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Bat★21

Bat★21

Action · War · Drama · 1988

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route.

Movie details

Bat★21

“Trapped behind enemy lines. A whole army after him... And only one man can save him.”

1988 Action · War · Drama 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Bat★21?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Peter Markle

Written by

William C. Anderson · George Gordon

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman

Lt. Col. Iceal Hambleton

Danny Glover

Danny Glover

Capt. Bartholomew Clark

Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed

Col. George Walker

David Marshall Grant

David Marshall Grant

Ross Carver

Clayton Rohner

Clayton Rohner

Sgt. Harley Rumbaugh

Erich Anderson

Erich Anderson

Major Jake Scott

J

Joe Dorsey

Col. Douglass

Court is in session

Put Bat★21 on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.