Rating: 
Summary: Amazingly moving
Review: While I have never served in the military, military tactics, weapons, and history have been a hobby of mine for most of my life. "We Were Soldiers" is easily the most moving film I have ever seen. It is touching in a way no other film I have seen is; the movie is less about the battle than it is about the soldiers and their families. The film is wonderfully uplifting, valueing ardent religious faith, morality, and strong family life, which lets the viewer relate to these young men, their wives, and their children in a very real way. It was also refreshingly devoid of any political message. Every vietnam vet. I have talked to about this movie found it very accurate, and deeply moving. Some reviewers, both professional and on this site, have criticized "We Were Soldiers" for coming up with "contrived situations," such as a very touching scene when Lt. Col. Hal Moore has to explain to his young daughter what a war is. The fact is, that this scene actually happened nearly exactly as it was protrayed in the film, the only real difference being that in the film it occured several days before Moore shipped out, while in real life it happened the same night he was leaving. People have also claimed that the battled, filmed in the hills of Northern California, looks nothing like the central highlands of Vietnam. The truth is, that when (ret.) Gen. Hal Moore saw the location that had been picked for filming, he said it looked almost exactly like he remembered it. Not all of Vietnam is rice patties and jungle. (Ret.) General Hal Moore served as a consultant while this film was made, and was actually on the set during much of the filming. His presence ensured that the movie is very accurate to what really happened during that first American vs. N. Vietnamese battle. Much of the dialogue in the movie is lifted directly from the Hal Moore's book, so many of the lines were actually spoken by the soldiers during those terrible 57 hours. I cannot recomend this movie highly enough, but watch it with a friend or family member, as you will want to talk about what you've just seen once the movie ends.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst of all Viet Nam movies!
Review: Having "been there, done that" I thought this movie did a very poor job of recreating the Viet Nam conflict. Don't waste your time or money!
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of action, but short on story
Review: If you liked "Black Hawk Down," you should like this movie. They are very similar in that they both tell the story of one battle. BHD re-creates the 1993 American siege of the Somalian warlord Aidid's stronghold city of Mogadishu, where a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour urban war. In BHD, two Black Hawk helicopters were downed by rocket-propelled grenades. There, the U.S. soldiers, unwilling to leave anyone behind, were attacked from all sides by armed by supporters of Somali warlord Aidid. "We Were Soldiers" is the story of the United States first major battle with the North Vietnamese army. Similarly, WWS is little more than the story of one battle. It involves a contingent of 400 American soldiers from the American Air Cavelry on the bottom of a hill, who for several days fight off waves of several thousand NVA soldiers who were hidden atop the hill in an underground bunker complex. The film has only two parts which are not the battle. The first is in the beginning of the film, where we are introduced to Lt. Col Harold Moore and his family. We, the audience, are also informed Lt. Col. Moore is to implement new US tactics using helicopters as cavelry to ferry men and supplies in and out of battle. The other part, interspersed with battle scenes, has Lt. Moore's wife delivering telegrams to the wives of those soldiers killed in the battle. There is little more to this film. On the positive side, the performances are very good. Mel Gibson makes the film worth seeing. He does an excellent job of making Moore interesting, portraying his religious beliefs, family values and ethical standards. The last are exemplified by his dedication to his troops by refusing to obey orders to leave the battle to debrief his superiors. The filmmakers do a very good job of making the viewer see the overwhelming odds facing the soldiers and their fear. On the negative side, except for Gibson's portrayal of Lt. Col Harold Moore, none of the characters are given any depth. There is no sense of conflict between characters; the Vietnamese army charging down the hill is little more than an attacking horde of aliens in a computer game. A game of Space Invaders has almost as much plot. There is no sense that the American soldiers are there other than to see if they can survive wave after wave of faceless soldiers attempting to kill them. Perhaps this is the film's statement about America's purpose in Vietnam. I don't think so.
Rating:
Summary: A very very good film
Review: Perhaps the contemporary war film is becoming a tired and near exhausted genre in its current form. After the watershed "Saving Private Ryan", there really may not be much new to say in a large scale war epic. One might certainly gain this impression based upon the many negative reviews of both "Ryan" and this film. Those souls have attempted to brand these two films as cliched and retro-patriotically simplistic. Watching this film as well as listening to director/writer Randall Wallace's superb audio commentary, it becomes apparent that "Ryan" and "We Were Soldiers" can possibly be labeled as cliched because they are both honest and realistic. We find an example of this in the dialouge uttered by the dying soldiers who often proclaim "Tell my wife I love her." Yes we have heard this time and time again, but that just happens to be frequently what soldiers say in their final moments. Unfortunately when we see the same truth shown too many times, it does become often cliched and redundant. But what else does one want in an honest war film? Perhaps some folks deride this and "Ryan" in favor of the pretentious new agey pseudo Steinbeck-lite ramblings of Terrence Malick's beautifully photographed but muddled, cold and pompous piece of snobbish fluff that was "The Thin Red Line". But I digress, "We Were Soldiers", missing becoming a classic because of its unfortunate timing in coming after "Ryan" still remains a very very good film. I particulary appreciated Wallace's inclusion of footage that raises the humanity and the courage of the NVA regulars. These are not Hollywood stereotyped villians. These soldiers are equally as brave, pious and devoted as the American soldiers. Wallace achieves this balance without resorting to any political posturing. This becomes especially apparent in many scenes, including a remarkably touching quiet scene in which Gibson's (delivering a fine performance) Hal Moore aknowledges the fact that the enemy prays to Diety as well. I also value this film's structure. "We Were Soldiers" shows the homefront as equally as the battlefield. It shows the pre war experience as well as the war and the post war time as well. Wallace, utilizing the real veterans of this battle, seeks to humanize the reality of the war. Again, some might find much of these sequences quaint and simplistic. But they remain true. This film also avoids the cynical, nihilistic and ugly previous portaits of Vietnam soldiers that bombarded us in the '70's, '80's and early '90's. It seemed that the films of DePalma, Stone (except for his excellent "Born On The Forth Of July"- which might be his most balanced film) sought to tear apart and demonize America through the Vietnam soldier. This film seeks again to give them some dignity and honor and finds it in their devotion to their fellow men (and honor of enemy!). What makes "We Were Soldiers" a must own as opposed to a simply must see, is Paramount's (usually incredibly stingy in their packaging) inclusion of a great many extras. As stated earlier, Wallace's commentary is most illuminative. Many of the deleted scenes flesh out the emotional and intellectual impact of the film and are worth watching as well. Give this film a try. It is definately a film that honors the veterans of the war. From both sides of the battlefield.
