Let’s Get Harry

Let’s Get Harry

Year: 1986

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: English

Directors: Stuart Rosenberg, Alan Smithee

Action

An adventure that taps into the hero within each of us. After Harry Burck is kidnapped by South American terrorists and the U.S. government declines to act, his loyal friends launch a bold rescue mission of their own, determined to bring him home, they devise their own plan, risking danger at every turn.

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Let’s Get Harry (1986) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Let’s Get Harry (1986), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

In Colombia, an American engineer named Harry Burck Mark Harmon oversees the unveiling of his company’s water pipeline, a moment meant to showcase progress and progressiveness. But the ceremony is interrupted when a band of rebels storms the scene to seize an American diplomat in attendance, and in the melee Harry himself is taken as a hostage. The incident sets off a chain of urgent, personal stakes that ripple through the lives of those closest to him.

Back home, Corey Michael Schoeffling, Harry’s brother, learns that Harry’s kidnapping is tied to a ruthless drug lord named Carlos Ochobar. Corey’s circle includes friends Bob and Kurt, along with Spence, a loyal ally who vows to stand by family and friends no matter the cost. The news hits hard: Harry’s father, Harry Burck, Sr., Ben Johnson is crushed by the trauma and uncertainty of his son’s fate, a somber reminder of how a single act can fracture two generations at once. Kurt Klein, who carries his own quiet sense of obligation, reminds the group that they owe Harry a debt that cannot be settled from afar.

Driven by a stubborn sense of duty, Corey and his companions decide to take matters into their own hands. They enlist the help of a local car salesman named Jack Gary Busey, who agrees to invest in the mission and insists on accompanying the team as a condition of his support. To guide them through perilous terrain and mounting danger, they hire a battle-hardened mercenary known simply as Shrike, a veteran played by Robert Duvall. Shrike’s training is terse and practical, offering only the bare essentials before the group heads toward Colombia, where every mile forward heightens the risk and the adrenaline.

The journey to Ochobar’s stronghold is fraught with friction and bureaucratic roadblocks. The team encounters resistance from wary local officials and, frustratingly, from the U.S. government itself, which questions the feasibility of a rescue from the outside. Their path is precarious, and the group soon finds themselves jailed after a setup by one of Shrike’s contacts who had hoped to arm them. They are handed over to American authorities and boarded for a return flight, a grim setback that tests their resolve. Just before takeoff, a bold move lets them slip away, but Kurt, exhausted and overwhelmed, ultimately chooses to turn back and head home.

Refocusing on the mission, the group pushes forward with renewed grit, pushing through hostile terrain to reach Ochobar’s camp. They face a brutal firefight as rebel forces press their advance. Shrike sacrifices himself in a decisive moment—saving one of the men from certain danger—marking a pivotal turning point in the expedition. The survivors press on with the help of a local ally, Veronica Elpidia Carrillo, whose knowledge of the land and willingness to help become crucial to the plan. Veronica’s aid stabilizes the group as they close in on Ochobar’s hideout.

In the climactic confrontation, the team engages Ochobar’s men in a tense, high-stakes firefight. Jack is killed, a tragic blow that underscores the cost of every choice made along the way. Yet the group endures, fights through the danger, and ultimately rescues Harry, bringing him back to safety with the ambushed camp destroyed and Ochobar’s operation dismantled. The reunion at home is warm and celebratory, a hard-won homecoming that crowns the mission with a powerful reward: Harry returns to the people who stood by him, and those who risked everything are welcomed back as heroes.

Throughout the ordeal, the bond among Corey, Bob, Spence, Kurt, Jack, and Shrike is tested and tempered by shared danger, even as personal sacrifices accumulate. The narrative remains focused on perseverance, loyalty, and the unyielding drive to secure a loved one’s safety, all while the consequences of violence ripple outward to touch families, friendships, and the wider world they inhabit.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:27

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