''The Rescue'' is a 1988 American

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

about a group of teenagers who infiltrate a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n prison to rescue their

Navy SEAL The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

fathers. It was written by Michael J. Henderson, Jim Thomas, and John Thomas, produced by

Laura Ziskin Laura Ellen ZiskinGale Research Company (2002). ''Contemporary theatre, film, and television,'' p. 388. Gale Research Co., (March 3, 1950 – June 12, 2011) was an American film producer. She was the executive producer of '' Pretty Woman'' (1990 ...

, and directed by Ferdinand Fairfax. The film stars Kevin Dillon, Ned Vaughn, Marc Price,

Charles Haid Charles Maurice Haid III (born June 2, 1943) is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in ''Hill Street Blues''. Formative years Haid ...

, Christine Harnos, Ian Giatti, and

James Cromwell James Oliver Cromwell (born January 27, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his extensive work as a character actor, he has received a Primetime Emmy Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Babe'' ( ...

Plot

At a U.S. military base in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, news breaks that a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

submarine has become disabled in international waters near North Korea. A team of four

Navy SEALS The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

travels to the underwater site of the sub, rescues the captain, and lays explosives. The SEALS' raft is intercepted by a North Korean helicopter just as the explosives detonate and they are imprisoned in a North Korean fortress. On the base, the SEALS' children watch news of their fathers' trial for espionage. Learning that a rescue mission is being planned, electronics whiz Max plants a listening bug in a conference room so that he and his friends Shawn and Adrian, whose fathers are among the captured soldiers, can listen in via radio. In the meeting, a rescue mission is proposed, code-named "Operation Phoenix," involving infiltration of the North Korean base to rescue the SEALS. Unwilling to risk aggravation of North Korea and its allies, the Secretary of State dismisses the plan. Shawn gives a tape of the meeting to J.J. Merrill, a rebellious teenager whose father was also on the captured SEAL team. J.J. proposes that they carry out the mission themselves. Shawn and Max secretly copy the operation plans. Max smuggles the team off the base to the harbor where they are forced to steal a boat. In the chaos, they find that Shawn's little brother Bobby has stowed away with them. Shortly after, the group evades a patrol boat and enters North Korean waters. In the village of Sang-Ri, near the fortress where the SEALS are held, the teens locate the hideout of Col. Kim Song of South Korean Intelligence, who was intended to assist with Operation Phoenix. He is impressed with their bravery, but says that they have no chance without American Special Forces. He plans to escort them back home to safety. That night, the teens sneak out and continue on foot to the fortress. Travelling through a well and sewer system, they find a stash of smoke canisters and grenades then enter the base. Shawn and Max set off fireworks found on the base, originally intended for a "

Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also called Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

" celebration, to create a diversion while J.J. frees the SEALS. Kim Song and his men show up at the base in disguise and aid the group in fighting its way out and back down the well. They slide down a long drain pipe and end up back in the village. They drive to an airfield and secure a

Bristol Freighter The Bristol Type 170 Freighter is a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner. Its best known use was as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively s ...

, which Adrian's father pilots. Kim Song stays behind to hold off the North Koreans and give them time to take off. The plane crosses the border back into South Korea. The South Korean base scrambles fighter jets to intercept, fearing the plane is an intruder from the North. Bobby sticks out of the top hatch of the plane and flashes his

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

'' Born in The USA'' concert T-shirt, identifying the passengers as American to the fighter jets. Approaching the runway at the base, the plane runs out of fuel, but Lt. Phillips is still able to make a safe landing. Triumphant, the group exits the plane and reunites with their families.

Cast

* Kevin Dillon - J.J. Merrill * Christine Harnos - Adrian Phillips *

- Admiral Rothman * Ned Vaughn - Shawn Howard *

Edward Albert Edward Laurence Albert (February 20, 1951 – September 22, 2006) was an American actor. The son of actor Eddie Albert and Mexican actress Margo, he starred opposite Goldie Hawn in ''Butterflies Are Free'' (1972), a role for which he won a ...

- Commander Merrill * Ellen Barber - Virginia Phillips *

Timothy Carhart Timothy Carhart (born December 24, 1953) is an American actor. He starred in the CBS drama '' Island Son'' (1989–90) and has had recurring roles in '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–03) and '' 24'' (2002). He also starred in the 19 ...

- Lt. Phillips * Anne E. Curry - Sybil Howard * Ian Michael Giatti - Bobby Howard * Lorry Goldman - Secretary Gates * Wendy Gordon - Newscaster *

- Commander Howard * Rocky Wing Cheung Ho - Cell Guard * Sal Mazzotta - Dino * Tom Nelson - Captain Stillman *

Stephen Ng Stephen Tin-hoi Ng ( Chinese:吳天海) (born 1953 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong entrepreneur, who is the chairman and the managing director of the Wharf (Holdings) Limited. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of i-Cable Communications. ...

- Kim Song Man 1 * Norman Palacio - Gate Guard

Soundtrack

In 2014, Intrada Records released a CD of the score composed and conducted by

Bruce Broughton Bruce Harold Broughton (born March 8, 1945) is an American orchestral composer of television, film, and video game scores and concert works. He has composed several highly acclaimed soundtracks over his extensive career and has contributed many ...

. # Main Title (4:31) # Diving SEALS (1:02) # Underwater Rescue (3:41) # News (0:53) # J.J. (1:18) # Nightwork (2:28) # Preparations (3:18) # The Boat (2:53) # Move It! (0:42) # At the Border (0:55) # Boat Chase (5:57) # Into Korea More (3:55) # The Monitor (0:57) # Dejected (1:06) # To the Prison (7:03) # Spooling Around (0:53) # The Rescue Begins (6:26) # The Rescue (7:16) # The Plane! The Plane! (6:42) # The Landing and End Credits (5:03) # J.J. (Alternate) (0:53) # Armed Forces Radio (1:39) # Almost Ready (Source) (2:23)

Reception

The picture was a flop, both commercially and critically. It earned slightly under $6 million at the box office, less than half its budget. Film critic and historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

described it as "...Dumb and obnoxious, just like its teenage leads, who really do

Rambo Rambo may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *John Rambo, the main character from the ''Rambo'' franchise * Mary Rambo, female character in '' Invisible Man'' Films * ''Rambo'' (franchise), starring Sylvester St ...

proud in the crunch; recommended only for the undiscriminating 12-year-old boys at whom it's targeted."

Film locations

Primary photography took place in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Airbase sequences were filmed at RNZAF Base Whenuapai and the former RNZAF Base Hobsonville in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. Jetboat scene filmed on the

Shotover River The Shotover River () is located in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. The name correctly suggests that this long river is fast flowing, with numerous rapids. The river flows generally south from the Southern Alps on its jour ...

near Queenstown and in other scenic locations around New Zealand filling in for South and North Korea. The building in which the hostage scene was shot is still visible near Queenstown.

Film aircraft

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

Douglas A-4 Skyhawk The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company, and later, McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D und ...

's from 75 Squadron RNZAF were used for Airbase ground scenes and with a

in the climatic escape scene. The RNZAF Skyhawks were repainted in

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

colour markings for the film.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rescue, The 1988 films 1980s adventure films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s prison films American adventure films Films about United States Navy SEALs Films directed by Ferdinand Fairfax Films produced by Laura Ziskin Films scored by Bruce Broughton Films set in North Korea Films set in South Korea Films shot in New Zealand Films with screenplays by Jim Thomas (screenwriter) Films with screenplays by John Thomas (screenwriter) Touchstone Pictures films English-language crime films English-language adventure films