Rating: 
Summary: Still Works on All Levels
Review: I have seen this film several times now. It shows us the heavy burden of command. It also shows the courage of the men in field and the pain they all felt. It shows the 7th and the men they went up against. They were all soldiers. Either American or North Vietnamese, these soldiers stood beside their comrades, many of which paid the ultimate sacrifice, and fought for what they believed. This is a moving film. Most noteworthy is Mel Gibson's performance of honor and determination - the first man on the field and the last man off.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, no wonder it got panned.
Review: It is a known fact that Don King runs the Oscars and so this movie will be passed over for best picture nominations. However, I believe in time it will be considered one of the great Vietnam movies.
Mel Gibson is phenomenal. He never disappears in a character like Marlon Brando can, but somehow the characters he plays fit him perfectly. Sam Elliot is also very good in this movie and reminded me of some of my staff non-commisioned officers in the Corps.
One of the reasons that Hollywood and the press have and will continue to trivialize this movie is that it depicts triumphant American fighting men in a war that both of those institutions have made a career of painting as evil, embarassing and lost. Blackhawk Down recieved a similiar treatment.
It is refreshing to see such a recent spate of movies that show the American fighting man in such a positive light. Once again Mel Gibon proves that he does not make bad movies. Look for him to become the Charlton Heston of this movie era.
Rating: 
Summary: Like a war movie from the 50's
Review: If you are thinking this movie is original forget about it. I'll admit that the movie is very entertaining but the movie borrows liberally from just about every war movie ever made, and what's stranger is that it is a true story. There are many scenes in this that will have you rolling your eyes at how corny it is. We have one soldier who is dying who says the classic "tell my wife, I love her." What about predictability? A guy says that his wife is having a baby and what happens? He gets killed. A woman receives a telegram from Western Union about her husband dying and what does she do? She says the classic "No, no, its not true, your lying, no, no!" Think about all those old war movies from 30 years ago and you pretty much have this movie. Another complaint is about the violence. The violence doesn't bother me, but the way it is handled does. How many more times in movies are we going to have the scene where your talking to a guy one minute and then all of a sudden a bullet smacks him in the head? The violence is almost comical, the people who made it want to you to think "how did they get that guys skin to fall off?" Please, don't listen to the people who give this five stars, this movie will conjure up thoughts of certain story elements from "Saving Private Ryan" and every movie about war in the past 50 years.
Rating:
Summary: EXTRAORDINARY!! BRILLIANT!! MASTERPIECE!!!
Review: We Were Soldiers is a fact, one of the best war films of all time, and Mel Gibson's best proformance ever! It's full of heroism,love,and patriotisim. It not only shows you the concept but it puts you on the battle ground with the soldiers in the line of fire. This for sure win every Oscar coming and going, if not the cretics is ...!!!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Stunning!
Review: This is an absolutely stunning movie, giving a better depiction of how the Army initially went into the Vietnam War. In the early stages of this war, the Army itself was ready and willing to fight this fight. This is not one of those earlier films, showing the later stages of the war where the Army was demoralized by the politicians and the poor leadership put in place by those inept politicians. Mel Gibson gives another stunning performance of a true field grade officer, who was born to do what he was doing. He again shows that when you want to make a film of epic proportions, he's the one you want in the leading role. Along with the disheartening scenes of what happens to soldiers in a war, the scenes with the wifes at home receiving telegrams from a taxi were very painful and gut wrenching. Being a soldier myself, I think it would be worst for my wife to get that kind of notification, than being the one killed. Again, one of the best war movies of all time, and Mel Gibson should get an oscar for this performance.
Rating: 
Summary: Great war movie!!!!!
Review: Don't give up on this movie after the first half hour. The director, Radall Wallace (writer for Pearl Harbor)has a tendancy for emotional movies, but this is so for only the beginning of this movie. The next hour and a half is pure action and gore that rivals Saving Private Ryan. Great war movie that will keep you glued to the seat. Not many extras, but the "making of" documentary is pretty interesting. Don't watch this movie if you couldn't handle the gore and bloodshed of Saving Private Ryan!
Rating:
Summary: SOLID ACTION PACKED MOVIE
Review: MEL GIBSON NAILS THIS ONE. THE BEST MOVIE SINCE THE GLADIATOR!
Rating: 
Summary: This is no "Saving Private Ryan". Absolutely!
Review: Mel Gibson was pretty good in his role in Braveheart, so I was expecting decent acting in "We Were Soldiers", noting that this is a "true story" kind of movies. But instead of the intricate details, superb script and acting of "Saving Private Ryan", we have here a childish plot and theatrical acting that made one feel amused rather than cry with the soldiers' families. Can you imagine official US Army telegrams informing the deaths of the soldiers were left unattended outside the front door of the Colonel's house for his wife to pickup & distribute, at her convenience, to the devastated wives of the soldiers killed in action? The wind might have blown some of them away and those poor wives will never know that their husband had been killed. This is the level of details and authenticity you might expect from this movie. This movie appeared purposeless and did not adequately portray the heroism of the true soldiers. Probably because it seemed so faked? Basically, you get plenty of action and loud explosions, but not much more. May be the fault were not the actors' or actresses', but the director's?
Rating:
Summary: Extended edition badly needed
Review: Every scrap of film should be picked up from the floor and the dvd made into an extended edition. Enough stars given for the movie itself. There are already 186 reviews on this movie. The really good stuff is in the DELETED SCENES. Usually, deleted scenes contain seconds, but I was convinced that the primary cuts were in the DELETED SCENES. There was this heart-renching scene in the church as the helicopters swooped in on a Sunday. A few minutes of this academy award standard material beats the daylights out of the first full hour of Pearl Harbor. How different the effects of depicting similar scenes on a lazy Sunday. The scene cuts poignantly to an ambulance-chopper. Rates at least five Kleenex tissue boxes. I first wondered what Julia Roberts was doing in the movie on my first browse. Then I realised that the producers saved $20 million bucks by casting the lovely and talented Madeline Stowe. Then there was the Sergeant Sam Elliott doing the full monty. I thought the director wanted us to examine his battle-scars as substitutes for medals. About face to a full frontal of Sarge with a stack of medals around his naked chest, including two Medals of Honor. The scene where a yet to be promoted Lt Colonel was being debriefed by General Westmoreland and the Secretary of State was absolutely PRICELESS. Shows the mismatch in the perception of the war by actual combatants and political leaders from day one.
I noticed the Eagles on Mel Gibson's shoulders when he came home, instead of the oak leaves throughout the movie.
He retired a Lt-General, not as a Light Colonel. Watch the DELETED SCENES for yourself. Alone, they are worth the price of the dvd. I am sure there is much more in the vaults. Somehow WE WERE SOLDIERS II: the sequel would just dishonour the original, so lets get the extended edition ASAP, by yesterday.
Rating:
Summary: We Were Soldiers
Review: Excellent, Excellent movie! My favorite Mel Gibson movie next to Braveheart. This is now my favorite Vietnam movie along with The Siege of Firebase Gloria [only available on vhs] and Hamburger Hill. This movie kept me on the edge of my seat and a lump in my throat for most of the film. Can't recommend this highly enough. Much better than Black Hawk Down or Behind Enemy Lines.
|
