Rating: 
Summary: I didn't know.
Review: I know alot of people who fought in the Vietnam War, on the ground and in the air. This movie was the best I have ever seen, from the eyes of those who were on the ground or in the air (helicopter). I think it did not get the rave reviews because it shows the truth, straight forward. And lots of time the truth isn't politically correct and people don't want to admit it. I was speachless at the end. I had to sit for a while before getting up. This movie should be seen by all who bad mouth what took place in Vietnam and didn't welcome back those who came home. They just don't get it. They don't know. This movie shows you.
Rating:
Summary: Duty, Honor, Country
Review: The movie is bloody and sad, like all modern war movies, but it is also a shining story about honor, courage, devotion to duty, love of country, selfless sacrifice, and leadership under fire. If you admire those human qualities, then regardless of how you feel about Viet Nam or any other war, set aside your politics and watch this film. It is an unforgettable experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Way overrated
Review: In the first conflict between the US and North Vietnamese, a few hundred troopers found themselves hopelessly encircled by over 2,000 NVA troops, and ultimately smashed their way out with a suicidal charge straight into enemy ranks. Great war story, poor movie.
Gibson's performance as Moore is excellent, but most of the movie is the action that took place at Landing Zone X-Ray and the knoll in which several soldiers found themselves pinned down. Except for some disgusting moments (skin slipping off of flesh, people being burned alive, etc.) aided by excellent visual effects, there really is nothing new here. The gory action is surprisingly lackluster and routine, especially when compared to the sheer intensity of Saving Private Ryan and the brilliantly-photographed all out chaos of Black Hawk Down.
Another complaint is the pointless scenes of the wives back home, which serve no purpose other than to try a jerk a few tears. Portraying grieving wives in this type of war movie, which is basically about survival, is totally innapropriate.
Of course there's the flagwaving and cliched talk amongst the troops which is fairly standard nowadays, and that detracts from the realism and brutality. It's as if the director didn't know which movie to make: a shocking ground level view of combat or a Pearl Harbor-style teen flick. Very uneven.
If you want the ultimate war story about troops who are outnumbered, outgunned, and emerge victorious despite overwhelming odds, see Ridley Scott's 'Black Hawk Down.' For a great all-around war movie, watch Spielberg's Private Ryan. For a great Vietnam movie, watch either Hamburger Hill (very realistic and gritty, not in the least bit flowery) or Kubrick's brilliant 'Full Metal Jacket.'
Rating:
Summary: Wow! I'm glad I wasn't there.... Not a "Feel Good" film
Review: Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time... These poor guys were in a world of hurt from the time the hit the ground.This is a really good film. The authenticity and attention to detail are phenominal. All the way from the French in 1956 up through the actual battle that US 7th Cavalary was in. Wow! The attention to the detail of how the soldier's wives had to cope with the deaths. It must have been a terrible time. The US Army did not handle it well. 395 American GIs against 4,000+ North Vietnam regulars. These weren't the Viet Cong that you normally see in films. The regulars were well equipped and well trained. Their officers knew the ways of war. This particular NVA officer had been in nearly constant battle since the Japanese occupation in the 1940's. Gibson and Elliot were superb in their roles as the two American leaders. I can't imagine going into battle knowing that you only have airlift capability for 60 soldiers at a time and having a 30 - 40 minute gap between air drops. One sustained firefight and you would burn through all your ammo... If you were wounded right when you jumped out of the chopper, it could be more than 90 minutes before you were evacuated. Nothing good about that... The first 40 minutes was introducing the characters and showing you how the unit was trained. This was America's first "Air Mobile" unit. New tactics and doctrines. This was the first major battle in the Vietnam Conflict. Once the unit hit the ground, the battle was on. The whole rest of the film concentrates on the battle. No let up in the action. I watched the DVD. Plenty of excellent special features on this one. The section on the makeing of the film was especially interesting. Interviews with the survivors, how they created the battlefield, the weapons involved, the aircraft, the explosions... Very good. The director spent a lot of time getting it right. The veterans seemed to be satisfied with the accuracy. Other special features included director's commentary, deleted scenes, movie trailers. But, when it all said and done, you don't walk away from this film feeling good. It was a major battle. Both sides declared it a victory. Neither side stayed and held onto the ground. A lot of men died. A lot of brutal close up in your face fighting. It was filmed in the same style as "Saving Private Ryan" and A&E's "The Lost Battalion".
