Some folks should bother to read the book...

Rating: Null/10 (15 April 2002)

I'd like to address some of the "complaints" I've read (by other reviewers) on IMDB.
Re "cheesy lines" "Cliches"....well, according to the book (written by Moore and Galloway, and exhaustively researched) no less than 3 dying GIs said, "tell my wife I love her" and the lieutenant in question really did say "I'm happy to die for my country".
Re "SGT Major standing upright and never getting shot"...sorry, really happened...as attested to by many of the folks involved with the battle. Apparently that guy was impossible to hit :)
Re "Futility of War"...oh yeah? Tell that to Hitler, the NVA or the North during the Civil War. War, for good or ill, has settled more issues than anything else I can think of.
Re "The US soldiers are more closely portrayed than the NVA"...well, it's an American movie about American soldiers.
Re "It doesn't address the roots of the war"...nor should it. It is about the battle, not an in depth geopolitical statement. How deep must one delve to have an interesting story anyway? Besides, the book does not touch upon the "roots" of the war.
Re "Too gung ho"...let's remember this battle took place in 1965, not 1969. Many of the soldiers (not all, though) were career Korean War vets, not 19 year old draftees. In 1965, Americans still believed in their "mission" and took fighting communism at face value.
Re "Heavy handed dialogue"...much is verbatim from the mouths of the participants.
Re "Dwelling on the virtues of the NVA"...Lt. General Moore gives them a glowing review, which is translated from the book to the film. His respect and admiration for them is evident.
Please, do yourself a favor...read "We were soldiers once...and young" Sad but very good.