Fighting On Film

Uncommon Valor (1983) - Mercenary Month 2!

This week Gene Hackman assembles a team of Vietnam veterans to rescue his son from a POW camp in Laos. In the penultimate instalment of Merc Month 2. This beloved film is a hybrid of the Vietnam and mercenary genres, written by Wings Hauser and produced by John Milius it has a great ensemble cast including Patrick Swayze, Fred Ward, Robert Stack, and Reb Brown. Join us for a real classic. 
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Mercenary Fighters (1988) - Mercenary Month 2!

We continue Merc Month 2 with another Cannon Films classic - 1988's 'Mercenary Fighters'. Starring Peter Fonda, as a no-nonsense mercenary leader, Ron O'Neal as an experienced helicopter pilot and Reb Brown as a hard fighting merc that has a change of heart. Directed by Riki Shelach Nissimoff the film follows an ensemble mercenary team tasked with forcing local people from their homes to make way for a new hydroelectric dam.
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Universal Soldier (1971) - Mercenary Month 2!

 
This week Merc Month 2 continues with 1971's 'Universal Soldier'. Starring George Lazenby as Ryker, a mercenary turned weapons consultant, as he prepares to embark on a new mission after a few years out of the game but as the mission approaches he has a miraculous change of heart which sees Ryker submerge himself in London's counterculture scene. 
Directed by Cy Endfield, of 'Zulu' fame, this independent film is truly one of the most bizarre pieces of cinema we have covered on the show. Strap in for a wild ride that features machine guns, Wipmy burger bars arms dealers & frisbees! 
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The Professionals (1966) - Mercenary Month 2!

We begin our second edition of Mercenary Month with Richard Brooks's classic 'The Professionals'! Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin head up an all-star cast who are sent to rescue a railroad magnate's wife from the clutches of a Mexican bandit in the dying days of the Old West. But all is not as it seems!
A classic western with great shootouts and set pieces the film, 'The Professionals' is one of the giants of the genre and is perfect to kick off our month of Mercenary films. Merc month is back!
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Cyborgs - Heroes Never Die (2017)

To mark the one year anniversary of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, we look at the 2017 Ukrainian film 'Cyborgs'. The film shows the hard-fought battle for Donetsk International Airport in 2014.
The cast of Ukrainian troops hold the terminal from Separatist forces in a film that tries to come to terms with the war in Donbas through not only firefights but also its dialogue and attempts to explain the reasoning for the conflict itself. 
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Platoon Leader (1988)

'Platoon Leader' is a Cannon Films production that attempted to cash in on the glut of 80s Vietnam War films that saw films like Platoon (1986), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Hamburger Hill (1987) flourish. Directed by Aaron Norris 'Platoon Leader' features the skilled cinematography of Arthur Wooster and a strong cast of TV actors while Micheal Dudikoff plays the lead, LT. Knight, who is sent to a remote firebase to whip up a jaded and rag-tag bunch of G.I.s protecting a pro-American Vietnamese village.
Does the film hit the heights of the films it tries to emulate or should this film remain in the back catalog of bad mockbuster cash-ins?  Join us to find out.
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The Red Beret (1953) ft. Mark Urban

We stand in the doorway of the transport plane and wait for the red jump light as we cover 1953's 'The Red Beret', we're joined this week by journalist and historian Mark Urban, writer of the recent 'Red Devils' that charts the history of the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War. 
Alan Ladd stars along side British war movie stalwarts Leo Genn, Harry Andrews, Donald Houston and Stanley Baker in this Technicolour tale that shows the Bruneval Raid among other airborne exploits. Does Ladd stick the landing? Join us to find out!
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Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)

This week we trek across the Cretan mountains with Dirk Bogarde and co as we review 1957s 'Ill Met by Moonlight' from the illustrious filmmaking duo - Powell and Pressburger. Filmed in the golden era of the British War film the film follows the audacious kidnapping of a German general. Does the picture evoke the previous works of the famous directing duo or is this one undercooked?
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The Wind and the Lion (1975)

This week we look at the John Milius epic tale of diplomacy versus military intervention in the early 1900s as Sean Connery's Raisui kidnaps an American citizen, will the troops be called in or will politics save the day?
The Wind and Lion is in the style of a 40s/50s epic with great turns from Connery, Bergen, and Brian Kieth as an uncanny Roosevelt lookalike in Milius's second feature.
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Tropic Thunder (2008)

In 2008 A group of self-absorbed and washed-up actors find themselves lost in the Vietnamese jungle while filming one of the most expensive war movies ever put into production.  
In the first episode of 2023, we look back at the war movie comedy hybrid 'Tropic Thunder'. Ben Stiller stars and directs a film that not only lampoons the War movie genre but the Hollywood Studio system itself. Still helms a strong cast that includes Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise and Nick Nolte! Strap in as we talk controversy, comedy and DVD extras!
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FoF Review of the year 2022!

Happy New Year! We take a moment to look back at all the films and specials released in 2022 on FoF. From 'Nine Men' to 'Where Eagles Dare'! 
Thanks to all who listened and supported our show and here's to 2023!
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Where Eagles Dare (1968) ft. Geoff Dyer

Zip up your parkas, load your MP40s and prepare for the Fighting On Film Christmas Special! We're joined by author Geoff Dyer, author of 'Broadsword Calling Danny Boy' (2018) to discuss one of the most iconic men-on-a-mission war films ever made: Where Eagles Dare!
Directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring an incredible cast including Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, Mary Ure, Ingrid Pitt, Donald Houston, Peter Barkworth, Robert Beatty, Anton Diffring and Derren Nesbitt. The film follows the twists and turns of an epic SOE mission to uncover a mole through one of the most rip-roaring commando missions ever to grace the silver screen.