Genres

Visitors Review

Jackson Booth-Millard 2012-05-24 13:30:11

We Were Soldiers

Based on a true story, a book called We Were Soldiers Once... andYoung, this is quite an intriguing war film. Someone in a documentaryabout the film said that nearly all war films are not accurate, sodirector Randall Wallace stars as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and leads a bunchof recruits to the battle of Vietnam. You can see in this film why theVietnam war was not only one of the biggest, but mainly one of the mostunpopular, e.g. because of the amount of violence. The moments thatmainly stick out are obviously the war, but also the letters to familyand deaths of close friends. Also starring Madeleine Stowe as JulieMoore, Greg Kinnear as Maj. Bruce 'Snake' Crandall, Sam Elliott as Sgt.Maj. Basil Plumley, American Pie's Chris Klein as 2nd Lt. JackGeoghegan, Keri Russell as Barbara Geoghegan and Saving Private Ryan'sBarry Pepper as Joe Galloway. Okay!

TheMovieMorgue 2012-05-23 18:56:26

Intense and realistic. You can almost smell the bodies and feel the dust and the relentless heat...

Based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once... And Young" by Lt. GeneralHal Moore and Joseph Galloway who both participated in the Battle ofthe Ia Drang Valley in 1965, Randall Wallace brings the story to lifein this superb film that doesn't hold back in it's portrayal ofAmerica's first major battle of the Vietnam War. Showing the battlefrom the perspective of both sides, the film offers a rare glimpse intothe side of the North Vietnamese Army and together it helps create avery intense and personal film, as it also shows the wives of thesoldiers back home on the Army base some of whom receive crudenotifications of their husbands deaths in combat. Over three hundredAmerican soldiers were killed in the battle that raged for almost fourdays. Both sides claimed victory, so it's still up for debate today whoreally won, although it does look like it was a stalemate. The Battleof the Ia Drang Valley was America's first clash with the NVA in theVietnam War.Mel Gibson stars as Lt. Colonel Hal Moore, a committed soldier whofought in the Korean War and who is now dedicated to training the menof his regiment for combat in Vietnam. They are being sent into battletesting new equipment and tactics, much to Moore's trepidation. He isalso a real family man and again finds himself having to leave his wifeand five children behind. When his regiment arrives in Vietnam, theyare ordered out into battle straight away to kill the NVA that attackedthe US base. Moore and his just under four hundred strength regimentare being sent out into the Ia Drang Valley to hunt down an enemy theyknow absolutely nothing about, but know that they are trained andbattle-hardened after defeating the French over ten years ago. Whenthey land, the men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment find themselves on aflat area the size of a football field and also in the surroundingravines and jungle, surrounded by thousands of North Vietnamesesoldiers; and so begins the battle that would last almost four days.The first forty minutes or so of the film has no action whatsoeverapart from a small bit at the start where it shows a French ForeignLegion patrol being ambushed in the 50's in the same Central Highlandsthat the 7th Calvary Remgiment would find themselves fighting in elevenyears later. So the first part the film essentially is about characterdevelopment and it allows us to care for these men and get to know thembefore they are sent into battle. Mel Gibson ("Mad Max", "LethalWeapon") provides an often touching and powerful performance as HalMoore, and the film also stars Barry Pepper ("The Green Mile", "SavingPrivate Ryan") as Joe Galloway, the journalist who arrives into thebattle on the first night to help the people back home understand thewar. Sam Elliott ("Gettysburg"), Greg Kinnear and Chris Klein are alsoamongst the cast along with a strong performance from Madeleine Stoweas Moore's wife.The action is savage and relentless. The superb cinematography puts usright into the battle, and the sound effects are top-notch as we hearthe bullets flying and bursting overhead. You can feel the savage heatand almost feel the dust in your eyes as the soldiers run through thelanding zone trying to repel attack after attack, all while a smallsquad who ventured out on recon before the ambush happened are cut-offand running out of ammunition with no way of getting back. In a verynasty and disturbing scene, we see a soldier burnt to a crisp but stillalive after napalm is dropped on his position in a friendly fireincident. The last battle is superb and the music accompanying many ofthe combat scenes is very moving and fitting for the whole film. Onecomplaint though, is the films sentimentalism and at some stages Gibsonalmost resembled John Wayne in "Sands of Iwo Jima" which gives the filmthat feeling at times that it's one of those extremely patriotic andunrealistic war films. But thankfully, that's only in some parts. Ifelt that they could have left out the parts with the wives back homegoing through the letters, it made the feel too soppy and sentimentaland distracted us from the brutal and realistic war scenes being shown.

