Finally a war movie that properly depicts a battle.

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2010)

My father is a Vietnam vet. He rarely talks about Vietnam, and when he does, he talks about boot camp or his training. He won't ever talk about the battlefield. So I knew this film had to be decent because he loves it. He only likes three war films that I know of, this one, Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers. Here's why this movie is amazing. 1. The movie is about an incredibly important part of history and shows how gruesome the first attack was in Vietnam. It also shows how, once again, France got us into a war that they couldn't handle. 2. It's incredibly realistic. My father thought that one scene might have been too influenced by Hollywood, until he found the actual footage of the battle. In one scene the Vietnamese soldiers just charge in aggressively and are being shot at close range by U.S. soldiers. It all looks more John Wayne then anything at first. But as the movie showed us, there was a reporter there filming the events that took place. His footage is available online. Sure enough, it shows Vietnamese soldiers doing an all out charge at the U.S. soldiers and looks just like the scene depicted in the movie. The movie showed how grueling war can be and how one quick decision can be fatal. 3. Sam Elliot. I was blown away by his take on Sgt. Plumley. Amazing. He played the part of the grumpy and pessimistic... but tough sargeant. It was almost as if they had hired a drill sargeant to do his part. 4. The movie depicts perfectly the sacrifice that the soldiers and families give up. It demonstrates that the war wasn't just in Vietnam, but it was also carried over here on the backs of soldiers and bared by the families and wives of these very soldiers. No soldier was cast as a major hero nor as some major action superstar. They were cast as soldiers, plain and simple. The movie asked for no glory, no praise, just for you to listen. As one Vietnam vet said, "This is our story". 5. The music to the movie was great, especially since it was performed by the military's own.
I recommend seeing this film. It's not a "feel-good" movie or a movie made for pure pleasure. It's made to show the story of the soldiers. It isn't meant to push a political belief nor to protest anyone. It tells a story, an amazing and true one at that.