), I love the fight scene between Sailor (Randall "Tex" Cobb) and Kevin Scott (Patrick Swayze), Swayze using his martial arts on Sailor was epic, fantastic. This is my favorite best scene in the film ever, and I love Sailor's dialogue I absolutely love everything about this movie!You have a training sequences, you have a real mission with a real Viet Congs. You have a beautiful music theme song from James Horner which I love it and I love the song Brothers in the Night by Ray Kennedy. This film was filmed and released in the year 1983, that year when I was born. This film is the first and the best 'Vietnam rescue mission' movie. I have the film in my top list for a long time. Sad that out of the cast, the youngest, Patrick Sawyze, is the only one of the team who is dead in real life. Its a great movie, good script, well directed action and nicely rounded characters that live with you well after the movie is over.I really love Patrick Swayze, who was US marine in this movie and he was kicked out of the unit for striking a radio operator who fall a sleep. I love Patrick's character Kevin Scott, I love Reb Brown in this movie as Blaster. But I love to death Randall "Tex" Cobb as Sailor, I love this character to death! I love Fred Ward as Wilkes, he was a Tunnel rat, he doesn't like close spaces, after the fight with Kevin and Sailor we found Kevin's story, why he want's to be In this mission, it is because his father was shot down in Vietnam and he is missing in action. I love how Patrick kills one of the Viet Congs, he saves on the end Charts (Tim Thomerson). He cared about Sailor when he was killed.In this movie we also have Kwan Hi Lim from Magnum P.I. who played Lieutenant Yoshi Tanaka the actor is also dead from this movie who sadly passed away in 2008. This movie has beautiful acting, it is more smarter Vietnam war film. I think it is very underrated and unappreciated.Again it is my favorite fourth Vietnam film, the first three will always be Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and we Were Soldiers. Uncommon Valor is my fourth favorite Vietnam War film. R.I.P. - Patrick Swayze (1952 - 2009) I really miss you so much and I wish you could do more bad ass action movies, I am your biggest fan and so was my mom we all miss you and we all love you, I love you to death! Uncommon Valor (why doesn't THAT film get the cult/appreciation/notice of this POS), Steel Dawn (underrated), Road House and Black Dog are my top 4 favorite Patrick Swayze movies he ever did! This movie get's 10 out 10 the best underrated Vietnam movie ever made! Uncommon Valor is a 1983 war film written by Joe Gayton and directed by Ted Kotcheff, about a U.S. Marine officer who puts together a team to try to rescue his son, who he believes is among those still held in Laos after the Vietnam War.10/10 Score: Bad Ass Seal Of Approval Studio: Paramount Pictures Starring: Gene Hackman, Patrick Swayze, Fred Ward, Reb Brown, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Harold Sylvester, Tim Thomerson, Robert Stack, Kwan Hi Lim, Lau Nga Lai Director: Ted Kotcheff Producers: David Brown, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler, Buzz Feitshans, John Milius Screenplay: Joe Gayton Story by Wings Hauser Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 45 Mins. Box Office: $30,503,151

This DIRTY DOZEN reimagining sees army colonel Gene Hackman leading a crack squad of former soldiers into the steamy jungles of Laos in search of American soldiers declared missing in action a decade previously. The story template is familiar but the central theme of hunting for MIA soldiers in Vietnam is good enough to have inspired later, more popular action films like the Chuck Norris MISSING IN ACTION vehicles and the Stallone-starring RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II.Uncommon Valor is both similar to and different from those populist movies. In terms of last reel action, it more than holds its own with an explosive climax that involves storming a prisoner of war camp. However, there's much more to it as this film follows the DIRTY DOZEN mould closely, with plenty of time being taken up with recruitment and training. The characters are well drawn and there are enough decent actors around to make this a highly entertaining viewing experience. No-frills director Ted Kotcheff also handled the first Rambo outing, FIRST BLOOD, and he does another confident and assured job here.And…what a cast! One of the most interesting ensembles from the early 1980s. Hackman, as always, is the highlight of the film: tough, no-nonsense and yet filled with emotion lurking beneath that hard surface. Fred Ward (ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ) shows up as a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress, while bargain-basement muscleman Reb Brown (STRIKE COMMANDO) handles some comic scenes nicely. Then there's the larger-than-life Randall 'Tex' Cobb making an impression, Tim Thomerson prior to his B-movie career with Charles Band and, last but best of all, an extremely young Patrick Swayze giving a subtle and nuanced turn as the rookie of the group. You can see why Swayze went onto bigger and better things on the strength of his performance here.

First of all it has to be conceded that this film has a very "macho" 80s/Reagan era view of war. Most Vietnamese characters are cannon fodder whose deaths have little or no impact, while American characters are granted either tragic or glorious deaths. But if you can tolerate, ignore or (to be fair) enjoy this aspect of the film, you will find a very moving look at people dealing with the idea of their friends and family never coming home and/or being forced to live as Prisoners of War. This is the main thing which separates this from other POW rescue fantasies (along with a certain, though modest, degree of realism). The most touching scene is at the start of the film, with Hackman pondering over the whereabouts of his son, but there are also some very poignant moments at the end of the film. "Uncommon Valor" is also worth watching for a memorable cast including one of Patrick Swayze's earliest and best performances. Hackman is, as usual, excellent.

Ted Kotcheff's post-Vietnam film tells the story of a father. Determined his son is still alive and imprisoned in enemy territory, he endeavours to gather together a small band of ex-commandos in order to conduct a suicidal search and rescue.Gene Hackman is convincing, and the supporting cast work very well together. Kotcheff tackles his subject well, and while the movie is never incredibly moving, it is very effective."Uncommon Valour" was one of the first in what turned out to be a spate of 'Vietnam War films', some better and some worse than this one. Perhaps the inspiration for Stallone's "Rambo" came from this particular work. Worthwhile viewing.Tuesday, February 25, 1992 - Video