Reviews (190)

The Outsiders
When I was in high school, I had the pleasure of reading a fantastic novel named, "The Outsiders." The author, Susan Eloise Hinton, only 15 years old, wrote her rendition of the conflicts between high society and the lower class citizen. Her novel was so well written that you couldn't stop reading it. Recently, I discovered the movie version of the novel and just had to view it. Francis Ford Coppola, who's known for directing the films, "Apocalypse Now" and the first two "Godfather's" directed the film version of, "The Outsiders." Although no awards were won for the movie, the cast was full of the top stars that we see today, which includes, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estves, Tom Cruise and Diane Lane. With a cast this good how could you go wrong?
The story takes place in the early 1960's in Tulsa, Oklahoma where we see the classic rivalry between the rich, whom are call, "socs" (short for socials) and lower class citizen who were called "greasers" building tension toward each other until the final climax of the big rumble. The main themes of the story, are the struggles between two conflicting groups trying to bridge the gap between rich and poorer, honor among the lawless and treacherousness of male-female interaction through the narration of the main character "Ponyboy".
Although I felt the movie was incredible I believe the music soundtrack needed a little help. This action pact drama is rated PG for violence but, I believe that any age group, accompanied by an adult, would love to see and understand how society sometime manipulates individual outcomes. When you get right down to it, the movie, with its great story line and cast, causes you to laugh, cry and get wrapped up in all the conflicting moments. Any movie that can take you from the couch and place you and the middle of the drama deserves a high rating. That's why I recommend this movie to anyone and give it *****5 stars.

The Outsiders
The Outsiders is about some rival gangs, the greasers, and the Socs(short for social). Ponyboy wants to fit in, in his brothers gang. Ponyboy lives with his brothers after his parents are killed in a car wreck. The greasers never had much trouble fighting the Socs, until one night a Soc takes thing to far. Ponyboys friend is forced to killed him in self-defense. Their friend Dallas helps them hide out in the country in an old abandonded church. They are hiding from the town that doesn't want them around, until they are caught by the police. The actors who are in the movie are GREAT! most of them got their start in The Outsiders, like Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, and Tom Cruise. The movie teaches young people to not judge others before getting to know them. If you enjoy the movie, you will love the book by S.E. Hinton.

The Outsiders is the #1 Movie
Hey I watched the movie and read the book this year in gr.8 and I have seen the movie like 5 times and read the book like 4 times it's the best movie ever!! all the cast are so0o0 great and talented and I will watch this movie over and over again
From The BIGGEST Outsider Fan
GEL

Just as GREAT as the Book!!!
One of the best adaptations of a book I have ever seen. This movie brings everyone to life from the book. For me, this movie is a classic!!! This movie takes place in Tulsa,OK in 1966. All of the characters fit the description in the book for me. They all look like the typical greasers. I bought this movie without even seeing it and I was tremendously blown away. This is a great movie for the whole family to enjoy.

Outstanding
I had to read the book for a project in school this year as an 8th grader. It was outstanding. It was the last week of school and my class had finished our finals and we wanted to watch the movie, so my teacher went to our school library and got it for us. The movie follows the book pretty well but some parts were left out.

This book shows how lucky some people are compaired to others and makes a great point. It is like a less dramatic version of the movie "Elephant" which shows what people are going through. I am going to head down to my towns public library to borrow it and watch it again becuase it is one of the movies that you can just watch over and over again and still love it becuase it makes a great point and was directed really well.

I would recomend this movie to anyone who has not read it. I would read the book first becuase there are some parts that are left out in the movie that were pretty good.

~Doug Mellon
Kennebunk, Maine USA ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Ronald Reagan 1980s were all about going back to the future--rewriting the past to better suit Reagan's upbeat vision of the present. So, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo (a psychotic, shell-shocked Vietnam vet in the original film, transformed into a flag-waving hero in the sequel) was able to go back to Southeast Asia and "correct" history by decisively (and single-handedly) winning that messy ol' war on behalf of America. Red Dawn is a paranoid cold-war cautionary tale that presents us not with a rosy alternative past, but with an ominous vision of the future, metaphorically plopping a piece of Russian-occupied Afghanistan into America's back yard.In this celebration of the Second Amendment, storm troopers from the Evil Empire descend upon the inadequately defended United States and hold America hostage. Stealthily avoiding the invaders, a motley group of red-blooded, small-town, gun-toting teenagers go underground to form the Wolverines, a guerilla resistance squad dedicated to making those Russkies rue the day they parachuted onto U.S. soil. It's a darn good thing those kids had the right to keep and bear arms, huh! Written and directed by macho filmmaker John Milius, the self-described "Zen fascist" who also cowrote Apocalypse Now, as well as the horrifying shark story Robert Shaw tells in Jaws.The cast includes Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey (a few years before she and Swayze took up Dirty Dancing), Charlie Sheen, Powers Boothe, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ben Johnson. Red Dawn was a commercial success, although audiences invariably split into two camps, finding it either patriotic or appalling. Whatever your verdict, the film remains a telling reflection of its era. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (138)

Great entertainment--a Cold War cautionary tale
"Red Dawn" made its debut in the latter days of the Cold War, and is reflective of the fears and anxieties as regards the Soviets that characterized the times. For that reason, it was a controversial movie. Liberals and Leftists detested "Red Dawn" while conservatives loved it.