TomColeman 2012-05-23 00:09:02

Review the Movie, Not Your Political Opinions

I read the forum "reviews" and wonder why people must declare theirpersonal preferences and animosities rather than seeing what theywatch? I don't care for gratuitous violence; but I can appreciate awell-made action film. I'm not a big fan of the devil; but "TheExorcist" was great. I'm not a big boxing fan; but I thoroughly enjoyed"Rocky." No friend of the KKK, but "Birth of a Nation" is one of theall-time greats.Why review a war movie under the influence of anti-war bias? "We WereSoldiers" is an outstanding film of its genre. Acting is good, Gibsonis his usual amazing force. The story is more true than most, lackingthe aforementioned bias in its writing and filming. Let's be fair.I highly recommend it to patriots who appreciate what real soldiers do,as well as for anti-war activists -- as long as they can put theirpolitical feelings aside and recognize it for what it is.A very good movie that touches anyone with a clear mind.

mstomaso 2012-05-22 15:11:13

Lives up to its reputation

We Were Soldiers is one of the better war films I have seen. This saysa lot, since there have been many memorable films in this genrerecently. The production team managed to unify around its centralobjective and more or less perfectly execute what they had intended -to bring a particular battle to the screen in as realistic a manner aspossible. The film is told from the point of view of those who wrotethe book upon which it is based - definitely from an Americanperspective - but more importantly from the perspective of a soldier.Soldiers in this film are depicted as duty and honor bound peopletrying to do a job, follow through with a commitment, and to keepthemselves and each other alive.The film tells the story of the first major offensive of what wouldlater become known as the Viet Nam war. The action takes place in theIa Drang (later referred to as The Valley of Death), and is brutal andrelentless. Mel Gibson and Barry Pepper lead a fine ensemble cast -nobody slips up whatsoever. The stars - and there are many recognizablefaces here - disappear into their characters such that you will forgetwho they are. Clearly, all of the participants in this film believedwhole-heartedly in what they were doing.Unlike many films of this genre, We Were Soldiers does not obsess uponheroism, on political commentary and/or on right or wrong. Since theseissues are largely irrelevant in the 'on the ground' situation of thesoldier at war, the perspective is appropriate and refreshing. The filmborders on grotesque with its frequent and graphic violence. But itssubject is one that should never be soft-pedaled. War is violent,grotesque and excessive by its very nature. Anything short of disgustwould have sold the subject short.An important point, however, is that condemning war is in no way acondemnation of the brave persons who participate in it. Participationin war sacrifices not just time, energy, and at least a part of one'slife, but also a piece of an individual's humanity. Regardless of thepolitics and all of the rest of the armchair "participation" many of usmay indulge in, what touched me most about this film was knowing thatitaccomplished its one simple and important goal - to truthfully tellthe story of those who lived and died in Ia Drang without a lot ofembellishment, romance, or panache. What a great and honorable purpose.

K-Slicer 2012-05-22 17:24:30

The best war film in the past few years

This is best film on the Vietnam War that I have ever seen. Mel Gibson doesextremely well as a commanding officer and father of five seeing the omensstack up one by one. With support from war movie vet Sam Elliot, they puton two of the best performances in this film. I liked Sam Elliot's dead-onand somewhat hilarious retorts to the other cast members. Chris Klein, GregKinnear, Barry Pepper, Madeline Stowe, and Keri Russell rounded out a greatcast that were all affected by the first major skirmish of the Vietnam War. What made this movie especially good and at some points hard to watch wasthe method of chosen storytelling. The story wasn't limited to the Americancombatants. It told the story from the Vietnamese point of view of theNorth Vietnamese army as well as the wives of the American troops. This wasanother film to show that war is hell for every side. It is reminiscent of"Braveheart", "The Patriot", "Saving Private Ryan", and "Enemy At TheGates". The cinematography, choreographed violence, and make-up effectsmade this biopic of the 7th Cavalry Division all the more unsettling andeffective. Randall Wallace made a film that should always be looked at asone of the most patriotic films of all time. This is the best war film tohave come out since "Saving Private Ryan" and I give it a 10 out of10!

Jack Gattanella 2012-05-22 00:29:37

Contains too many war cliches to be easily enjoyed, but the battle scenes are quite good.

