That my men... that my men died and I didn't.

Rating: 9/10 (21 March 2012)

We Were Soldiers is about the story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it. We Were Soldiers was one of my favorite war films growing up and still is one of my favorites. Director, Randall Wallace, takes you into this gritty, realist war film. What stands with the directing style of, We Were Soldiers, is the use of a steadicam affectively for action sequence. When you watch this film you get right into the middle of the action, seeing all the detail and emotions. I like the film grain; it adds to the grittiness of war. The performances in We Were Soldiers are great and succeeds with giving the characters life. It's always bad in films characters are so flat and lifeless because of the acting and character development. You get none of that in this film. Mel Gibson leads in We Were Soldiers and this by far one of his best performances of his career. The emotion you feel from beginning to end from Gibson is astounding. From the very beginning you see that he cares about being a parent, husband, & soldier. By the end of this film Mel Gibson has my eyes tearing up because of how much he loves his country and soldiers. The only tiny problem with this film is that it falls to little war movie clichés, but that didn't bother me. We Were Soldiers comes highly recommended for those who love war films.