Well worth seeing

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2006)

I'm not a Mel Gibson fan, so that's probably why I didn't see this in the move theaters. Or, was it even in the theaters? Anyway, I stumbled across this movie just at it begun on TV. I almost turned it off, but I'm glad I didn't.
I think there are some sappy moments at the beginning, but given that the film is based on a true story, I'm sure moments like them happened in the somewhat innocent 1960s. As a film that covers the first major battle of Vietnam, it seems to offer an unbiased view (after all, the sentiment against the Vietnam war didn't exist yet in the U.S.).
The battle scenes are compelling to say the least. And, the combatants on both sides are depicted well. It's a testament to the spirit of a fighter (whether or not you agree with the fight itself).
Madeleine Stowe does a great job as the wife. Mel does a good performance of what is clearly a smart man. I got goosebumps during some of her later scenes as well as some of the battle scenes. The ensemble is great, and I think the movie does a very good job of covering the confusion, heroics, sacrifices, and politics of war. If only we could live in a world without war.