Rating: 
Summary: Someone Pinch Me!
Review: Without a doubt the best movie on the vietnam war since "Platoon"
I give this movie two thumbs up! Mel Gibson, as always does not displease and neither do the other star studded cast members.
Based on one of the first battles fought between Americans and the North Vietnamese it graphically portrays our American boys for what they really are, heros! I highly recommend it to anyoe who is sick of seeing the Americans always portrayed as the bad guys of the Vietnam War.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie; Good Extras
Review: "We Were Soldiers" is a U-turn for American films about Vietnam. For years, the best flicks about the war highlighted the nation's disillusionment and cynicism about our involvement in Southeast Asia -- "Apocalypse Now," "Platoon," "Full Metal Jacket," and "Born on the Fourth of July" leave the viewer bereft, wondering how to deal with that ball of ice in your stomach. But each of these films looks back with regret, wtih "if we only knew the truth at the beginning, we wouldn't have gotten involved over there in that hideous war." "We Were Soldiers," on the other hand, captures the America at the beginning of the Vietnam conflict. Most of the soldiers are the earnest, happy-go-lucky young guys we got in the John Wayne war films . . . before they go off to war, they sing and dance with their wives and girlfriends, and they show an innocent heroism under fire. Only the senior officers, played by Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott, know the truth about war and how savage the Vietnam conflict will be. Mel, as the senior commander, gets a bit jingoistic at times, but that his depiction is apparently dead-on for those who know the real-life commander (who was a consultant on the film). Sam Elliott, as the grizzled second-in-command, is a wonder -- he stalks the movie with a barely concealed fury, terrifying his own soldiers, but has a moment of exquisite tenderness and leadership with one of his boys. Like the young soldiers, the audience gets its education on how the conflict will be -- the Vietnamese, who are given a humanity rarely seen in Vietnam movies, still charge with near-suicidal determination. We see napalm in its hideous applications. We see the terror of a unit cut off from the main force overnight. We are stunned by seeing what men can endure and we despair because no man should have to experience the hell of that battlefield. The movie truly shines with its parallel storyline of the wives and girlfriends back in Georgia who wait for news of their loved ones in combat . . . or, more accurately, pray that they do not receive news. The movie's most touching scenes revolve around the delivery of the "We regret to inform you . . . " telegrams announcing the death of another soldier to their families. Anyone who can watch these scenes without heartache has not heart. The DVD also contains some nice extras, including deleted scenes with director's commentary. It's always interesting to hear why certain scenes didn't make it into a good story, and while some of the deleted scenes were quite good, it's hard to quibble with the explanation.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistibly watchable
Review: Well it is Mel all right; he started getting gung ho with whit "Brave heart" hand has been gearing up ever since. The only problem I have with this movie is I can not figure out what he has to say even when he tells you. With the probable exception of "All Quiet on the Western front", most war movies just use war as a back drop to their main purpose as in "Apocalypse Now" (an updated "Hart of Darkness"). This movie has the look and feel of an updated "Green Berets" Pluck out John Wayne and plug in Mel. We know the base story is of the stand off of the NVA at Ia Drang November 1965 against overwhelming odds, with a little help of superior technology. The uniforms and equipment look pretty authentic. The terrain was well done also; it could be the real thing as much as California. Not all of Vietnam is swamp.
Even though there is a lot of action (more phosphorus than C4) this is not just a shootemup movie. They also focused on the wives back home, showing how they had to cope with the situation. There were also some cursory sub stories as a combat photographer getting more than he expected. I have the same conundrum as others do that have not been there. The Vietnam I was in (67-68) had a few firefights; but most of the time it was our spies against their spies and there was no front. When we tangled both sides lost an even average of 15% but if you could find them and drop something on them you got your 15% from a safe distance. I was in the special reactionaries and trained for just the situation this movie depicts. I was the RTO and was supposed to fight out and retake the base to not let the NVA get a foot hold. However it never came. One thing you can say about this movie is that you will get involved and almost forget that it is a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Mel Gibson-American
Review: Just a quick comment. I loved the movie, but rather than get into the specifics of that, I want to thank Mel Gibson for being a better American than many Americans (especially those in Hollywood). For an Aussie, he has portrayed, in both The Patriot and We Were Soldiers, the spirit of the American patriot better than anyone else in recent memory, American or otherwise. I wish we had more citizens with his morals and ideals. God bless you, Mel.
