Sad, brutal-yet a very well-made war picture...

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2008)

I was reluctant to see "We Were Soldiers" at first because I thought it was just another bloody war picture about heroism like "Saving Private Ryan." More than six years after its release, for the heck of it, I lent a copy from my local library. This movie is much more than about heroism and patriotism. For the first time I saw in a war film, the story focuses not only on the battlefield, but also on the men's families and wives, as they face fear of the knock on the door from a cabbie, telling them that their husband died in combat. This added a great deal of emotion to the characters of the film. I don't feel just sorry for the soldiers receiving gruesome deaths, but for their wives and children that they'll never see again. In a sense, this makes the film an anti-war picture. There maybe courageous acts and bravery in war, but it always comes with a heavy price.
The lead and supporting actors were all diligent in their roles. Mel Gibson is not the typical action hero that I had expected from "The Patriot" or the "Lethal Weapons". He's a man in a hellish war in which he focuses not just on his own survival, but also for his men. I rank his performance in this as one of his best. I'm disappointed that he didn't at least a golden globe nomination in 2002.
Director Randall Wallace, who helped Mel with "Braveheart", is wonderful as a director. He captures some intense and brutal battle scenes that are amazing, yet at times hard to watch (particularly with the napalm sequence). Dean Semler's photography is sweeping, plastering beautiful surroundings that are swamped by war. Nick Glennie-Smith's score has a triumphant sound, but at the same time is haunting. This develops a grim mood for the film. And lastly, I was thoroughly impressed with the sound effects editors. From what I saw on a documentary, all the gunshots and explosions were recorded after filming. They did a hell of a job making the audio fit the video. Bravo!
"We Were Soldiers" is a superb film that reminds everyone not only the horrors of war (both on the battlefield and at home), but also the courage men in the past and today are willing to take for our nation.