Rating: 
Summary: Worth watching
Review: The only reason I watched and bought this DVD is because I admire Mel Gibson so much. It isn't the greatest film in regard to war, but the films attraction is how it weaves the horrors of war with the families left behind and what it must be like for wives and parents to get the notice their loved one has been killed in a land far away. I know the hell of war, having had immediate family in WW2, Korea, Viet Nam, the first Gulf War, and now Iraq. But the constant barrage of killing scenes did leave me a tad overwhelmed and after a few minutes I found myself thinking "ok enough already". This is where I wish they had interspersed more homefront connection scenes. But in the end, it is a movie I appreciate and would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome (to say the least)!!!!
Review: As you could read by the title of my review, I will keep this short and sweet. This movie is action packed from beginning to end. I don't have a deep knowledge about Vietnam, but the story, which is true, is very thought provoking and exciting at the same time. I shows not only the story from the eyes of the soldiers involved, but also goes into the story of family and friends left at home. Oh, and least I forget, if you have Dolby 5.1, this has got to be the best use of surround sound EVER! Buy this and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: They Finally got it Right
Review: This film has to be by far the greatest war story I have ever come across so far. It not only shows that war is pure Hell but it is also the first Vietnam film ever made that shows the true honor and patriotism that our soldiers fought with. "We Were Soldiers" also gives to the veterans who fought in Vietnam the honor and recognition they should have received all along. To any veterans who read this review I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices you have made for our country. You did nothing to deserve the contempt and hate you recieved from the people of this country and you risked your lives anyway. I hold each of you in the highest respect for standing your ground and fighting for our freedom and the rights we enjoy today. And thank you to the makers of this film for giving us the opportunity to finally see the true nature of the American soldier.
Rating:
Summary: Should be required viewing for history courses!
Review: It's about time this story was made into a movie. If you want a military film that gives you all the elements of great film making and is true, get this one! It is one of Gibson's best acting jobs. You will not be disappointed if your IQ equals your shoe size!
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, What It Could Have Been...
Review: I hate watching wasted movies. Wasted movies are defined, by me, as movies based on unbelievably compelling stories that nevertheless fail to deliver. We Were Soldiers fits this definition in spades. When I heard they would be making this movie, based on the absolutely epic We Were Soldiers Once....and Young, I was extremely excited. Here was a Vietnam many had not seen on the movie screen. Films like Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket are fine, even great films, but they are not totally representative of the historical fact. We Were Soldiers would bring a new interpretation to the screen, as the book had done to many readers. That is why I was so disappointed when, after a few viewings, I realized We Were Soldiers just does not live up to the billing. It has some quality parts and performances, the battle scenes can be eye opening, but overall, it just does not come through. We Were Soldiers tells the tale of Colonel Hal Moore, commander of the 1st battalion of the 7th Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Division. The air cav was an experimental proposal, designed to give US troops a decisive advantage over guerilla forces such as the Vietcong. Using helicopters, the air cav could stay mobile, cutting off and surrounding indigenous forces. In 1965, Lyndon Johnson orders an escalation of troop deployments, and the 1st AirCav is sent to South Vietnam. The first large scale American battle is fought in the Ia Drang valley, as Moore's force is sent to engage and cut off what is thought to be a relatively small force of North Vietnamese infiltrators. Instead, Moore faces 3 brigades of North Vietnamese regulars, well armed and expertly trained. The battle of Ia Drang explodes, and Moore and his men fight desperately to hold on to their small landing area. It is a truly amazing historical story. There are several reasons why this movie just does not live up to my expectations. It really is not the fault of the actors, as there are some solid performances. Mel Gibson is steadfast and convincing as the heroic Colonel Moore. Probably the best acting comes from Barry Pepper, who plays reporter Joseph Galloway, the co-author of Moore's later book. No, the faults of this movie are more fluid, more intangible, but they are there. The first thing that leaps out at me is the structure. We Were Soldiers tries to tell too many stories at once. We are shown the family life of the soldier, and the reaction of the family members back home. In moderation, this would not have been that bad, but there is just too much of it in this film. When it is displayed, it just feels tacky and fake. Another story is that of the North Vietnamese troops. The treatment is cursory and really feels like a wasted effort, it's hard to really understand what they are doing when they can't speak English. Some of the lines and the writing are just too smarmy, they just kind of detract from the seriousness of the situation. I did give this movie 3 stars for a reason though. It does do a good job explaining the battle and the combat scenes are intense. The story of the lost platoon is well done, although the bravery of Sgt. Savage in the book outweighs anything they could show in the movie. Even though I felt the combat was unnecessarily chopped up and over edited at points, it was still very good overall. The real life bravery of these men was shown in a very endearing and respectful way, rare in Hollywood. Some of the historical points made, however, are a bit shaky. The ending is not how it really happened, and the movie also fails to mention the tragic battle after the Ia Drang fight, where dozens of US soldiers were killed in a real tactical debacle. To get the real feeling for this battle and the men involved, please read We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, it is one of the most amazing war stories I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: A Vietnam film that actually honors the men who fought in it
Review: It seems to me that the "Vietnam Conflict" and I use those two words loosely, has never been given the true respect that its soldiers deserved. Yes it was a political nightmare that divided our nation, but is that the fault of the soldiers who were sent there to fight it? There are a lot of things wrong in this world, but these men fought in a war that did not have the support of it's country of whom they were dying to defend their way of life and personal freedom to express their disdain for the war.
