| Director | Ted Kotcheff |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, drama film, war film |
| Runtime | 104 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Box office | $30.5 million |
In 1972, a group of American soldiers in South Vietnam flee to a helicopter landing zone while under fire. As one soldier is wounded, another picks him up, but they are left behind with a few others as the area comes under heavy fire. A helicopter carrying "Blaster", "Sailor" and Wilkes call out for their fellow soldiers as their helicopter departs.
A decade later, retired Marine Colonel Jason Rhodes is obsessed with finding his son Frank, an Army Lieutenant listed as "missing in action" since 1972. A ten year search of Southeast Asia has turned up several leads, convincing Rhodes that Frank is being kept in Laos as a prisoner of war.
After unsuccessfully petitioning the United States government for help, Colonel Rhodes brings together a disparate group of Vietnam War veterans, including three men who served in Frank's LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) unit "recon team Arizona" of the 1st battalion, 11th infantry, 196th infantry brigade. They include the three men who evacuated on the helicopter: demolitions expert "Blaster;" Wilkes, a tunnel rat who suffers from PTSD; and "Sailor," a troubled machine gunner. They're joined by two helicopter pilot acquaintances of Rhodes, Distinguished Flying Cross recipient Major Curtis Johnson, and a cropduster named Charts. Former Force Recon Marine Kevin Scott, a non-Vietnam vet, joins the team and later turns out to be the son of a pilot who went missing in action in Vietnam.
With the financial backing of good friend and rich oilman McGregor, whose son also went missing while serving in Frank's unit, the group trains near Galveston, Texas to prepare for the rescue mission at a remote POW camp in Laos. The team flies to Southeast Asia, but the CIA intercepts Rhodes in Bangkok. Fearing an international crisis, they confiscate his weapons and equipment. Undeterred, the team pools the expense money given by McGregor and purchases replacement weapons and supplies from black market arms dealer acquaintance of deposed drug baron Jiang, who joins the expedition with his two daughters, Lai Fun and Mai Lin. The team is rearmed with World War II-era weapons and sets out toward the location of the camp.
The group is soon attacked near the Laotian border by a border patrol unit and Mai Lin is killed. The team then splits up for the final assault. Rhodes leads Charts, Sailor, Johnson and Lai Fun as the "air team" to a helicopter compound to secure escape transportation, while Jiang, Blaster, Scott, and Wilkes scout the prison camp as the "ground team." After securing three helicopters, Rhodes and Charts are later shot down during the assault on the camp. They discover four Americans among the prisoners, but can't verify Frank's whereabouts. Blaster sets demolition charges outside the camp under cover of darkness. He later detonates them to prevent the prisoners from leaving the camp, sacrificing himself in the process. The prisoners are freed; among them McGregor's son, but Frank is not among them. Jiang is killed during the attack. When the surviving team and POWs withdraw to the remaining helicopter, the guards attempt to deploy a rocket launcher, but a mortally wounded Sailor pulls the pin on his grenade and jumps from a guard tower killing himself with the rocket crew. The helicopter escapes with Rhodes, Wilkes, Scott, Charts, Johnson, Lai Fun and all four liberated American POWs.
McGregor's son tells Rhodes, that Frank died of illness, despite his attempt to help him. It is revealed that Frank was the soldier who stopped to carry a wounded McGregor during the platoon's evacuation to the helicopters in 1972 (as seen in the opening scene). McGregor tells Rhodes that Frank saved his life that day.
The group returns to the U. S. to well-attended gathering with the press and families of the POWs. McGregor embraces his son, as other freed POWs receive welcomes from their families. Finally finding closure about Frank, Rhodes embraces his wife.