Rating: 
Summary: It's about time
Review: Very few movies will honestly depict soldiers as normal people with a love of their country and family. This one shows the Vietnam era soldiers that I am familiar with. Having spent much of my life associated with the military, I have never met the typical Hollywood Vietnam era soldier. It is refreshing to see regular people, who love their families, and are dedicated to their profession and fellow soldiers. The scenes during the battle are disturbing, as they should be. Overall, it's an excellent movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of War Movie
Review: I was very impressed with "We Were Soldiers", the story of the first major conflict between American soldiers and the Vietcong. The film, written for the screen and directed by Randall Wallace, and starring Mel Gibson in one of his best roles ever, is an unconventional look at war, especially the Vietnam War. Rejecting the ambiguity and claustrophobic horror of such classics as "The Deer Hunter" and "Platoon", it presents an almost worshipful look at the American soldier, sure, but it gives us a reason to label these men heroes. It is a simple, but poignant, glance into the brotherhood of soldiers as they fight to stay alive in the midst of absolute horror. "We Were Soldiers" shows that war is hell, but it doesn't lose itself in it. The benefit of 30+ years has allowed filmmakers to look back on this horrific period in history with some perspective. What I like about "We Were Soldiers" is that it doesn't even attempt to justify our presence in Vietnam, but it vilifies no one. The Vietcong are presented as men who believe in what they're doing as much as the Americans, if not more. This might be one of the first films to attempt to provide an objective view of the "enemy". It was refreshing; there's been enough propaganda in the media. I'm tired of being told how to feel about Vietnam. "We Were Soldiers" takes the viewer right into the middle of combat, in a manner similar to "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down". The bullets whiz past OUR heads, the screams of the wounded and dying fill OUR ears, the heat of the explosions burns US. Randall Wallace's direction is very evocative; I found myself trying to slink down like the actors. Speaking of actors, this film has got some good ones. Mel Gibson is superb as Col. Hal Moore; he embodied the role like he was born to play it. Barry Pepper, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, and others were similarly outstanding. I also appreciated the portrait of Army wives; the sequence in which Madeleine Stowe (Moore's wife) and Keri Russell (Chris Klein's wife) hand-deliver death-announcement telegrams to the wives is devastating. There are some standard war movie cliches in "We Were Soldiers", but overall, I thought it was an impressive achievement. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, agreed.
Rating:
Summary: disoppointing
Review: This is SUCH a disoppointment!! After two great movies like Braveheart and especially the Patriot, you would expect an even better one from Mel Gibson. But this one didn't even make me want to see the end. Though it's not THAT bad, it's a disoppointment.
Rating:
Summary: We Were Soldiers
Review: It's about time Hollywood started making pictures that show what war is really like. War should not be glorified! Only the ones that fight should be. It is good to see that a military leader can do his job as a soldier and still be a moral and caring individual. The mark of a true leader is to lead by example and gain respect of his troops. This movie shows that a military commander can be a religious man and still be able to kill his enemy and, because of his beliefs, gain the respect and admiration of the men that served under him in battle.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT WAR FLICK
Review: This movie was absolutely spectacular and kept me in my seat for the entire time, the first time I watched it and all the other times as well. It also brought home the story of the wives who waited for their husbands to return or not to return from battle which I felt was an important potrayal. I was hesitant to purchase the DVD as I didn't think that Mel Gibson was the proper pick for the lead but was I wrong. This was well beyond his Braveheart and Patriot roles. Buy it !!
Rating:
Summary: Among the best war films in recent memory
Review: "Saving Private Ryan" redefined the war genre and opened the floodgates to a new generation of war movies. It pushed the boundaries of acceptability by frankly showing war in all its grisly glory. As such it gave us a better understanding of how terrible and frightening war is. "Black Hawk Down" took the graphic violence to a new level, with an intensity that matched the beach landing of SPR, but of a duration that was almost unbearable. "We Were Soldiers" is the latest big budget war offering from Hollywood. In many ways, I consider this to be the most complete of the three. Writer/Director Randall Wallace (who wrote "Braveheart", "Pearl Harbor" and the screenplay for this film), takes the understanding of war to the next level, by offering more than one perspective to the events. Of the three films, this film has the best workup, the best character development, and the most nuanced look at the battle. He brings all the sustained intensity of BHD in the action sequences, but introduces the NVA perspective, the wives' perspective and a far more charismatic and heroic central figure in Lt. Col. Hal Moore. Based on real events, this film shows war as being horrendous and heartless to both sides. It expands outside the combat zone to visit the ramifications on the families as well. The scenes with the wives getting the telegrams are poignant reminders of how war reaches beyond the battlefield. Wallace's treatment grabs us on an emotional level and shocks the senses. Unlike BHD, which presented the characters in a very anonymous way, we come to know these characters and their families and identify with them. Of course, the film lacks the hard edge that would make it starkly believable. It is after all a Hollywood production and not a documentary. However, Wallace pours enough realism into the depictions to assure that this doesn't turn into another sappy melodrama like "Pearl Harbor", which was really nothing more than a romance with a long battle scene in the middle. Wallace finds the optimal balance between engaging storytelling and the brutality of combat. The acting is excellent. Mel Gibson offers the right combination of hard nosed officer and father figure (both to his children and his men). Gibson is steadfast and courageous without being harsh. His portrayal of Moore is so well played, so charismatic and heroic, that it is impossible to believe that such a person could actually exist. Sam Elliot follows an outstanding performance in "The Contender" with this gem as Sergeant Major Plumley, the tough as nails warhorse who serves as Moore's non commissioned adjutant. Elliot plays the intransigent career soldier to the hilt, where nothing including life itself is more important than honor and discipline. Barry Pepper also turns in a fine performance as Joe Galloway, the photo journalist who hops on a helicopter to take pictures in the center of the battle and finds himself with a rifle in his hands fighting for his life. This is among the best war films in recent memory and probably the best film on the Vietnam War film since "Full Metal Jacket". I rated it a 10/10. This film is not for everyone. It contains graphic violence and disturbingly realistic battle scenes. It is a gripping and distressing film that should be required viewing for statesmen and generals alike.
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