The Hunt for Eagle One (2006) (V)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Brian Clyde

Writers (WGA):

Michael Henry Carter (written by)
Michael Henry Carter (characters)

Release Date:

17 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | War

Tagline:

The only thing harder than combat is rescue.

Plot:

A group of US Marines are sent to rescue captured a US Marine and a Filipino Captain while stopping a group of Al-Qaeda-backed local rebels from launching biological weapons. |

Plot Keywords:

Marine | Filipino | Rebel | Biological Weapon | Captain

Cast

Mark Dacascos	...	Lt. Matt Daniels
Theresa Randle	...	Capt. Amy Jennings
Rutger Hauer	...	Gen. Frank Lewis
Joe Suba	...	Capt. Seth Cooper
Zach McGowan	...	Spec. Hank Jackson
Joe Fozzy	...	Spec. Jeff Parker
Rey Malonzo	...	Lt. Narcisco Montalvo
Ricardo Cepeda	...	Maj. Aginaldo
Joe Mari Avellana	...	Gen. Romero Panlilio (as Jose Mari Avellana)
Ronald Asinas	...	Sgt. Tonito Bangayan
Robert Escutin	...	Cpl. J.P. Daomilas
Jerry Corpuz	...	Pvt. Amador Magtuto (as Jerry Corpus)
Troy de Guzman	...	Pvt. Marvello Abaya
Reiven Bulado	...	Pvt. Don Tubayan (as Raiven Bulado)
Joel Giray	...	Pvt. Benito Duran

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and brief language.

Runtime:

Argentina:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Tagalog | Filipino

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Argentina:Atp | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Philippines

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the movie, the phrase: "Bearing three-niner-five," is heard. There is no such thing as bearing 395.

Quotes:

Capt. Amy Jennings: God bless Ameri... ouch!
[She gets punched by the angry interrogator]

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point (2006) (V)

It's not Hollywood but it looks real....

I think we have been used to seeing a lot of Hollywood films with its big budgets, flashy PR and amazing special effects that we sometimes fail to appreciate the beautiful simplicity of other films.

Of course the "The Hunt for Eagle One" is not without its faults, too many in fact such as inaccurate translation of the Filipino language, and bad acting but then again, if you read the cast list at the end of the movie, there are only a handful of real actors, both American and Filipino in the movie. The majority are actual members of the military from the US and Philippine Marines which I think lends to the realism of the film. I'm former US military so I may be a little biased ;) The movie is set in the jungle where technology and air power is of no use. It's a simple movie about the simple realism of jungle warfare in Southeast Asia where battles are fought by the grunt hoofing his way through the thick vegetation with only a rifle and minimal supplies for a long range patrol and with no effective air support and minimal logistical support due to the impassable terrain. Also, it is an accurate movie about a handful of US military advisors embedded with the Philippine military who are not as technologically equipped as their American counterparts.

There's not enough drama in this film for plot development and sometimes, that's the way I like it... less drama and more shooting. This movie definitely has a lot of shooting. The basic no frills firefight is what I want to see when watching a war flick. The way everyone maneuvers seems very real to me and Mark Dacascos plays a good Marine Lt.

The way the terrorists were portrayed was accurate as well. They're not the fumbling and poorly trained irregulars as they are typically played by Hollywood. Both Philippine military and rebels alike have been fighting since the 1950's and both groups share the same level of combat experience.

Basically, it's not "Hollywood" but it's "Real" so I like it....