Randall Wallace, screenwriter of the great Braveheart, fair The Man In theIron Mask and the horrible Pearl Harbor makes his directorial debut (Ithink) in this Vietnam war film that takes a different approach to theVietnam war film- showing the first real battle over there back in late1965. Mel Gibson, who once directed and starred in Wallace's Braveheart,stars as Col. Moore, who is chosen to lead the 1st and 7th Cavalry divisonof the army into the "Valley of Death" in Vietnam danger zone. Othersupporting characters include Greg Kinnear as a smart and efficient pilotwith a knickname which would be censored here, Chris Klein who is alwayswith a clean shave and little if no dirt during the battle scenes andhonestly looks too womanly to be in such a army, and Barry Pepper as a warjournalist dropped during the battle and witnesses first hand the horrorthat ensues.There are too many cliches to be considered totally realistic and in theearly scenes, while interesting and even amusing, make Gibson seem a littlesofter than he should appear. Yet, for those in the mood for a differentwar picture that eerily tries to balance 40's and 50's like corniness withgraphic war violence and gives a good story in the mix won't bedissapointed. Grade: Between A- and B+

huggy_bear 2012-05-15 02:32:25

Good Movie

AS always, I will keep this short and sweet. Very good movie, well acted,well directed. Gibson at his best. Truly touching at some points, not allwar scenes. Points out that not only do the soldiers suffer in times ofwar, but the wives and children left behind also. The scenes of the cabriding up, knowing after the first visit, what he was there for, wereharrowing. My heart went out to all the wives who had to go through withthat. Shame on our Government for that aspect of the war.

edd_c 2012-05-14 12:56:49

Moving Tribute To Vietnam Vets.

I found this film to be a very moving tribute to those who laid theirliveson the line for the USA and, infact, the overall fight against communisminthe 1960's and 1970's in Vietnam.Many, many, aspects can be put into the equation of trying to understandtheVietnam war. I thought the film dealt with several of these very well. Iwasimpressed with how it focused not just on the men, but also their familiesat home.The comradeship in such a situation, but also the death, injury anddestruction, brings home the horror of the Vietnam conflict. I hope thisfilm inspires the American population today to give thanks to those whofought for them during that dark time.I strongly recommend you see this film, especially if you are interestedinthe conflict - or even if you know little about it. A word of warningthough- the violence is very graphic (more so than Saving Private Ryan, forexample).

selic 2012-05-14 02:48:44

This movie is both inspirational and emotionally devastating.

I recently went and saw this movie with my father, who lost his own fatherin Vietnam. While I never knew my grandfather, I could only watch withstunned amazement as one of the best retellings of the early conflict inVietnam was projected before me.Intense and evocative of the chaos and madness which must be a part of anybattle, I could at the same time feel a closeness to my grandfather (inthepart of Lt. Col. Hal Moore) that I have never held before. The power andintensity of the emotions which this movie brought to bear on me I canstillfeel days after viewing, and I am left with a lingering sadness andfeelingof loss for all of the Vietnam Veterans who gave their lives, theirbodies,and their families in the name of duty and friendship.My mouth still has a bitter taste after seeing the method in which theinitial deaths were reported to their families. Having once served in theUSN (and having seen my father retire out of the US Army), I could notbelieve the callousness displayed on the part of the US Government inbringing word to these soldiers loved ones. When the call to serve isanswered, it is only fitting that the government take responsibility foritsactions and give notice to the families befitting the sacrifice of theirson, father or husband.If Lt. Col. Moore was even 1/10th the man he was made out to be on thescreen, I would have been proud to serve under him at any time, and I canonly imagine his men held him in the same regard. While Sgt. MajorPlumleygave much needed levity to the action, the stoic endurance and ability ofhis character is seen throughout the senior NCO's of our military and Icannot thank them enough for their inspired and unflagging leadership aswell.The terrible losses, the poignant list of faults that the French Armysuffered from (and the Americans found to be true for themselves as well),left me feeling unbelievably saddened for our soldiers. And then theinspiration and uplifting prayers which held our soldiers together and inthe end led them to a victory which to me seemed near 'miraculous.'The way the movie shows the political and military viewpoints, and evenmorein that it shows the Vietnamese soldier as a competent and ably led foe,were telling points, and ones that make this movie strike me as morefactualthan many others. Based on my own research into the Vietnam Conflict andbywhat I have read of Joe Galloway's and Gen. Moore's research and desiresontheir novel, I think this is one of the best retellings of the actualeventsone could hope for.Although the impact that the 2nd of the 7th had is not discussed in themovie (most likely due to constraints), I cannot help but sit here andthinkhow tough that Lt. Col. Moore's battles must have been, knowing what hedidand how badly it was likely to go (based on his own observations of poorintelligence, fighting in an enemy's home terrain, fighting half a worldaway from his own family, and all of the other instances which showed theAmericans having the same difficulties that the French had hadpreviously).I can only suggest that anyone interested in the Vietnam War, or in thetrials and tribulations which soldiers of any nationality go through takethe time to see this movie. It is one of the best I have ever seen andalthough it left both myself and my father emotionally drained at it'send,I plan on adding it to my video collection when it becomesavailable.

