The Hunt for Eagle One is essentially a modern day version of Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, set against the backdrop of the War on Terror. Spike Lee mainstay Theresa Randle plays a Marine aviator shot down by Philippine rebels, and taken hostage by their leader, the evil Abubaker (I think they meant Abu Baker, named for the Prophet Mohammed's close friend and the first of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs in Sunni Islam). Mark Dacascos plays the Marine who's sent to lead a team in to get her out. Rutger Hauer plays the US military general helping the Philippine government deal with the insurgents in the south, insurgents that are aided by al-Qaeda.
As I said before, the film is essentially The Hidden Fortress, which makes Randle's character the damsel in distress. I think the film makers intended to have her be a battle hardened soldier like Dacascos' character, but it doesn't wash. She's a princess in battle fatigues that can handle a gun--a Princess Laia, if you will.
This is a solid military film. If you or someone you know suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, be careful watching this, because the sound is very realistic, especially the gun shots and explosions. I really can't see, other than the cast and its direct to video status, what makes this film better or worse than say Tears of the Sun or We Were Soldiers.
On the other hand, this is a very monolithic war film, much like the anti-communist films of the past. There is no gray area here: we are forced to root for Dacascos because the rebel leader is so evil. It's difficult to watch as he beats and electrocutes Randle to try and get information out of her. In a year where Clint Eastwood gave us a much more holistic and sobering view of war in his two films, The Hunt for Eagle One comes off as extremely trite and John Wayne-ish. We have the heroic Dacascos saving the damsel Randle from the evil al-Qaeda. I mean, this was so ludicrous, none of the bad guys were listed in the end credits before the good guys, including people with a lot of screen time like Abubaker. I was surprised Jack Abramoff didn't produce this, a la Dolph's Red Scorpion.
The Rutger Hauer factor is a very interesting ingredient. Unlike Klaus Kinski's small roles in myriad films, where he always gives us a solid, professional performance that we can contrast against the poorer actors; in this, we can see Rutger Hauer dip his pen in the ink well, write his role on a page in a kitschy Gothic script, fold it neatly, place it in an envelope, melt some red wax on the back, write the address of the film on the front, stick a first class stamp on it, and mail it in. I don't even know if he read the script more than ten minutes before they shot. We can almost see him rolling his eyes at the director.
From the Dacascos standpoint, this doesn't compare to Drive, Kickboxer 5, his Crow work, or his Iron Chef America work. He's good in it, but the role is pretty standard schlock hero faire. Also, I think Randle thought maybe she was signing on to play a tough military woman, as opposed to a helpless damsel in distress. I feel like I would've been less disappointed in it if it was made for the big screen with actors like Mel Gibson or Nicholas Cage, because at least then I would've understood it being so paint-by-numbers.
The final verdict: if you've got a Republican party fundraising dinner or hunting trip scheduled, this will go over well. Now I'm not saying I can't get behind a good propaganda flick, because I loved Red Scorpion and Henry V, but I just need a little more nuance or silliness--one or the other. The Rutger Hauer and Mark Dacascos help, but they don't make up for Theresa Randle being tortured, or the straight, simple evilness of the rebels.
For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486597/
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