A great movie about friendship and psychology in war

Rating: 10/10 (13 July 2004)

Most people criticize this movie as inaccurate, racist, and drawn out. On all three of those criticisms they are mostly correct. However I do not think this movie could've been made any better. I myself am a soldier, I have fought in Iraq. In my opinion this movie captures the relationships of friends before, during, and after the war. This movie isn't about the Vietnam war, the war is merely a backdrop. After decades of WW2 films, especially considering that most were cheesy action flicks, Hollywood directors needed a new war to use for their pictures. Vietnam made the most sense because most of the movie going public was old enough to identify with that war.
I think this movie does an excellent job of showing the emotions of these great characters. One critic on this page noted that these guys really had nothing to go home to. Just a s**t job in a mining town. Most guys in today's wars don't have anything more than that to go home to but home is still paradise in their minds just like it was for Michael, Nicky, and Stan.
The movie may not be the most realistic depiction of combat, but neither was The Dirty Dozen and that is still a great movie. The movie may not give you the best impression of the Vietnamese but I can't think of too many war movies that do.
If you want a bare bones realistic experience of war, especially the Vietnam war check out Platoon. That movie covers perfectly what it's like to be in an Infantry platoon not only in Vietnam but in any war for that matter. If you want a great story about friendship and war I highly recommend the Deer Hunter.