These men deserve to be honored for their sacrifice and not treated as if the war was some kind of villainous action. This film does these men justice and shows the spirit of a soldier and more importantly the respect their leader should have for his soldiers.
I've heard some people on other websites complain about how Gibson and Wallace rewrite their history, but if you have Hal Moore as a technical advisor don't you think he would speak up if something wasn't right?
Rating: 
Summary: War in all its glory, horror, and ugliness. An intense film
Review: This is an intense, pull-no-punches film dealing with an Air Calvary battalion in combat in South Vietnam in 1965. Mel Gibson, as Lt. Col Hal Moore, commanding, puts in an outstanding performance. Gibson is intense and true-to-life without overdoing the role (which would have been easy to do given the nature of the film). This film does not glorify war, but does recognize the bravery (and flaws/weaknesses) of the soldiers who fought a hard, tough, thankless war because, in the end, it was their duty. One thing the film does that most war films do not is focus on the home front, both before and during the battle. Despite this, this is neither a pro-war or an anti-war story. I thought that it did a pretty good job of recognizing both the skill and heroism of the soldiers on the one hand, and the tragedies that war inevitably entails on the other. Unlike some other movies that have dealt with the Vietnam war, this film does not portray the American Army in a negative light, which is frankly refreshing, and perhaps reflective of the high esteem in which most Americans hold the military in the present day. Too intense for children, but a very fine and powerful war story that will hold the interest of most viewers.
Rating: 
Summary: boring
Review: i saw we were soldiers once - forgot about it within 10 min - never saw it again. BORING WAR MOVIE. saving private ryan and full metal jacket were way better than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Meh
Review: I'll start off by saying I didn't dislike this movie as much as I thought I would. A few characters, particularly the narrator, are redeemable on more than just a stereotypical war hero level, and there's even a nice little scene where Mel writes a letter to a fallen NVA soldier, who must have been at least part human since he wrote stuff in a diary. The film has potential as a compelling war movie, and there are brief sparks of this throughout. The majority of the execution falls flat. Let's run through the list of stereotypes: we've got good ol' Mel, trying his gosh-darndest to not leave a single man behind; Mel's hard-ass SOB veteran major who's killed oodles of foreigners in other wars; the idealistic, loving, and coincidentally totally hot war wives; not one, but TWO naive youngsters with a future ahead of them and newborns at home who die (oops, did I give something away?); and of course, plenty of practically immobile Asians to gun down whenever slow-motion shots of American soldiers won't suffice. At its best, the film starkly depicts the horrors of war; at its worst (which it leans towards for the majority), it's merely a by-product of sappy post 9/11 sentiments. Good enough story, bad execution, cliches by the barrelful. Ho hum.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent war flick
Review: This is a wonderful movie. Mel Gibson's character is great and he does a very convincing job playing it. Though a take-off of the book, "We were soldiers once...And young," it's proven itself independantly entertaining and realistic. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered. If you like war movies, you'll love "We Were Soldiers."
|
