The classic movie about war and man

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2020)

First, I am a veteran of the Vietnam War. Second, I have watched this movie at least 10 times and learned something new each time. Yeah, there are flaws. The hunting scenes are in Washington, not Pennsylvania. Many of the Vietnamese in the movie are played by Thais. No, Russian roulette was not a part of the war. But, that is pale compared to the real horror of the Vietnam War. The movie, thanks to Michael Cimino, captures the disgusting realism of the war - from the crowded streets of Saigon, reeking of God-awful food, urine, feces, marijuana smoke and the pathetic, almost pre-historic ignorance and living conditions of the people of Vietnam to the total effect it had on our soldiers, ruining their lives and that of their families. The depiction may err in some areas, but the gut-wrenching feeling you get while watching it is real. And, having worked in and around the VA hospitals for years as a sales rep I can say authoritatively that as awful as it was in the movie, in real life it is much worse. You should see this film if you are a veteran or a member of a family of a veteran of Vietnam and understand more those whose names are on the wall and those who have somehow recovered, many with lifelong disabilities. And those of us like myself, who have suffered the effects of Agent Orange, a herbicide that the government knew was going to poison our troops and did it anyway, have pity. And for all the kids out there who love to play video games where you kill and then are killed yourself but just re-boot to get a new life - you need to see what real war is and the effect it has on everyone.