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In Reply to: Re: When We Were Soldiers DVD posted by on August 28, 2002 at 01:08:15:
I look forward to seeing this title...but it will have to go a long way to beat "Boys of Company C", "Go Tell the Spartans", and "Apocalypse Now".
Follow Ups:
I don't think you'll be disappointed. I figured it would be OK but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This flick is very graphic(along the lines of Saving Private Ryan) so be prepared. The guy Mel portrays(who's name escapes me) had a hand in the movie as an advisor because the director was hell-bent on making this true story accurate.Sam Sheppard and Greg Kinnear(sp?) were very good in it too.
Still haven't seen this "Ryan" film. The whole thing of how war is adapted to film these days, that just turns me off.While film "reality" seems to be in vogue these days, sometimes I like the symbolic, evocative approach to the war film genre. It makes the film story "bigger", and it delivers the "message" more effectively, than socalled reality.
I feel that it also, illustrates, and takes the great skills of the filmmaker, to utilize the signs and meanings of Film, to convey a message. It's easy to blow something up and show flying body parts, but it takes skill to convey it symbolically and with finesse.
Quite honestly,I don't know how the "message" of war could've been delivered more accurately than the famous beach scene in Ryan. That movie hit people like a sledgehammer. I've never seen a movie where everyone remained seated as the closing credits came across the screen...Saving Private Ryan did that to people. I've talked to dozens of people and it happened at their shows too. Everyone got up slowly and shuffled to the exits in a shocked state.Yeah, it was ugly to watch at times but that was the point...war IS ugly. I've always felt fortunate that I was a little too young for the Vietnam War and I feel that way even more after watching When We Were Soldiers. I had never seen that war delivered with such realism.It's quite an amazing movie to watch. It shows how the wives made an impact back home and even a small glimpse into the lives of the enemy. I'm not easily impressed but this movie did it for me. That being said, I didn't really care for Blackhawk Down very much,. It was OK but I thought it was overhyped. This movie didn't get the fanfare but I think it's much better.I hope you like it....my wife and I sure did. It's not an uplifting movie(although there are moments) but it shows the Vietnam War in a whole new light. Enjoy!
What light do you think the film shines on the Vietnam War and how is it different from what's come before?
"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." --George W. Bush, July 26, 2000
Good question!It think it showed the shaky start to the war very well indeed. Gross underestimation of the enemy. Next to no intellegence. No defined master strategy. The film shows Gibson's character highlighting the mistakes made by the French during their occupation only to be boxed into nearly repeating them himself.
As far as how it stands out among the past pack of Vietnam films, I would have to say it really makes an effort to portray the dignity of the combatants on both sides. You definetly feel an affinity for the Americans fighting out of professional duty and pride as well as the Vietnamese defending their country from outsiders.
I really enjoyed it. It is a moving film that is refreshing in it's abssence of military cliches in general and Vietnam ones in particular.
I would levy some minor critisism at the final battle scene, a bit over the top but that is about it.
Highly recommended!
Thanks,
Rob
Well said,dado. I'm no expert on war but it was obvious that the crew tried their hardest to make this true story as accurate as possible. As the real guy(portrayed by Mel Gibson) says in the extras..."Hollywood finally got it right". He should know since he was over there for almost two years. I liked how they portrayed some of the North Vietnamese soldiers and officers as real people...not like the evil Commie bastards in some other flicks. I've been recommending this film to all of my friends and coworkers. You're right...highly recommended.
Sorry for the delayed reply, I was staying away from the computer for a few days.I liked WWS more than I expected to. I thought it gave a much more human and less jingoistic view of the war than most war movies do.
I still thought the it was often trite, more PC than the reality of the time and a bit overblown on the heroism front but there were several character's I really liked (Gibson's, the photographer, the Vietnamese commander, several of the wives, the helicopter pilot (Greg Kinnear) and, of course, Sam Elliot.
I also though it was reasonably bold (especially since the movie had the thumbs up from the real Colonel) to portray the tragedy (for the years of death and destruction to follow) of our seeing the battle as a victory.
"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." --George W. Bush, July 26, 2000
Yeah, I liked the movie much more than I expected too and that's why I brought it up. I liked the way it showed the family side of the soldiers. I have four friends who saw it and they absolutely loved it. I just thought it was a pleasant surprise....it was much better than I expected. I also thought Mel Gibson did a good job...he toned it down a little for this movie. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who enjoyed this flick.
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