The Hunt for Eagle One

The Hunt for Eagle One is a 2006 direct-to-video war film. The story takes place during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Philippines. A group of U.S. Marines are sent to rescue a captured U.S. Marine Captain and a Filipino Major while tracking down a group of Al-Qaeda terrorists intent on launching biological weapons. The film was produced by the legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman. The Hunt for Eagle One stars Mark Dacascos, Theresa Randle, Rutger Hauer, Joe Suba and Zach McGowan.

The sequel, The Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point, featuring many of the same production crew and cast, came out on DVD, some months later.

Plot
After a successful amphibious insertion, a small group of Marines prepare for combat against the local rebels in the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. While making a routine fly-by, a UH-1 Huey helicopter, carrying some Philippine troops and Marines, is shot down by the rebels. Among the occupants is USMC Captain Amy Jennings (Theresa Randle) and Major Aguinaldo (Ricardo Cepeda). Jennings and Aguinaldo escape the wreckage, and try to flee from the pursuing rebels.

A rescue team is dispatched to save Jennings and Aguinaldo, but is shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The surviving Lt. Daniels (Mark Dacascos) and his team continue onward to search for Captain Jennings and Major Aguinaldo.

Jennings and Aguinaldo are captured by the rebels, and taken to a village. There, Jennings tries to escape, but is caught. The following morning, Aguinaldo is executed by the rebel leader. They take Jennings to their headquarters.

Gen. Frank Lewis (Rutger Hauer) is in charge of the Marine Corps on the island, and receives hell from higher ranking Marine Corps officials regarding the captured Jennings.

The rescue team approaches the village, and learns that the rebels have moved Jennings to their HQ. They begin following the rebels. The rebels try to force Jennings to tell the United States (through a video camera) that the Marines must leave the island; but she refuses. In response, the rebels torture her.

After battling several rebels, the rescue team link up with Philippine troops, and battle the remaining rebels in the HQ. They rescue Jennings and destroy an anthrax lab. They escape from the blast. The rebel leader survives the blast, but Jennings shoots him dead. The film ends with Lt. Daniels and a Filipino attached to him mourning the loss of their soldiers.

Cast

 * Mark Dacascos as Lieutenant Matt Daniels
 * Theresa Randle as Captain Amy Jennings
 * Rutger Hauer as General Frank Lewis
 * Joe Suba as Captain Seth Cooper
 * Zach McGowan as Specialist Hank Jackson
 * Joe Fozzy as Spec. Jeff Parker
 * Rey Malonzo as Lt. Narcisco Montalvo
 * Ricardo Cepeda as Man. Aginaldo
 * Joe Mari Avellana as Gen. Romero Panlilio (credited as Jose Mari Avellana)
 * Ronald Asinas as Sgt. Tonito Bangayan
 * Robert Escutin as Cpl. J.P. Daomilas
 * Jerry Corpuz as Pvt. Amador Magtuto (as Jerry Corpus)
 * Troy de Guzman as Pvt. Marvello Abaya
 * Reiven Bulado as vt. Don Tubayan (as Raiven Bulado)
 * Joel Giray as Pvt. Benito Duran

Production
Hollywood producer Roger Corman has some experience in producing films on small budgets, and launching the careers of many later well-known filmmakers and actors. Corman managed to turn a profit on every single one of his films, using the small budgets to the effect and exploiting marketing techniques. For The Hunt for Eagle One. Corman tamed with Philippine producer Cirio H. Santiago as his co-producer. The pair had worked together on over 20 productions.

Much of the principal photography took place in the Philippines with Corman employing a number of local actors. The actors who played terrorists spoke in the Tagalog language or Filipino with key scenes having English subtitles.

Reception
While not reviewed by critics in mainstream media, The Hunt for Eagle One did garner some interest from internet bloggers and critics. Nix in BeyondHollywood.com said, "For an action film on a budget, 'The Hunt for Eagle One' is more than decent entertainment. A bigger budget and longer shooting schedule, not to mention about 30 extra minutes added to the running time, would have fleshed out the characters and the political situation in the Philippines . To be sure, the script for “Eagle One” doesn’t show much interest in being substantive on a geopolitical level, not that anyone should notice, as that particular niche is currently filled up by Hollywood ala “Syriana” and others. Which leaves you to wonder what Brian Clyde and company could have done with 'Syriana's budget ... Hopefully, we’ll get to find out one day."

Robert Cetti in Terrorism in American Cinema: An Analytical Filmography, 1960-2008, described The Hunt for Eagle One as mainly a war film with "parallels to the mainstream hit 'Black Hawk Down'." As an allusion to geopolitics, the film was "one of the few films to deal with Al-Qaeda directly. It explores the terror group's Philippines' connection to local anti-government rebels.