#2

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2012)

The three varying personalities of the main characters, Nick, Steve, and Mike, are demonstrated in the wedding arc of the film. This character study is important to subtly establish traits of the three main characters that later demonstrate why they all fared the way they did in Vietnam. Steve's kind and accepting personality is demonstrated by his marrying Angela, a woman that is pregnant with another man's child. He also shown to still be under some kind of influence of his mother. This would explain why he doesn't fare well in combat and why he regresses to a child like state, hoping that Mike will protect him. Nick is shown to be a risk taker in the wedding arc. This obviously explains why he becomes so invested in playing Russian Roulette. Mike is shown to be the leader of his group of friends. They come to him for help and he generally has the last say on issues. Mike refuses to act on his feelings for Nick's girlfriend due to his dedication to their friendship. These traits display themselves in Vietnam when Mike assumes his role as leader of the three and protects both Nick and Steve. He demonstrates his dedication to his and Nick's friendship by going back to Vietnam to try and bring Nick back home.