surprisingly unpatriotic

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2005)

"We were soldiers" tells the story of Col. Hal Moore and his men in the first battle between Vietnamese and American soldiers.
Based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" by Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, the reporter who witnessed the battle from the beginning, this movie is more authentic than some people like. It shows the horror of war in detail, including the effect of napalm. Although it starts with the new training at Fort Benning, the viewer gets to know both sides involved in this conflict. And soon we see that these men were not only soldiers trained to kill, but fathers, husbands and human beings.
Mel Gibson does a good job and characterizes Hal Moore as a brave and sensitive person. In fact he is so good at it that it is impossible to believe such a brave and heroic person exists.
"We were soldiers" is a shocking Vietnam movie and for a Hollywood production it is surprisingly unpatriotic.