We Were Soldiers

December 10, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 137 min Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Based upon the book written by the real Lt. Col Harold Moore, We Were Soldiers is not your ordinary beer drinking, drug using, and The Doors listeninï¿½ Vietnam War flick. LTC Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) is a Harvard grad/war hero that leads a brigade of Army Rangers into the heart of the Vietcong in the first days of the War. The soldiers are transported via helicopters making the harrowing journey from the base to the fighting and back; each trip bringing supplies and ammunition to the battlefield, and bloody casualties back to the base.

We Were Soldiers

The film is told from three points of view; the movie not only follows Mooreï¿½s troops but also the soldiersï¿½ wives back in the States, and the Vietcong. Randall Wallace (writer of Braveheart) is an expert at creating viewer empathy; the death of a soldier is made personal by the wives delivering the Armyï¿½s telegram to the soldierï¿½s family.

In the enemyï¿½s eyes, we see the enemy commander scheming the Rangersï¿½ demise, and an interesting parallel of a Vietcong solider who too has a worried consort-being one of the few Vietnam War films to cast a positive light on the enemy.

What I enjoyed most was the military strategies of both the Rangers and Vietcong. The battle is one massive chess game where the pieces are the movement of troops, usage of artillery, and of course the element of surprise. The special effects of F4 fighters dropping huge-ass napalms and artillery shells on enemy targets are nothing like Iï¿½ve ever seen. The bullets hitting the soldiers are disconcertingly awesome as well.

Unfortunately, the film could not avoid a few uses of annoying clichï¿½s of popular slogans and issues. While some catchphrases, such as, ï¿½No man will be left behindï¿½ is tolerable, but the insertion the Whitesï¿½ naï¿½vetï¿½ towards racial discrimination (I donï¿½t want to give it away. Youï¿½ll know what I mean) seemed manufactured and downright stupid. In general, paying $8-$10 for a We Were Soldiers ticket will not leave you disappointed. If you plan to see the names of LTC Mooreï¿½s dead Army Rangers, it is on the third panel of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. However, I must warn you that the number of weirdo’s around the Washington and Vietnam Memorials from day to night grows exponentially.

Posted by MFG Staff | Filed Under 3 Stars, Action, Chris Klein, Greg Kinnear, Madeleine Stowe, Mel Gibson, R, Sam Elliott, Theatrical