‘American Insurrection’ Looks Like a Reverse ‘Red Dawn’

The 1984 movie classic “Red Dawn” has inspired generations of Americans to believe that our freedom can be preserved only by well-armed, patriotic civilians who can step up in the face of government and military incompetence against enemies foreign and domestic.

The trailer for the upcoming movie “American Insurrection” suggests what the United States might look like if those self-styled patriots got it together and put themselves in a position to run things here on the home front.

It’s a movie made by a group of relative unknowns, writers, actors and a director who are looking for their big breaks. The trailer shows how committed they are to this story.

“America Insurrection” will be available via digital, on demand and opening in theaters on Oct. 8, 2021. Theaters may not be in full swing then if the COVID-19 Delta variant is still on the rampage, but this movie looks like one best enjoyed with a rowdy audience shouting back at the screen.

Of course, the fantasy of a real-life militia takeover usually ends with the American public being awed by the focus and power of the civilian heroes, gratefully accepting their leadership and definitions of patriotism.

And yet, there’s always resistance. “American Insurrection” seems to focus on a rainbow coalition of citizens who don’t share the values of the orange vest-wearing white guys who have taken control.

They want to see your papers, and they’re branding people who refuse to get with their program. Those who aren’t with the program seem to include feminists, gay couples, Muslims and urban hipsters.

Is this a movie designed to appeal to militia fantasies that so-called Antifa forces are prepared to fight back? Or will it appeal to progressive fantasies about fighting back against rising militia violence?

Maybe it’s just a low-budget movie that’s using current events as a hook to tell a standard-issue revenge and resistance story, and there’s no definite political perspective here. The militia guys look pretty scary, but so do the resisters.

Will the military intervene in this movie’s fictional universe? If not, who will win the struggle? We’ll have to wait until the movie’s release this fall to find out.

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