One of the best movies I've seen in a long while.

Rating: 10/10 (16 March 2002)

I'm a fan of Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott and I expected to like this movie because they were in it. What I didn't expect was how much I would like the movie, or how much it would move me. It was one of the best movies that I've seen in a long while. I was born in 1964 and grew up watching the Vietnam war on TV, but until I saw this movie that's mostly all the war was to me, some images on TV and some pages in a history book. I hope people see this film and come away being as proud of the vietnam veterans as I am, and as interested in learning more about this controversial war. Whether you approved of the politics behind this war or not, no one should downplay the courage of the men (and women) who fought in this war while most of us stayed home in our snug little beds. The way the vietnam veterans have been treated since they returned home is disgraceful. It's time they were shown some respect. I've read other user comments that decry the patriotism shown in this movie. What I want to know is, what's wrong with being patriotic? The makers of this film and all the actors involved should be proud of the way this movie made me feel. I saw many people crying (as I was myself) at this moving tribute to the men who fought and died in the Ia Drang Valley during those three days in 1965. I hope this movie helps bring some closure to the vietnam veterans and their families and to the families who lost loved ones in this war.