Did Plotz watch the same movie I did so long ago?

While it absolute did have patriotism in it, I don't remember the movie to have been particularly jingoistic or fascist. The accusation that the movie is fascist baffles me, I didn't detect any trace of that, except perhaps the fascist regime running the town after the invasion.

Plotz harps on and on about how the movie discredits the gun culture in this country. I question if he's actually ever lived in the west or the Rockies. People in small towns actually live that way - not because they worship guns but because it's practical.

My only advice to Plotz is this: you're a journalist, try real hard to leave your political baggage at the door when writing reviews.

I personally agree that linking Red Dawn to the American invasion of Iraq is a (long) stretch. I just recall the naiveté of Conservatives such as Dan Quayle who considered the move a Documentary, rather than a work of fiction.

What part of it is a stretch? The movie is about a group of normal people turning into freedom fighters when their home is invaded by a major military power. They fight back by employing all manner of guerilla tactics, including (from Wikipedia): "ambushes, sniper attacks, booby traps, guerrilla-style bombings...and raids on the occupiers' supply depots and convoys."

Granted, connecting this to our current situation in Iraq would seem to imply a particularly cynical view of our purposes for being there, which is likely due to the author's political orientation. But the connection itself seems fairly believable, and indeed Plotz isn't the first to suggest it: SNL's Weekend Update commented on the remake that Americans were unlikely to enjoy a film showing a group of guerillas overcoming a major military force.

There is a big difference between our actions in Iraq and the scene depicted in Red Dawn. That difference in my mind is that unlike Iraq, the Soviets had no intention of leaving after the violence had subsided.

America isn't going to stay in Iraq after it calms down. We intend to leave and let the Iraqi's govern. So I question what those "freedom fighters" in Iraq are fighting - to keep us there??? Not very idealistic if you ask me.