LJStephens1980 2012-05-13 15:03:27

Randall Wallace fails Movemaking 101

Randall Wallace, can't write and direct, plain and simple. This was apoor film, and I cannot recommend it. See Blackhawk Down, a farsuperior film.Furthermore, Wallace, obviously didn't read Moore & Galloway's book,because over 90% of the film, weren't in the book.What else, The performances, (except for Sam Elliot- the only standoutactor here),The script: Wallace, Can't Write and Direct, no consistenttone, Wallace's constant flipping between the battle and the'homefront' - much like Clint Eastwood's Flag of our fathers, wasannoying.Therefore avoid this load of trash.

2012-05-08 01:37:01

time for another american 'incident'?

Yet another propaganda movie from hollywood. Is it time for the us toattackIraq and they need more patriotism?This crappy movie, with shallow characters, stereotype view of women andtotal lack of self-criticism is really awful (and will probably win anoscaror two). You get to see how 'a man of his word'(gibson) leads his troopsandhis fine white christian family (stowe with kids).The movie claims to add a new dimension, showing what the women wherethinking. This is done in about 10 minutes. They talk about theirpregnancy,laundry (yes they do mention the racial problems with 3-4 sentences here)and their worry for their brave brave heroes who are ready to sacrificeeverything (as every man should) for their country.Something the director "forgets" is that the war in Vietnam was ethniccleansing. This is never mentioned, maybe it should? Maybe these "heroes"who fought for their country without thought where as wrong as the sstroopskilling other ethnic groups without thought, ready to sacrifice all fortheir country?

w3t 2012-05-07 20:44:32

Really touched me.

This film really touched me. Being the son of a combat Vietnam veteran,this film really opened my eyes. There are a lot of stories my fatherwill not tell me about his tour in Vietnam, and due to this film I nowunderstand why. I will not try to justify this war, not will I try tosay it is a war that is above any other war, but what I will say is themen who fought in this war deserve to me remembered.I love my father, and I love movies also. Movies tend to get the factsincorrect, but seem to convey the emotion correctly. This film may notbe completely historically correct, but it does one thing for us, itplaces is directly in the shoes of the men who had to be there.God bless America, god bless human beings, and god bless life, it's agift.

vetmad 2012-05-04 23:41:18

You got to ge kidding me ...

Cliché followed cliché and platitude followed platitude and not even thesometimes nice cinematography could reimburse for lack of story and badactors, including Mel Gibson.What was Randall Wallace thinking when he made this movie, I'd really liketo ask him that.There have been quite a few films about the Vietnam war and it'sconsequences not only for the US government but for every single soldier whowas involved in that conflict over the years. So, why another conventionalone?Maybe if that film would have had the bravery to tell that particular storyfrom a more creative, a more daring perspective.But sadly, the director decided to follow old fashioned, beatenpaths.The enemy remained colorless and characters flat, the choreography ofbattles was pitiful and sometimes killingly funny, as well as the little bitof dialogue there was.It's an uninspired film that never needed to see the light of day, in myhumble opinion ...

headhunter46 2012-05-04 13:55:12

A gruesome, accurate portrayal of what battle in Vietnam was like.

I salute the actors, and directors of this movie for having the courageto depict the harsh realities of war without "romanticising" it. Withall the negative sentiment surrounding Vietnam it is admirable thismovie can be objective enough to show the soldiers on both sides aspeople with family who care about them. Even though I served there anddetested the terrorist, aggressive actions of the communist north Ihave always known the enemy were people. They were someones sons anddaughters. This movie shows in some respects how war affects the manywho do not serve. If all people of the world felt as I do now, therewould be no more wars. Unfortunately such is not the case. Sam Elliotis excellent as the hard nosed old Sergeant who has seen too much warin his lifetime but is not about to give up fighting the good fight.Mel Gibson does a fine job portraying the leaders of this band of menwho first confronted the NVA. Great supporting cast.

