jonathanruano Three Navy seals successfully complete their mission in international waters off the coast of North Korea, but are captured by the North Koreans and charged with espionage. They could be executed. Back on a U.S. base in South Korea are the children of the five seals, JJ Merrill (Kevin Dillon), Shawn Howard (Ned Vaughn) and Adrian Phillips (Christine Harnos) who decided to rescue their dads after the U.S. president decides that the rescue mission, called Operation Phoenix, is not practicable. They steal the plans for Operation Phoenix, steal a speed boat and then embark on an all-night journey to North Korea. Max (Marc Price) inadvertently tags along as does Shawn's little brother. Now obviously the plot of "The Rescue" is preposterous and predictable, but it is also a lot of fun to watch. The cinematography often looks great that, unless you did not know better, you would think they were filming this movie in North Korea. The energy and enthusiasm of the actors, who seem to have as much fun playing their roles as we have watching them, does often seem silly, but it gives a whole new life to the script and the film. Also unarmed kids staging their own rescue mission inside North Korea is an inherently fun idea that plays off of wholesome notions, like the bond between children and their parents. If you have a few drinks in you and are looking for some light entertainment or if you are below the age of 10, then this film is probably the right one for you.

enochbrandon I saw this in the theater when it came out and it made a big impression on me that lasts until today. I have long searched to find in on DVD and will buy it when I can. I thought that this movie was one of the best released in the eighties dealing with this subject. The characters are the kind of kid's that you'd like to hang out with and you are not unwilling to suspend disbelief for a short time and have good entertainment. The plot, the characters, and the material are all well thought out and put in place. The shooting is well executed and, now living in Korea, the locales are perfectly representative of the North. The director and the production designers did their job well and you can tell that this was not a "slapdash" movie like Haunted Mansion or the minions of other rush jobs Disney and their partners have put out recently. The differences between the North and South in this movie should not be overlooked. The tensions between the two countries have never been higher and I think that with the current political scene the action takes on a lot more meaning.

jenniferparton I remember watching this movie as a kid. My bother was only 6 and he watched it over and over and over. He is 20 now and knows the movie word for word. I have a five year old and am trying to locate a copy of this movie so he can enjoy it as I have. Family friendly, yet exciting enough even for the most action involved fanatic. Watching this movie is like reading a good book; you just cannot put it down. You are pulled into the story and plot line and kept eyes wide open through the whole thing. No matter how many times you have watched it you have to pause the movie to go to the restroom so as not to miss a thing. Suspense, action, comedy, romance, yet clean. Why can't the movie industry make more movies like this today!

defstar82 This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I saw it on the Disney channel, and although I didn't completely understand the war ethics of the movie, it was about these kids who have a plan to save their dads, who are prisoners of war. Their fathers were captured by North Koreans while fighting on the side of South Koreans. A rescue mission is planned, and then thrown out, so the kids decided to take it into their own hands. The movie is highly unrealistic, but I always enjoyed it every time I watched it as a kid.