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Red Dawn (2012 film)

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For other uses, see Red dawn (disambiguation).

Red Dawn
Movie poster
Directed byDan Bradley
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMitchell Amundsen
Edited byRichard Pearson
Music byRamin Djawadi
Production
companies
Distributed byFilmDistrict
Release dates
  • September 27, 2012 (2012-09-27) (Fantastic Fest)
  • November 21, 2012 (2012-11-21) (United States)[1]
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$65 million[2]
Box office$48.1 million[3]

Red Dawn is a 2012 American war film directed by Dan Bradley. The screenplay by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore is based on the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The film centers on a group of young people who defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced its intention to remake Red Dawn in May 2008 and subsequently hired Bradley and Ellsworth. The principal characters were cast the following year and the film went into production in September 2009 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Originally scheduled to be released on November 24, 2010, the film was shelved due to MGM's financial troubles. While in post-production, the invading army and antagonists was changed from Chinese to North Korean including Chinese symbols to North Korean in order to maintain access to China's box office. FilmDistrict bought the U.S. distribution rights in September 2011 and the film was released in the United States on November 23, 2012.

Plot

An introductory montage shows the fallout of the economic crisis in the European Union and a weakened NATO alliance, amid increasing co-operation between an increasingly militant North Korea and ultranationalist-controlled Russia. The increased deployment of U.S. troops abroad (and the highlighted threat of cyberwarfare) leaves the mainland vulnerable.

U.S. Marine Jed Eckert is home on leave in Spokane, Washington. He reunites with his father, Spokane Police Sergeant Tom Eckert and his brother, high school football player Matt Eckert. The morning after a mysterious power outage, swarms of invading North Korean paratroopers and transport aircraft attack the city. The two storm out of the house and Matt witnesses an F-16 shoot down a Korean transport plane while they leave in a pick-up truck. Their father tells them to flee to their cabin in the woods while he helps the townspeople. They are later joined there by Matt's fellow students Robert, Daryl, Toni, Danny, Julie, Greg and Pete. Tensions build as the teens try to decide whether to surrender to the invaders or resist, with Pete ending up betraying their position. North Korean soldiers, under the command of Captain Cho, bring Sergeant Eckert and the mayor out to convince the group to surrender, but Cho executes Sergeant Eckert after he refuses to cooperate and actively encourages them to resist (or die trying).

Jed intends to fight and the others agree to join him, calling themselves the Wolverines after their school mascot. After acquiring weapons, establishing a base in an abandoned mine, and being trained by Jed, the Wolverines begin a series of guerrilla attacks against soldiers and collaborators, including Pete. During one attack, they lose Greg, but rescue Matt's girlfriend, Erica. The North Koreans retaliate by bombarding the surrounding woods to destroy the Wolverines' base, killing Danny and Julie, with the remaining survivors fleeing deeper into the woods. The Wolverines encounter Marine Sergeant Major Andrew Tanner and Marines Smith and Hodges. They reveal that the Russian-backed North Korean invasion used an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that crippled the U.S.electrical grid and military infrastructure, followed by landings of the invasion of the entire East and West Coasts. American counterattacks eventually halted their advances, leaving an area stretching from Michigan to Montana and Alabama to Arizona as "Free America." They also reveal that Captain Cho carries a suitcase containing an EMP-resistant radio telephone that would enable the U.S. command to monitor invasion force radio traffic and regroup for a counter-offensive. The Wolverines assist Tanner, Smith, and Hodges in infiltrating the North Koreans' center of operations at a local police station. They succeed in stealing the suitcase with Jed avenging his father's death by killing Cho, though Hodges is mortally wounded.

The Wolverines escape with the radio and regroup at their base. The Wolverines are ambushed by Russian Spetsnaz, and Jed is killed by a sniper as he walks past a window. Matt and the rest of the Wolverines escape with the radio to the Marines' extraction point. The next day, Robert comes to the realization that during the police station escape, Daryl had been tagged with a tracking transmitter and that the Russians have been homing in on him ever since. After some thought, Daryl accepts the fact that he cannot go on with them, Robert gives Daryl his M249 SAW, and Daryl decides to stay behind, presumably to ambush the pursuing group and likely die in the encounter.

The group delivers the radio to Tanner and Smith, who depart in a helicopter. The remaining Wolverines stay behind and continue to fight; a scene shows the Wolverines recruiting more members and raiding prisoner camps. Matt uses Jed's speech to convince others to join their cause. In the end of the film, the Wolverines, under Matt's command, raid a North Korean prison camp, setting hundreds of prisoners free.