Red Dawn has its flaws. The acting (other than by Patrick Swayze) is not first rate, and the storyline is somewhat murky. On the other hand the special effects are pretty good, and the Soviet troops and equipment look authentically Soviet. The basic premise, I thought, was very entertaining--the Soviet bloc makes an actual surprise attack and ground invasion of the United States, which it partially occupies. The local high school kids form a partisan resistance movement which is suprisingly successful and effective. (Yes, this may be unrealistic, but who is to say?). While the acting is not brilliant, it is largely serviceable. It is a fact that this movie is unabashedly anti-Soviet. I guess critics can always go see Warren Beatty in "Reds."

In the final analysis this film succeeds for the reason that any movie succeeds--it entertains. It holds the viewer's interest. The movie will always be an entertaining reminder of how dreadful the Cold War was, and how grateful we should be that it ended successfully.

A classic Cold War movie that still packs a punch!
One of the best action thrillers of the 1980s is now available to buy on DVD here in the UK, and it was well worth the money! I remember seeing this when it first came out. Amazing to see such an impressive cast that went on to bigger things - Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Charlie Sheen and Lea Thompson among others. The story concerns a sudden invasion by Russian and Cuban forces into midwestern US, which takes everyone by surprise. Enter some spectacular military action scenes up Main Street as US Army helicopters blast Russian tanks to pieces, then our young heroes head for the mountains and learn to survive and develop guerilla warfare skills. They begin with pump-action shotguns and it isn't long before they end up with antitank missiles and AK-47s. Plenty of action and explosions for gung-ho fans and the new resistance, the Wolverines, take on the Soviet and Cuban forces. But . . . in time, they are not only trying to save themselves and their families from the enemy's firing squads and interrogation camps(at the drive-in. loved that nice touch!), but from their own fears and insecurities as their own comrades gradually get killed in action. The second half of the movie shows that wars can affect people in different ways - notably Powers Boothe as a downed F-15 pilot. Overall, this is one not to be missed. Authentic Russian military hardware(except the obviously disguised French Puma transport choppers which are too big for Hind Mi-24 gunships), pulsating action, great sound effects for your DVD, plausible scenarios(the descriptions of how WW3 was fought and how Europe fared was also thrown in well) and good performances from the cast. An eighties classic which should be in everyone's movie collection!

Red Sunset
Dreary "What-If" movie about a bunch of brat packers (a militia group calling themselves "The Wolverines") revolting against Soviet occupied America. The action/battle sequences are third-rate, the characters are one dimensional, and the script is very lame and predictable. The film's core point-of-view is a time-capsule for the Reagan Era paranoia of the evil red empire (Russia). Only thing worth watching in the film is the outdoor wilderness location shots, otherwise there is nothing that is remotely of value in this terrible John Milius film. If this reviewer was a wolverine, I would be very offended by this film.
A film which has almost the same premise and atmosphere, but is a way better film is THE POSTMAN with Kevin Costner.

Bad To The Bone
The words "great" and "classic" don't come to mind when considering this film."Moronic" and "stinky" do.Let's get this straight:A group of inexperienced teenagers with no military training whatsoever takes on crack Soviet and Cuban troops and fights them to a standstill.How'd those kids learn how to use captured Soviet artillery and rocket launchers?Did the weapons come with instructions on videotape?Did one of the kids read and speak fluent Russian?They're not just kids...they're Superkids.Truly amazing.This movie should be filed in the "fantasy" section in your local Best Buy because that's what it is.It's not even a good "what if" idea because the premise is so unbelievable.Why would the Russkies invade a big superpower of a country like the U.S. when they couldn't even conquer Afghanistan?Where were the Chinese in all of this?I'm sure they would have loved to get in on the action.Red Dawn is bad all around...bad premise,bad acting,bad direction and a bad script.I give it one star just for Powers Boothe, who plays the only semi-believable character in the whole film.

Wolverines!
This movie: Red Dawn, is a classic film. It is a film that every young man will love to watch and enjoy it wholeheartedly.

The script of the movie is creative. Communist Paratroopers have landed and are taking over. The regular soldiers are fighting them. However, the Russian communists have managed to land in many areas devoid of any regular American soldiers.

The movie depicts a slice of the bigger picture. The communist paratroopers land in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The adults are caught unaware and its upto few young teenagers to fight for their town(and country). They grab their rifles and head to the hills to wage a war against communist takeover.

There are some minor points in this film that made me give it 4 Stars instead of 5 Stars.

