Red Dawn

Red Dawn
Original theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Directed byJohn Milius
Screenplay by
Story byKevin Reynolds
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRic Waite
Edited byThom Noble
Music byBasil Poledouris
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM/UA Entertainment Company
Release date
  • August 10, 1984 (1984-08-10)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Russian
Budget$17 million
Box office$38 million

Red Dawn is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius, from a screenplay co-written with Kevin Reynolds, and starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey, with supporting roles played by Ben Johnson, Darren Dalton, Harry Dean Stanton, Ron O'Neal, William Smith and Powers Boothe. Set during a fictional World War III between an increasingly isolated United States and the Soviet Union, the film follows a group of teenage guerrillas, known as the Wolverines, fighting against a Soviet-backed Latin American invasion force in Colorado.

Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film became a commercial success, grossing $38 million against a budget of $17 million. It was the first film to be released in the United States with a PG-13 rating under the modified rating system introduced on July 1, 1984. A remake was released in 2012.