Cast

Production

In May 2008, at the Festival de Cannes, Harry Sloan and Mary Parent from MGM announced that a remake of Red Dawn was in the early stages of pre-production, with the remake due to be directed by Dan Bradley, who had previously worked as a second unit director and stunt coordinator on films such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Spider-Man 3, Independence Day, and Quantum of Solace. MGM subsequently announced that Red Dawn would be remade "keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we're in".[4][5] Later the same month, MGM announced that Dan Bradley had been confirmed as the director with Carl Ellsworth, screenwriter of Red Eye and Disturbia, writing the updated screenplay.[4][6] Ellsworth worked from a story written by Jeremy Passmore. Vincent Newman (A Man Apart) was announced as the producer.[7] Australian Chris Hemsworth was cast in a lead role:[8] other cast members include Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas, Edwin Hodge, and Connor Cruise.[9]

Principal photography began September 2009 in Mount Clemens, Michigan.[10] The closed Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan (Greater Detroit) was used as a filming location.[11] Mark Binelli, author of Detroit City is the Place to Be, wrote that the school cafeteria was used as the catering hall for the employees.[12] According to photographs taken on set, the film features propaganda pamphlets, posters, and banners featuring People's Liberation Army symbols, such as the August 1 star. The posters attempt to garner support for a Chinese occupation, with slogans such as "Rebuilding Your Reputation", "Repairing Your Economy", and "Fighting Corporate Corruption".[13][14]

In June 2010, release of the film was delayed due to MGM’s financial difficulties. The delay came amid growing controversy in China after excerpts of the script were leaked on the website The Awl. The film drew sharp criticism from the Global Times, one of the leading Chinese state-run newspapers, with headlines such as "U.S. reshoots Cold War movie to demonize China" and "American movie plants hostile seeds against China". One of the articles stated: "China can still feel U.S. distrust and fear, especially among its people. Americans' suspicions about China are the best ground for the hawks to disseminate fear and doubt, which is the biggest concern with the movie, Red Dawn."[15][16]

In January 2011, the first cast photo was released along with news that MGM would release the film once their Chapter 11 restructuring is completed. Red Dawn was one of three already completed MGM projects scheduled to be released in 2011.[17]

In March 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that MGM changed the villains in its Red Dawn remake from Chinese to North Korean in order to maintain access to China's lucrative box office. The changes reportedly cost less than $1 million and involve changing an opening sequence summarizing the story's fictional backdrop (dropping the original storyline of Chinese "repossession" after the US defaults on loans for a North Korean invasion), re-editing two scenes, and using digital technology to change Chinese symbols and dialogue to Korean.[18] The film's producer Trip Vinson stated: "We were initially very reluctant to make any changes, but after careful consideration we constructed a way to make a scarier, smarter and more dangerous Red Dawn that we believe improves the movie."[19]

Release

Dan Bradley, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Peck, Tripp Vinson and Fantastic Fest founder, Tim League at the world premiere of Red Dawn in Austin, Texas.

In September 2011, it was reported that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was finalizing a deal with the independent studio FilmDistrict to distribute the film in the United States.[20] In December 2011, FilmDistrict reached a deal to distribute its 2012 films including Red Dawn through Open Road Films.[21] In September 2012, it was announced that the film would premiere on September 27, 2012 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas, closing out the Fantastic Fest film festival.[22] The film was released in U.S. theaters on November 21, 2012.

Box office

Red Dawn opened in theaters in the United States on November 21, 2012. The film earned $7.4 million in its first two days and finished in seventh place, earning $14.6 million in its first weekend.[23][24] The film closed in theaters on February 21, 2013, grossing a total $48,169,726 worldwide.[2][3]

Critical reaction

Red Dawn was immediately panned by critics. On Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 12%, based on 131 reviews, with an average score of 3.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The rebooted Red Dawn lacks the original's topicality, but at least pays tribute in delivering the same short shrift to character development and general logic."[25] On Metacritic the film has a score of 31 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel.[26]

