10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Original ‘Red Dawn’

In 1984, director Stephen Spielberg suggested to the MPAA that they add a rating between R and PG, because too many films either traumatized kids with things they shouldn’t see or unfairly barred them from seeing certain films that they should be allowed to view. 'Red Dawn' was the first film to be released with the brand new PG-13 rating.

Guinness Book of Records determined that 'Red Dawn' contained the most violence in any film produced up until that time. They counted 134 acts of violence per hour, which is 2.23 per minute. To recognize this record, the Collector’s Edition DVD released in 2007 contains a “Carnage Counter” feature that keeps track of all the violent acts on screen.

All actors need to prepare before the camera starts to roll, but in addition to the process you would normally expect the actors on this film underwent intense physical preparations as well. Before filming began, the cast went through a realistic military training course for eight weeks.

A lot of times the attention for a movie is focused on the cast, but the hard working crew deserves equal praise for their behind the scenes work. The Soviet T-72 replica tank for 'Red Dawn' was so accurate that while it was being hauled to the studio, CIA officials followed it and then demanded to know where it came from.

The Soviet and Cuban invasion plot of the film was not a coincidental decision. The CIA and other forces had determined that at that time, those were the biggest United States vulnerabilities. The upcoming remake seems to follow a similar formula, with current United States foe North Korea acting as the invading force.

A movie about military invasion and guerrilla warfare is bound to have a high body count, but MGM demanded that it end on a positive note. At the end of 'Red Dawn,' a voiceover explains that the United States eventually won the war against the Soviets. Everybody loves a happy ending, but movie studios apparently insist on them.

Early roles in Charlie Sheen’s career bring 'Platoon' and 'Wall Street' to mind, but those wouldn’t be for another few years. His performance in 'Red Dawn' was actually his film debut. Unfortunately for Charlie Sheen, that’s not the most well known piece of trivia about him.

National Review Online compiled a list of “The Best Conservative Movies” and 'Red Dawn' is slotted in the 15th space. It says the movie displays “the truth that America is a place and an idea worth fighting and dying for will not be denied, not under a pile of left-wing critiques or even Red Dawn’s own melodramatic flaws.” (This same list has 'The Incredibles' as the #2 film, so think of that what you will.)

Years after its release, the movie still influences various aspects of pop culture. Several video games including Homefront, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Freedom Fighters are somewhat based on the movie in terms of their storyline, characters, and even references to the “Wolverines.” So even if you’ve never seen 'Red Dawn,' you may have played your way through it a couple of times.

Director John Milius was “deeply flattered and honored” that his film was chosen as the moniker for the 2003 mission that captured Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein. Army Captain Geoffrey McMurray chose the name Operation Red Dawn because “it was a patriotic, pro-American movie.”