Rating:
Summary: War is hell
Review: This movie was a decent remaking of the vietnam war. Mel Gibson was superb but Sam Eliot took the cake. He was awesome in his role. The movie itself was allegorically correct. It begins very structured, just like the military training, and then when the bullets and bombs start going off and all hell breaks loose, the movie becomes a convuluted miasma of cut scenes and confusion ---just like a war. Greatness. The director of this movie hit it right on the mark. I say it was a decent remaking of Vietnam only because my uncle, who was really there, says it was much different. Eh, who am I to know? I just think it was a good movie. WATCH THE OUTTAKES!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Effective
Review: Most movies I've seen about the Vietnam War have been depressing. "Platoon" and "Hamburger Hill" come to mind, as they are there to remind us that Vietnam was a real shock to us back in the 60's and 70's. Yes, we remember we pulled out, lost if you want to say, but I don't go to a movie to get depressed. Randall Wallace's "We Were Soldiers" is not a depressing movie by any means, but shows that heroes were made in a war we look down on even today. From the book "We Were Soldiers...And Young", the main character is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), a family man put in charge of, for the most part, green officers and men. The film also stars Sam Eliott, Chris Klein, Madeline Stowe, Keri Russell, and Berry Pepper. The majority of the movie takes place in Vietnam, where Moore and his 7th Cavalry fights 4000 NVA's while there are only 300 with Moore. The battle scenes (which comprise the movie pretty much) are gory. Now, this isn't the goriest battle sequences you've ever seen, but it ranks number three in my book ("Black Hawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan" taking the other two) for realistic wounds and such. The battle is hot and exciting, featuring infantry, air force, artillery, the whole deal. Some of the most frightening scenes come at night, when we see how close the NVA's really get to the lines. Wallace effectively knows when to change scenes at different places of the battle, and the changing it to back home with the soldiers' wives. Gibson of course performs admirably here. He plays Moore to detail as not only a father of seven, but a father of three hundred. Sam Eliott was casted brilliantly as the gruff Sgt. Major, Barry Pepper as the journalist who would write the book along with Moore, Klein as an upcoming platoon leader that meets his demise, and Russell and Stowe clean up at home. Once again a great ensemble cast, and a great film. A little lengthy, but this film makes it worthwhile. "We Were Soldiers" is a rather positive look on Vietnam, thankfully conveyed by Wallace and Gibson. I knew that Wallace had written the flop "Pearl Harbor", but the last time that he and Gibson got together was "Braveheart", and we all know how successful that movie was. "We Were Soldiers" is no different, with intense battles, emotion, and the reminder that heroes can just be ordinary people.
Rating:
Summary: Fair to middlin'
Review: war movie, starring Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott as a pair of Air Cav bosses who successfully rattle up a much larger Vietnamese force in the early stages of the war. Occasionally trad, naive and cliche, but very moving film that reminds us of the home front battles that soldier families must endure, and that we didn't always lose in that fateful war. I haven't read the book yet, and now virtually nothing about Col. Moore or Ia Drang, so I'll avoid the military criticism, and say overall it was enjoyable and you won't feel the two and a half hours go by.
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Reminder
Review: This true story drives home the lesson that so many good men serve in the armed forces of the United States. Recognizing this fact puts into perspective the bad ones like William Calley who committed attrocities like My Lai. Every politician who will decide whether to send young men into combat should read this book and watch this movie. We need to make sure that the war we send our young men to fight unlike Vietnam is a just one and that their sacrifice is justified.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe the "best" war movie I have seen.
Review: I watched this movie twice in one evening. I seldom do such stupid things as staying up 'tiil 1 AM watching movies , but this was exceptional! Seeing Sam Elliot's portrayal of the Sergeat-Major of the 1/7 opened the floodgates of my memories of almost 30 years ago. When I served in the Army , I knew a few old senior enlisted men like that. Salty. That is the correct word to describe such people. A look. Manner of speech. No BS! Mel Gibson's portrayal of Lt. Col. Moore raised my already high opinion of his acting ability. Some compare the performance to Braveheart ; this was better. I have seen most-if not all-of the Vietnam war films ; this is unquestionably the best. My highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: I found this movie to be simply amazing. As a great fan of war movies, once again i saw the terrible tragedy that humans can account for. Mel Gibson is such a great hero, caring about his men, and the movie is sad, shocking, yet worst of all bassed on true events, that made me feel sad for those who died in the Vietnam war. Only those who's life it touched can really feel the tragedy but this movie made me respect what peace is today.
I highly reccomined it to everyone.
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