Well-made film with contemptible content

Rating: 1/10 (6 June 2016)

Well made, well acted, this film depicts Americans as innocent, wholesome good old' boys who end up in the hands of the Viet Cong, who are depicted as subhuman monsters. As an anti-Vietnam War veteran protester, I found the film extremely offensive. Cimino admitted in an interview that he knew of no such Russian roulette game played in Asia; he made it up. Now, I would not whitewash the Viet Cong; war is hell and they could play the devil. But it was their country; we had no business being there. When I left the film, I told my friends, "I guess General Westmoreland was right."(the General in an interview had pulled out that old clichÃ© that Asians have no regard for human life). As I watched the film, I kept thinking where is Lieutenant Calley right now? This film is the most politically incorrect interpretation of the war that could possible be made, and all the critics at the time were blinded by the effective performances and depiction of the terror inflicted by those ugly, perverse Asians. Good riddance, Michael Cimino.