Great film

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2002)

"We Were Soldiers" is an excellent war movie and an excellent film, period. It is meticulously researched and based on a fine book of the same title. Read that book, and you will understand that A) the U.S. filming locations ARE realistic in portraying the Central Vietnam Highlands and that B) many of the "corny" or "sentimental" events of the film are straight from the actual battle and have been religiously incorporated into the movie. If WWS isn't clever and ironic enough for some viewers, well, Platoon wasn't very hip, clever or ironic, either, and this movie would serve as a good introduction to that film. Mel Gibson's performance here ranks with his passionate, zesty work in Braveheart. He is never anything less than convincing, and yet for a larger-than-life role, he never comes across as an invincible hero or a superstar. Frankly, I forgot that I was watching Mel Gibson and simply accepted him as Col. Hal Moore. One of the best movies of the year, if not the best movie of the year.