58
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Washington PostRita KempleyWashington PostRita KempleyWith both left and right wings flapping, it is a dandy thriller for political moderates... It's smart, but not too smart, like a Chuck Norris movie if Chuck got a PhD.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinIt's hard to imagine what the film might have been with anyone other than Mr. Hackman in this role, for this actor's quintessential decency and ordinariness have never seemed more affecting. It's precisely the lack of bravado in Hambleton that makes him an interesting character, and a poignant anti-Rambo.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertBAT*21 was shot on location in Malaysia, however, and it looks authentic and gets us involved through the energy of its performances.
- Director Peter Markle, whose credits include TV documentaries and commercials as well as "Young Blood," has taken pains to make this a craftsmanlike production, shot in Malaysia, full of laborious attention to detail and enterprising stunt flying. Regrettably, the script doesn`t fly quite as smoothly.
- 63Miami HeraldMiami HeraldWhat we have here is a solid war story with excellent performances, but a largely superficial look at Vietnam's atrocities. If Bat 21 says anything, it's that Hollywood is reluctant to release any more pure-action Vietnam pictures. However thin, there must be some message to the madness. [21 Oct 1988, p.E8]
- 60Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasFor all the serious efforts on the part of all involved, Bat 21 (rated R for the usual war-film bloodshed) doesn't rise above the routine.
- 60TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineHackman turns in his usual solid performance, and Glover is strong as the pilot who develops a deep empathy for the officer, although the device of having the men interact almost entirely by radio limits development of their relationship.
- 50Time OutTime OutCertain scenes achieve a genuine tension, as when Hackman has to watch a captured chopper pilot sent into a waterlogged minefield by NVA soldiers; but this is immediately undercut by a retaliatory bombing raid that destroys a camouflaged NVA hideout, regardless of civilian casualties. Like the film as a whole, such scenes elicit sympathy more for the tacitly guilty Hackman than for the innocent victims.
- 30Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumWell-acted but otherwise conventional war hokum.