Too formulaic for a war movie.

Rating: 4/10 (3 April 2019)

This movie would have been good, if not for the scriptwriting and directing. This almost feels more like a Shakespeare play than an actual war movie. No one in Vietnam, in the heat of combat, is going to find the time to hump through the jungle to frag one of your own guys. The conflict between Willem Dafoe's character and Tom Berenger's character gets a little too cartoonish and too convenient at times. Charlie Sheen does an OK job. I have been told that pretty much every aspect of this movie is accurate. Dale Dye, an actual Vietnam soldier and advisor, acted as well to add some realism to this piece. The soundtrack is another bummer in this movie as well. There are no period-authentic pieces, like on Forest Gump with Fortunate Son. The soundtrack only further adds to the aggravation of the movie which seems to force a history lesson down your throat at times.