JohnBarnes 2012-04-30 01:36:51

Rated PG: Patriotic Garbage

Following in the footsteps of great war movies like: Saving Private Ryan,The Thin Red Line and Black hawk Down you'd think that Randall Wallacewouldhave picked up a thing or two.But this movie is one cliché after another. Right from the very beginningyou are constantly bombarded with patriotism.At no time do you sit and wonder what's going to happen next. At no timedoyou feel sympathetic towards the characters. The battle scenes are poorlyshot.To make a long story short: This movie sucks!

drew-121 2012-04-29 20:36:40

What All Films Should Do

What all films should do, is tell a story.This story was a difficult one to tell.As an Englishman, Vietnam is not so much a part of my national identity asan Americans.This film, based on real life events, really bought home the horror of thatpointless conflict.I say pointless, because I really believe that those young men fighting sobravely on both sides of the war, did not really understand why they werethere.This film clearly shows that they were honorable and brave, and that theywere lucky to have such an inspirational leader in Col.Moore.What it also shows is that politics are no replacement for tactics, and thatsoldiers should fight wars without political interference of the naturebrought to bare in 1965.It has been a long time since I walked out of a theatre with tears openlyrolling down my cheeks, but I am proud to say that this film was worth everytear.Well done to all concerned, and RIP all those brave young men who fell inThe Valley of Death and beyond.

Froilan Palasi 2012-04-27 18:30:46

European Dislike

I seem to notice that MOST of the bad comments made about this movie arefrom "Foreigners" who have no idea WHY this movie was made.WHY:The book was written in 1993 by Lt Gen. Hal Moore & Joe Galloway. todescribe the events on what happened in forgotten battlefield in Vietnam,which lasted three days. It book tells about the men of the 1st air cavalryand their first encounter with the North Vietnamese Army both historicalyand personally. It had nothing to do with "whys" and the "hows" of why theVietnam war started just the men of of both sides of that particular battleand the effects of what happened on the home front. The movie just depictswhat was written.To the Europeans who think this nothing but flag waving; "Rourke'sDrift","Battle of Dunkirk","Battle of Britain","Waterloo","Bridge on theriver Kwai","Sergent X","A bridge too far","Tumbledown moutain" and morerecently "Braveheart","Horatio Horn Blower"(this I know is largelyfictitious but does refer to many actual battles between England,France &Spain) and "Bravo Two Zero" and many more to mention. All these depictsbattles involving countries other than the "AMERICANS". All these startedout as either footnotes in history, which would have been forgotten, orsomebody decided to write a book about it. When someone read the book,orthehistory note he/she/they decided to make a movie of it.When someone in your country decides to make a war movie. let me know so Ican comment on it. And I will be fair. If it was from a book of an actualbattle then I'll take that into consideration.FACT: WAR movies involve death ,dying,decapitation,dismemberment,dispair,killing,rape,murderand all the other "CLICHES" you all hate (that actual goes on in a war,see"SAVIOR" with Dennis Quad or "Nanking"). If you hate war movies and youknowits a war movie then DON'T SEE IT! that goes for everybody who thought thismovie sucked!

Clay Smith 2012-04-27 07:23:35

A bit preachy

I liked this movie, but it WAS a bit preachy. The scene about "You can'twash your colored clothes at the laundrymat because the sign says 'WhitesOnly' had me squirming in my seat - because it was so STUPID." But theaction was good.Not as good as Black Hawk Down. And it's in tribute to both the AmericansAND North Vietnamese who died there. What's up with that? Let them maketheir own movie...

Box Office 2012-04-26 20:32:43

Near Perfection

We Were Soldiers is quite possibly the greatest movie I have ever seen.Direction, acting, cinematography, casting, music, and everything elsewas about the finest it could be.The characters drew us in from beginning to end. Mel Gibson wascompletely believable in his role as both a father and leader. All ofthe scenes were realistic and powerful, many of them filled with strongemotion.There's not a whole lot to go into on this historical masterpiece. It'sthe kind of film that stays with you and makes you feel like a part ofit. I'll keep it short and just say this movie is a motion picture atits absolute best. 10/10

John Wilkes Booth 2012-04-26 04:42:36

John Wayne wishes he made this movie

In the tradition of such war film classics as The Bridges at Toko Ri,To Hell and Back well as John Wayne's The Green Berets is thisseemingly out of place epic with the amount of cynical pestilenceabound.The pace is lightning fast once the scenes transfer into the earlyperiod of the Vietnam war before the public grew impatient. The scoreof the film is often overlooked but in this case it provides plenty ofemotion especially as the 7th Regiment assembles for the trip to SouthVietnam beneath the radio towers late at night.Of a forgotten battle with unknown heroes for both forces this is agreat war movie that should be a lesson for future productions.