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ERA
Did you know
42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Red Dawn
"In our time, no foreign army has ever occupied American soil. Until now."
1984 1h 54m EN
😐
6.3
MID
★6.3TMDB · 928
ThrillerWarDrama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers band together to defend their town—and their country—from invading Soviet forces.
“In our time, no foreign army has ever occupied American soil. Until now.”
Cast
Patrick Swayze
Jed
Charlie Sheen
Matt
C. Thomas Howell
Robert
Lea Thompson
Erica
Darren Dalton
Daryl
Jennifer Grey
Toni
Powers Boothe
Andy
Brad Savage
Danny
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- John Milius
- Writers
- John Milius, Kevin Reynolds, Kevin Reynolds
- Languages
- English, Russian, Spanish
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Russian, Spanish.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by John Milius, shot by Ric Waite. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "In our time, no foreign army has ever occupied American soil. Until now.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0087985 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
John Milius directs. Ric Waite behind the camera. Basil Poledouris scores. Thom Noble cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Russian, Spanish.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Russian, Spanish.
- 3Directed by John Milius, shot by Ric Waite. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Basil Poledouris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "In our time, no foreign army has ever occupied American soil. Until now.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0087985 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 11 themes, including "guerrilla warfare", "future", "fight", "colorado".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Ric Waite
- Original score
- Basil Poledouris
- Editing
- Thom Noble
- Production design
- Jackson De Govia
- Makeup / hair
- Lance Anderson
- Sound
- Michael J. Kohut
- Stunt coordinator
- Terry Leonard
- Runtime
- 114 min · 1h 54m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $17,000,000
- Box office
- $38,400,000
- Return
- 226% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG-13
- IMDB
- Red Dawn (1984)
Also by
John Milius
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Gimly★ 5/10
Oh you've gotta see Red Dawn.... It's not particularly good, but you've got to see it. Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal.
Production companies
Who made it
United Artists
US
- SI
Sidney Beckerman Productions
US
- VA
Valkyrie Films
Key crew
- ProducerBarry Beckerman
- ProducerBuzz Feitshans
- EditorThom Noble
- Executive ProducerSidney Beckerman
- CastingJane Jenkins
- CastingJanet Hirshenson
- Unit Production ManagerElliot Schick
- First Assistant DirectorArne Schmidt
- Second Assistant DirectorJim Behnke
- Stunt CoordinatorTerry Leonard
- Second Unit DirectorTerry Leonard
- Art DirectionVincent M. Cresciman
- Set DecorationLowell Chambers
- Assistant Art DirectorAdrian Gorton
- Set DesignerBrandy Alexander
- Second Unit Director of PhotographyFrederick Elmes
- Makeup ArtistLance Anderson
- Makeup ArtistWes Dawn
- HairstylistLola 'Skip' McNalley
- Costume SupervisorGeorge L. Little
- CostumerDan Chichester
- CostumerJulie Starr Dresner
- Additional CastingJoseph D'Agosta
- Property MasterDennis J. Parrish
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- guerrilla warfare
- future
- fight
- colorado
- invasion
- anti-communism
- fighting
- school shooting
- red army
- political thriller
- town
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1984-08-10PG-13
- Physical1992-09-19PG-13· MGM/UA Home Video #M800499 [𝐕𝐇𝐒📼] 𝟭𝟭𝟰 mínutєѕ
Also known as
International titles
- wakaki yuusya tachiJP
- سحرگاه سرخIR
- Η Κόκκινη ΑυγήGR
- Amanhecer ViolentoBR
