Mr. Craven's Film Studies Class- Question #2

Rating: 7/10 (19 December 2013)

#2. The different personalities of the three men (Steve, Mike and Nick) before they go to Vietnam and how it serves them as soldiers. Did their different approaches towards life serve as an accurate prelude to what was to happen? Could it have happened differently?
Before going to the Vietnam war, Nick has trouble taking care of himself independently. He mostly relies on his friend, Mike, to take care of him. Mike is very responsible, and loyal. Steve is a bit naive, and it shows when he marries a woman who is having another man's baby. The wedding scene also shows how naive Steve is when other people are dancing with his wife.
During the war, the three men are forced to play Russian Roulette. Steve pulls the trigger, but chickens out just in time to have the bullet only skim his head. This shows that Steve has been sheltered, and living a naive life. He has never been exposed to such a dangerous game before. He is then put in an underwater cage as a prisoner. Mike is the one who comes up with a plan to escape. Mike and Nick are left to play Russian Roulette against each other. Mike keeps encouraging Nick to pull the trigger. Mike asks to play the game with three bullets instead of one. The Vietnam soldiers are intrigued by his bravery that they agree. Mike ends up using the gun to shoot the three Vietnam soldiers, and escape with Steve and Nick. Steve looses his legs in the process from an accident.
I think that their different approaches towards life serves as an accurate prelude to the events to come during and after the war. Nick forgets his boots, and he forgets his identity after the war. He sort of becomes out of touch with reality, and irrational. Steve is very naive, and he can't handle playing Russian Roulette. He seems to have thought the war would be different. Mike is very reliable, and loyal. He seems to be the one who comes up with good ideas. He is the most rational of the three. Mike ends up going back to Vietnam to save Nick. He stays with him until Nick kills himself. Mike cares about his friends, and is very loyal in the beginning of the movie. His actions show that he encompasses these qualities through the entire film.
I think the beginning of the film could have been better if it showed more of Steve's personality. His character was not as developed as Mike and Nick's. Mike and Nick are opposites in some ways, so it was easy to differentiate the two. Steve's character seemed more questionable because he was hard to figure out. His character becomes more developed when he is at war. His outlook on life is more prominent if you watch the movie a second time because you'll have seen his personality a bit more.
Overall, I think the movie was pretty good. The beginning of the movie really shows the men's different approaches towards life do serve as an accurate prelude to what is to happen next for the most part. I'd say that all of the characters were well-developed at least by the end of the film. Their actions really reflect who they are and their personality traits. It was a well-written film with terrific actors.