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter said, "An already silly premise is given a ham-fisted treatment in this ill-advised remake of John Milius' 1984 hit action film".[27] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said, "Bradley... handles the low-fi action well, which helps divert attention from the bargain-bin special effects, bad acting and politics".[28] Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times said, "Reasonably dopey fun on its own, the remade Red Dawn simply can't stand up to the real-world issues it steps on like a land mine".[29] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "The story's time frame is confusingly murky. How long does it take the North Koreans to land... and start running things? What is their game plan? Is this a national invasion? We're unclear what's happening in the rest of the United States".[30]

Conversely, Joe Leydon of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing "[the] battle scenes are infused with a propulsive sense of urgency, as Bradley (a vet stunt coordinator and second unit director) often achieves an effective semi-documentary look".[31]

Home media

Red Dawn was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 5, 2013.[32]

See also

Further reading

  • Binelli, Mark. Detroit City is the Place to Be. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company (New York). First Edition, 2012. ISBN 978-0-8050-9229-5 (hardback version).

References

  1. ^ "Red Dawn Remake Finally Gets A Release Date". ScreenRant.com. November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Red Dawn (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Red Dawn (2012) (PG-13)". Boxoffice.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Fernandez, Jay A.; Borys Kit (July 9, 2008). "'Red Dawn' redo lands director, scribe; MGM will remake the 1984 action drama". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (May 17, 2008). "MGM: Two up for a remake treatment — MGM may remake the '80s action films". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. ^ Bartyzel, Monika (July 9, 2008). "'Red Dawn' Remake Finds Writer and Director". Cinematical. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  7. ^ "Ellsworth Penning Red Dawn Remake". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  8. ^ "Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily » EXCLUSIVE: Chris Hemsworth Is 'Thor'". Deadlinehollywooddaily.com. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  9. ^ Fernandez, Jay A. "Two cast in 'Red Dawn' remake". Hollywoodreporter.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Pics From The Set Of The RED DAWN Remake!!". Ain't It Cool News. September 15, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  11. ^ Binelli, p. 260.
  12. ^ Binelli, p. 260-261.
  13. ^ "Hollywood remakes Cold War era blockbuster, "Chinese soldiers" wearing 07 camouflage "invade America" (好莱坞翻拍冷战时大片 "中国军人"穿07迷彩"入侵美国")" (in Chinese). Tiexue (Original report from XINHUA). Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  14. ^ Xiao, Dazhong (September 30, 2009). "Hollywood remake of Cold War epic film, with strong drama depicting a Chinese "invasion of the United States"" (in Chinese). Phoenix TV News. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  15. ^ Russ Fischer (June 10, 2010). "More MGM Fallout: Red Dawn Delayed, Perhaps Indefinitely?". /Film. Retrieved June 15, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Jonathan Landreth (June 1, 2010). "Chinese press rails against 'Red Dawn'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 15, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Pietro Filipponi (January 3, 2011). "New Cast Photo & Release Info for RED DAWN Starring Chris Hemsworth & Jeffrey Dean Morgan". The Daily Blam!. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  18. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (January 11, 2011). "The Long-Delayed Red Dawn Remake Could Have Been Scarily Topical". Vulture. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  19. ^ Fritz, Ben and Horn, John (March 16, 2011). "Reel China: Hollywood tries to stay on China's good side". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ Fritz, Ben and Horn, John (September 26, 2011). "'Red Dawn' remake to come out next year from FilmDistrict". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 27, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Frankel, Daniel (December 6, 2011). "FilmDistrict has reached deals to distribute its 2012 titles through Open Road". Reuters. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  22. ^ Clark, Noelene (September 2, 2012). "'Red Dawn': Controversial remake to debut at Fantastic Fest in Austin". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
  23. ^ Subers, Ray (November 23, 2012). "'Twilight,' 'Skyfall' Devour Newcomers on Turkey Day". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  24. ^ Subers, Ray (November 25, 2012). "Weekend Report: 'Twilight,' Bond Dominate Fruitful Thanksgiving". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  25. ^ "Red Dawn (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  26. ^ "The 33rd Annual RAZZIE® Awards". Razzies.com. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  27. ^ Scheck, Frank (November 15, 2012). "Red Dawn: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  28. ^ Dargis, Manohla (November 20, 2012). "He's Lost the Game. Can He Beat the Koreans?". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  29. ^ Olsen, Mark (November 20, 2012). "Review: 'Red Dawn' remake won't win hearts and minds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  30. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 20, 2012). "Red Dawn". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  31. ^ Leydon, Joe (September 27, 2012). "Red Dawn". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  32. ^ "Red Dawn Blu-ray and DVD". March 5, 2013.

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