French Guy in Saigon

Rating: 8/10 (19 May 2011)

The French guy in Saigon represents the French involvement in Vietnam. The French had established Indochina as one of its own colonies prior to WWII. After the war began, France could no longer support its colonies there and had to abdicate them. The Vietnamese resisted French rule and would attack them when the opportunity presented itself. When Truman decided to send aid to the South Vietnamese, he declared that the French must give Vietnam and it's neighbors independence in order for the aid to continue. However, it is projected through the movie that there was still some French people in Vietnam during the war.
The movie lost one stars because I felt the beginning could have conveyed each soldiers personality before the war in a shorter sequence. It lost another star, for me at least, due to the blatant violence. However, I think it was necessary to convey the brutality of the Vietnam war and the psychological trauma that the men faced. But for me, personally, it was a bit much at times and I had to look away.