“Red Dawn” is a 1984 American action-war film directed by John Milius and starring Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Jennifer Grey. The movie tells the story of a group of teenagers in a small town in Colorado who fight against a Soviet invasion of the United States.

The idea for the movie was developed by John Milius and Kevin Reynolds, who both wrote the screenplay. Milius was inspired by a dream he had where the United States was invaded by the Soviet Union, and he decided to turn the concept into a movie. The title “Red Dawn” refers to the military code name for the invasion.

The movie was controversial from the outset due to its portrayal of a Soviet invasion of the United States, which was seen as politically charged during the Cold War. However, Milius and the producers were determined to make the movie, and they raised the $17 million budget from independent investors.

Filming took place in various locations across New Mexico and Colorado, with the town of Las Vegas, New Mexico standing in for the movie’s fictional town of Calumet, Colorado. The cast, which included several up-and-coming young actors, underwent intense military training to prepare for their roles as guerrilla fighters.

When “Red Dawn” was released in August 1984, it received mixed reviews from critics, but it was a commercial success, grossing over $38 million at the box office. The movie also became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring numerous parodies and references in popular culture.

Despite its initial success, “Red Dawn” faced renewed controversy in the years following its release. In 2012, a remake of the movie was released, with North Korea replacing the Soviet Union as the invading force. However, the original movie remains a landmark of 1980s cinema, both for its depiction of a hypothetical Soviet invasion and for its portrayal of American youth fighting against an enemy.