Flight of the Intruder

On September 10, 1972, an American A-6 "Intruder" aircraft, piloted by Lieutenant Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton (Brad Johnson), bombs a non-strategic target in Vietnam. While flying at low altitude to avoid enemy radar, bombardier Lieutenant Morgan "Morg" McPherson (Christopher Rich) is struck by gunfire from an armed peasant. Hoping to save his comrade, Jake returns the plane to the aircraft carrier, Independence, but Morgan is already dead. The next day, Jake writes a letter to Morgan's wife, admitting that her husband's death was needless. Meanwhile, new recruit Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack "Razor" Barlow (Jared Chandler), and Lieutenant Commander Virgil Cole (Willem Dafoe), a veteran on his third tour of duty, join the crew. During a private meeting with Razor, Commander Frank Camparelli (Danny Glover) warns that, despite his African-American appearance, he is "third-generation mafia," and not a man to be trifled with. Aware of Virgil Cole's notoriety among Navy pilots, Camparelli cautions him to be on his best behavior. Elsewhere on the ship, Jake discusses the rumored stockpile of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) in Hanoi, North Vietnam, with Guffy (Douglas Roberts), who maps bombing targets. While Guffy does not deny the rumor, he reminds Jake that attacks on the enemy capital have been forbidden throughout the history of the war. Later, Virgil, Razor, Jake, and a pilot named Boxman (Tom Sizemore) spend the evening at a naval base in the Philippine Islands. Jake visits the McPherson home to find war widow Callie Joy (Rosanna Arquette) packing the family's possessions. She cynically assumes Jake is making a courtesy call on behalf of his superiors, until he explains his close friendship with Morgan. That evening, the airmen attend a disreputable saloon, where they brawl with a group of belligerent merchant seamen. After evading arrest, Jake meets Callie at the officers' club, where they dance until closing, then retire to her home to make love. Jake spends the following day with Callie and her young daughter before returning to the ship. When Virgil is assigned as Jake's new bombardier, the pilot suggests an unauthorized raid on Hanoi. Virgil appreciates Jake's intentions, but discourages the idea, certain that it would result in a courts martial. However, during their next mission, Boxman is killed by a SAM, and Virgil agrees to Jake's plan. While viewing newsreel footage from Hanoi, they notice a number of SAMs on display in the background. Their research is interrupted by Guffy, the phantom prankster who has been leaving excrement in the executive officers' quarters. In exchange for Jake and Virgil's silence, Guffy reveals the exact location of the missiles. Following their next mission, Jake and Virgil take a detour to Hanoi and destroy the stockpile. The North Vietnamese government issues a false statement, saying the raid destroyed a children's hospital, and Camparelli berates the airmen for compromising peace negotiations. At the ensuing inquiry, Virgil takes a flippant attitude, declaring the war a pointless endeavor. Jake defends his actions, believing he saved American lives, and is ready to accept the consequences. However, when President Richard Nixon orders "unrestricted bombing of all military targets in North Vietnam," charges are dropped against Jake and Virgil. Regardless, Camparelli considers the airmen untrustworthy and confines them to the ship until they can be transferred. The next day, Camparelli is stranded behind enemy lines during a daylight raid. With the executive officer's permission, Jake and Virgil go to their commander's rescue, but they are also stranded after their airplane is shot down. While Jake attends to the injured Camparelli, Virgil is shot by a Vietnamese soldier. Certain that he is dying, Virgil ignites a smoke grenade, signaling the rescue team to strafe and bomb the area. As napalm falls around them, Jake and Camparelli take refuge in a narrow valley, where they are followed by an enemy soldier. After signaling a rescue helicopter, Jake dispatches the soldier, allowing himself and Camparelli to be pulled to safety. Sometime later, as U.S. involvement in the war draws to an end, Jake smiles as he reads a letter from Callie. Camparelli is offered the command of his own ship, and hopes to have Jake as a crew-member.