Some powerful history on the Vietnam war but overall a so-so movie

Rating: 6/10 (1 July 2020)

I was left confused after watching this movie as critics were praising this movie. It had some good moments but it was also all over the place going from good scene to boring, by the book scene. The highlight for me was the reminder of how pointless the war in Vietnam was. Showing some of the brutal violence and atrocities it feels like a bizarre wake-up call of what is really happening in the world. As the war was before my time I remember only seeing the protests and talks about it on television. The gravity of the situation didn't really hit me until I watched this movie. So it definitely was eyeopening.
What added to the weirdness is that the war which seemed so important then seems so pointless and ignorant in 2020. Made me think about how many of the recent wars will eventually be looked back on as being a foolish mistake.
The rest of the movie is plagued by all over the place directing and a movie that is too long. A few good scenes, an especially memorable scene by Delroy Lindo and some powerful history but the movie is also drowning in an abundance of boring, by the book scenes. It's on Netflix so I felt it was worth it just to learn how brutal the war in Vietnam was, but with its many flaws it never becomes a great movie.