During routine manoeuvres near Hawaii in 1980, the aircraft-carrier USS Nimitz is caught in a strange vortex-like storm, throwing the ship back in time to 1941—mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Practical Effects
Real F-14 Tomcats vs. Zeros. No CGI, all Navy cooperation.
Production
Filmed on actual USS Nimitz with full military access.
Direction
Don Taylor wrangles time travel WITHOUT explaining everything.
Director
Don Taylor
Kirk Douglas
Capt. Matthew Yelland
Martin Sheen
Warren Lasky
Katharine Ross
Laurel Scott
James Farentino
Wing Commander Richard T. Owens
Ron O'Neal
Commander Dan Thurman
Charles Durning
Senator Samuel Chapman
Victor Mohica
Black Cloud
Soon-Tek Oh
Simura
Alvin Ing
Lt. Kajima
Lloyd Kaufman
LCdr. Kaufman
Dan Fitzgerald
Navy Doctor
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The US Navy loved this so much they basically cosponsored it—real F-14s, real carrier operations, real chaos.
This bombed in 1980 but became a cable TV staple—basically invented the 'dad movie' genre alongside Red Dawn.
US