1.) The fighting scenes are unrealistic. It's hard to believe a few teenagers can take on such a large group of regular communist soldiers, again and AGAIN! It is true that it is just a movie but the movie that ads more realism to it becomes more suspensefull. The producer/director should have added few adults to the mix to make it more realistic and thrilling.

2.) The movie is somewhat like a comic book. There is not much depth to Action and some of the characters.

However, these two are just minor points. The movie gets 3 stars for a great storyline and another 1 for its memorable scene where a communist soldier takes away a brave man's gun from his cold dead fingers! and the bumper sticker behind the car is shown on the camera. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

DONT BUY - YOULL HATE IT
The 1 star was only in sympathy, this film was terrible - disqusting even. im a fan of Keanu reeves and kiefer sutherland but this movie was shabby; terrible acting, rubbish camera movements and a pathetic attempt of a story. Save your money for one of the stars decent films ... matrix i.e.

I saw this air originally on TV
I have seen this movie about 10 times. I remember when it originally aired on television and I loved it.Keanu was very young and a little chunky and Kiefer was sorta sexy. I actually have this movie on vhs from when I taped it off the television. This is not a fantastic masterpeice of film; however, if you are a die hard Keanu Reeves fan, you will like it. When I saw it on dvd,I immediately placed it on my wish list.

Keanu as A Vigilante
Thankfully, I got this DVD pretty cheap, cos I wouldn't have liked to buy it at full price. I got it as one of four - along with 'Along For The Ride', 'Across The Tracks' and 'Deadfall'. I never knew Brotherhood of Justice was a TV 'movie' until the credits started - you know how a TV movie always has those horrible credits? No wonder I couldn't find anything about it in cinema stuff.

It's your basic storyline: a few guys think they can rid their school of all the lowlifes and drug dealers and what not. They think they're the police. They take it upon themselves to do this, and it all goes horribly wrong.

Keanu Reeves is the main focus of the film, playing Derek. He has a girlfriend, and he seems to me, to be totally possessive of her. Having to see her during school, meet her for lunch, meet her after school, meet her after work . . . And then acts all jealous when she starts working with Kiefer Sutherland's character, who wouldn't be that much of a [danger], until Derek started acting [silly]. You could tell that relationship would go into meltdown pretty quickly.

Most of this film's actors were unknowns, though some of them went on to become big in the movie world. Billy Zane (who becomes the big head during Brotherhood of Justice) went on to star in the 'Back To The Future' trilogy, that film with Nicole Kidman 'Dead Calm', and played the snooty Cal Hockley in 'Titanic'. Kiefer Sutherland has made a name for himself recently, starring in the TV series '24'. And Keanu Reeves . . . Well; I could go on forever with him, couldn't I? He has starred in a few turkeys in his time, and has made a name for himself from movies such as 'Speed', 'Johnny Mnemonic', 'Matrix', 'A Walk In The Clouds', and the 'Bill & Ted' movies. You decide which ones were the turkeys!

Contrary to what SOME people say, Keanu Reeves is not "wooden" in all his films. Although, I'm sorry, to say, he is in this film. In his defence, it was one of his early films. He acts wooden, and his lines are just spoken without any emotion. And with that bad 80s haircut, and clothes . . .

This film isn't really worth watching, unless you're a big fan of Keanu Reeves. It won't be easy to find either, considering it's a TV movie, and is not well known.

If you like Keanu, you must buy this!!
Keanu gives a good early performance as the rich boy vigilante Derek, who never puts a foot wrong.

He's the high school joke, has a great girlfriend and life is sweet.

But for him and his gang of 'do gooders' that isn't enough. They want to rule the world and won't let anything stand in their way.

The end doesn't justify the means and they get caught in the end...

My favourite line is 'I don't mean to burst your bubble' when Derek's younger idealistic brother asks him if he's in 'The Brotherhood'. How the young look up to their elders

Kellye Joy is right in saying that youngsters should see this lesson is morals. It will give them a sense of right from wrong.

RETURNING VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE ONLY MAKES THINGS WORSE
If you have children, this would be a very good movie to teach them a lesson with.

Talented Keanu Reeves convincingly plays Derek, a quarterback and natural born leader of a group who later call themselves "The Brotherhood of Justice." They form after a senior high school meeting led by the Principal, discusses vandalism and thefts going on at their school. He doesn't realize he is doing it, but he's really what started this "mess" in the first place.

The "revenge" begins controlled. It actually makes sense at first; but violence just grows like a brush fire. Each "punishment" by the brotherhood gets more violent. Derek, played by Keanu, calls it stops and not a second too late.

The ending is very good; parents will be proud to see justice done. I recommend you sit down and watch this entire movie with your children, explaining and answering questions as the movie progresses. There are some excellent role models to watch; not only Keanu Reeves, but Lori Loughlin and Kiefer Sutherland as well.

"The Brotherhood of Justice" is rated M for mature audiences. Whether you're an adolescent, teen or adult (single or married); everyone can relate to and get something out of this movie. I highly recommend buying this one. ... Read more