Rating:
Summary: Now this is war
Review: this movie has everything a war movie need's a good plot with a lot of action. it must be statisfying action that is very real. Now what make's me mad about the review's it is said on some but not enough. Barry Peppper was the real star of this, half this movie is about him. i'm not putting down mel gibson but the best performance of this movie was Barry Pepper's who is alway's the underdog that show steals like he did in Saving Private Ryan.
Rating:
Summary: The best of war films, the (almost) worst of war films
Review: Please note that I am reviewing the film as a film rather than as a representation of the historical events of the battle of Ia Drang and of the Seventh Cavalry. This film strikes me as the most wildly uneven war film ever made. Scenes of extraordinary power and brilliance alternate with the most hackneyed cliches. At its best, "We Were Soldiers" possesses a lyricism not to be found in other war films, especially those about Vietnam. This lyricism comes about through a sort of re-envisioning of moments more or less borrowed from other directors and films ("Platoon" especially, but also the war films of John Ford and others) within the framework of a band of brothers, the sense of which comes through very strongly despite Gibson's mannered performance as the commander. It comes through most of all in Wallace's use of montage, slow motion, and sound design to create a feeling of mythic eternity, which is counterposed to the gritty realism of the battle. The sequence of the battalion leaving for Vietnam is devastating, as is the montage that depicts the final charge at Ia Drang. (There are one or two montages, however, that don't work so well.) At its worst, the film telegraphs the tired sentimentalism of the genre: the young lieutenant who the viewer knows in the first five seconds will die in battle, the gruff, homespun commander, the perfunctory cuts to the enemy's command post to make sure the audience doesn't think the film is one-sided, the manipulative use of the home front (with Madeline Stowe in an *appalling* sixties wig). All the same, I highly recommend this film to lovers of the genre, because its best moments are in fact some of the best of all.
Rating:
Summary: We Were Soldiers and 9-11
Review: A hero twice. One of the fire fighters who died in 9-11 was a hero caught in this horrendous fire fight in Nam. Knowing that really gave this movie a sense of reality. Gibson's portrayal of Moore and his caring for his men was very heart rending. It pictured the senselessness of the battle, and, it seems that the first major battle in Viet Nam set the stage for all the rest. The frustration at the loss of life, the lack of command and control, the lack of support, the distance from any supplies. Compared to Irag II, Viet Nam was a tragedy. Our brave men who fought there should be remembered. This movie honors American youth. It is in a league of it's own. You cannot really compare it to any other war movie. It stands alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not among the best, but a well told story...
Review: 3.5 Stars if I could choose the option. An interesting departure from other Viet Nam movies, as it focuses on a single battle early on in the war's development (and the introduction of the airborne cavalry as well). While I'm sure it's not completely accurate, it does shed some interesting light on the things that happened there, and how they influenced the early stages of the war. By this I do not mean that it is a historically critical look at this battle -- it's clearly entertainment and not documentary -- but it at least is a somewhat accurate portrayal of the scenario in question (unlike most Hollywood war movies). Definitely worth a look if you're a Mel Gibson fan, although it is far from ranking among the truly great Viet Nam war movies (Full Metal Jacket, Apocolypse Now, The Deer Hunter). We Were Soliders is to war movies, what You've Got Mail is to modern romances. It conveys most of the relevant facts related to the subject-matter, while stringing together an interesting or entertaining story that keeps you watching.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST SEE MOVIE!
