yeah? So tell me about it...

Rating: Null/10 (8 March 2002)

This movie hits (then quickly parries) on a point that most war movies tend to miss: tactics of war. Almost every film or photo we see depicting Viet Nam battle involves a chopper touching down to transport soldiers. This became a necessity in Viet Nam due to the enemy's familiarity with the rough terrain and our inability to move effectively across it. However, the chopper was a new machine to war and thus had never before been used in this manner. This film shows the true story of one of the first test missions of this new tactic.
Despite some truly awesome scenes depicting helicopter formations, firepower and pilot technique, it doesn't follow through on the technical side of things. Along with this, the viewer is only teased here and there by a soldier's call for artillery that is set up 5 miles away but can wipe out the enemy 20 yards in front of the request, or a 3 a.m. call for illumination that uncovers enemy soldiers so close you can smell them. There is never the proper amount of concentration or tribute paid to these technical military marvels. This would not at base be a bad thing, considering. Tribute is paid instead to the soldiers who truly deserve it. And the concentration is aimed at their personal/home lives. The problem lies in the movie never showing us either the full military or the full soldier's story. There are really two movies here, neither of which ever makes itself fully known. The military movie is disrupted by drama and the drama has a military pace. Because of this, much of the emotion of this film is misplaced. This becomes more of a shame since the cinematography, special effects/realism, and even the acting are pretty great. This is one of the few movies that could have actually been better if it had run longer.
If you like choppers, napalm and gore, you will love the battle scenes. If you like a good cry, you will probably like the dramatic scenes. But if you like a good, telling war movie you will walk out of this feeling a little dissatisfied. What makes me a touch more than dissatisfied is the idea that with a little more footage and a slower, more true-to-life dramatic pace, this movie could have been one of the best. Skip this movie and read the book instead if you really want to discover a good war story.