A Review

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2002)

I was skeptical at my first glance of "We Were Soldiers". I like Mel Gibson and Chris Klein, but after the disastrous "Pearl Harbor" I really wondered if I would enjoy writer/director Randall Wallace's film. I am happy to say, despite the sketchy, at times cliche filled dialogue, "Soldiers" is an excellent film.
The movie gains unique ground dramatically when we are shown the soldiers of the film as family men, complete with wives and children. This unique little precursor to the war area of the film gave each of the major characters ample personality, something recent war films (like "Black Hawk Down") did not give.
In fact, I have never felt such an emotional connection to the characters in a war film since "Saving Private Ryan"."Soldiers" is a very powerful film, although no as powerful as "Ryan".
Gibson, Kinnear, Klein, as well as Stowe and Russell, give excellent performances and the direction is well done. the only fault in the film lies in the dialogue, which is noticeably awkward at times.
Overall, this is an excellent war film that deserves a spot right next to "Ryan" on your shelve. **** (out of four)