Review: Knowing some of the people involved with this true story and having met General Harold Moore and Joe Galloway a few years ago I felt a necessity to see the film as soon as possible (ASAP). I had read their co-authored book We Were Soldiers Once and Young so I already knew what to expect of the film. I knew that neither he nor Joe wanted just any Hollywood company to turn their book into a fiasco. They wanted the truth told and shown so Americans could learn about one particular unit and the major battle they fought in 1965. I knew that Mel Gibson was at Fort Benning, Georgia (GA) preparing to make the film. I also knew that they moved the film crew out to Fort Hunter-Liggett in California for the actual battle scenes. I was aware that the producer, director, screenplay writer and company involved with making the movie had also done "Braveheart" which won five Academy Awards a few years ago. I felt they would stick to reality rather than sugar coating the true story. While some things were changed to make the movie from the book most of it was as real as possible. The movie began by showing French soldiers being massacred in June 1954 in the IaDrang Valley by the North Vietnamese. This valley became known as the Valley of Death and was often compared to GEN Custer's battle at the Little Big Horn. This was the first intense battle scene of the film but it was far from being the last. Although this film was about the IaDrang Valley battle of November 1965 it also showed the public much more. It gave you the opportunity to meet certain characters up close and personal. It shows the wives, families, how they were affected and how these women helped each other during this time in history as well as their spouses and children. On Sunday 14 November 1965 the 1/7, made up of about 400 US soldiers, arrived at Landing Zone (LZ) Xray and soon found themselves up against more than 2000 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers. For the next three days the soldiers battled the enemy. Precise times and locations were scrolled across the bottom of the screen. This entire part of the film is very intense. There were firefights, hand-to-hand combat, and bombing missions, which were so close to our own men that there were friendly fire casualties. As darkness engulfed the battalion things got worse. LTC Moore walked among his soldiers reassuring them and telling them they did well to that point and to continue. Casualties were mounting. Moore was seen several times praying over the dead and wounded members of his battalion. This showed his compassion even more for his men. As word was spreading back home of casualties the wives soon found out that the Army was not prepared for this. Taxicab drivers were delivering those dreaded telegrams. For whatever reason it showed that there were no chaplains or counselors there to handle this process. I don't recall that ever really happening so I'm hoping that was just a little bit of the Hollywood effect put on the film. Whatever the case was, in this movie Julie Moore took it upon herself to deliver all the messages to the spouses of her husband's soldiers. Meanwhile Joe Galloway knew that there was heavy fighting going on and he jumped onboard a chopper to go see for himself. Armed only with several cameras he goes into the heat of the battle. When asked why he was there Galloway said to help the people home understand the war by shooting pictures not a rifle. More air strikes are called in and one of the men Joe came to know briefly was badly burned. He carried him to a waiting chopper. This was a rather gruesome scene. The second and third days of battle weren't any better. The NVA kept bringing in fresh troops as our soldiers were trying to continue the battle themselves. LTC Moore asked for a head count of his men and when he found two were missing he went out himself looking for them. As Joe Galloway continued shooting pictures Moore said "I'll never forgive myself that my men died and I didn't." Joe commented, "I don't know how to tell this story." And Moore's response was "You got to Joe. Tell them how my troopers died. "LTC Moore refused to leave the IaDrang till all his men living or dead were taken off the field of battle. He kept his promise although 234 of his troopers died. LTC Moore wrote personal letters to each deceased soldier's family. His compassion continued throughout the next 235 days his battalion was in Vietnam and to this day. Before the credits rolled there was a brief narration about how our soldiers returned home with no bands, flags, or welcomes. The soldiers knew they fought for each other. The final scene was one of two soldiers, one in a wheelchair, going down what appeared to be an airport hallway. A woman with her children approached them and she pulled the children away from the soldiers as if they were diseased or something. The names of the fallen soldiers of the 1/7 are listed on Panel 3 East of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Moore and Galloway told their story well. Randall Wallace and Mel Gibson portrayed it excellently. Though graphic in nature this is a MUST SEE movie. Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions. I believe the film has shown what the IaDrang Valley battle was really like. Those people who may be squeamish about blood, burns, broken burns, etc might want to stay home. BUT if you are a true fan and prefer seeing war movies-this is the one to go to! You not only see the battle scenes but also learn some of the relationship between the men, their wives, and families.
Rating:
Summary: Best recent war movie
Review: This is just the funnest film to watch. It has a very different perspective than most other war movies. It is very dramatic and sad at some times. Intense and gruesome at other times. Awesome explosions and gunfire. It couldn't be more real. By watching a preview on tv, I thought it would be a really boring movie, but the preview, i guess, doen't describe the film very good. so don't be mislead by the previews. I actually understood what was going on. Like the plans they had and where everyone was. You got to see some of the enemies point of veiw also. The characters were very real and was amazing what they did. You got to see the wives reactions to their husbands dying and that was sad. Very good ending. I couldn't belive this movie was set in the 60's. Great movie.
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