Verdict
Summary
From Ted Kotcheff the year after he did First Blood, Uncommon Valor is almost equally good with a “guys on a mission” plot, well executed action, emotionally powerful performances from everyone, with Hackman anchoring the film with his grounded presence and performance. The score by James Horner is solid, and this is a winner of a movie in every way, giving a little closure to a war we lost. The film still hits hard, and how can you lose with this amazing cast of men?
Plot:
A clandestine, off-the-books rescue mission is undertaken to rescue some POW’s in Vietnam.
Review:
Korean War veteran Marine Colonel Jason Rhodes (Gene Hackman) is haunted by the fact that his son never came home from Vietnam and is still – in 1977 – considered MIA (Missing in Action). Instead of sitting around and just waiting to hear more silence, he convinces a friend (played by Robert Stack) whose own son is also MIA in Vietnam to fund a clandestine mission, which Rhodes will lead, to try to rescue their sons who are presumably being held in a Viet Cong concentration camp and bring them back home. Rhodes must also convince his son’s old squad of commandos – Blaster (Reb Brown), Wilkes (Fred Ward), Sailor (Randall “Tex” Cob), Johnson (Harold Sylvester), Charts (Tim Thomerson), and a newbie named Scott (Patrick Swayze) to join the mission. Once everyone is on board, they’re all taken to a training camp where they’re all thrown into boot camp (again) to train for the mission. After several weeks, they head straight to Bangkok and make their way to Laos and through the jungles to get as much intel as they can (and some allies as well) before they find the concentration camp where the mission will take place. The men will show “uncommon valor” in their attempt to bring some American boys back home.
From Ted Kotcheff the year after he did First Blood, Uncommon Valor is almost equally good with a “guys on a mission” plot, well executed action, emotionally powerful performances from everyone, with Hackman anchoring the film with his grounded presence and performance. The score by James Horner is solid, and this is a winner of a movie in every way, giving a little closure to a war we lost. The film still hits hard, and how can you lose with this amazing cast of men?
Kino Lorber brings Uncommon Valor to 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray in a two-disc combo pack. The film has simply never looked or sounded better in a miraculous looking 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. there are two audio commentaries, an interview with Reb Brown, and another one with Harold Sylvester, plus the trailer and a slipcover.
