Great directing, cinematography, and one of the most hauntingly timed musical scores

Rating: Null/10 (3 March 2002)

I'll admit, it's been a while since any film has moved me, and after reading some other critics reviews I wasn't expecting much as Mel Gibson leads the Vietnam era 7th Cavalry (Yes, of Custer fame.), now riding helicopters, into their first mission. And they land on an ant hill. It's 600 Americans against 4000 NVA soldiers (reminding me of Pork Chop Hill, 1959). I tolerated the first act as overblown melodrama, but found myself sucked in bad by the second act. Sure there was plenty of graphic fire fights for us action fans, but the scene that broke me up was when the yellow taxi cabs delivered telegrams to the wives of the soldiers killed in action while the battle was still going on. I'll admit, I lost it. Would this film have carried itself without Mel Gibson, I don't think so, but add great directing, cinematography, and one of the most hauntingly timed musical scores (that included chanting Buddhist monks) to heighten scenes and you have a moving war film that tries to remind us that plenty of good people (American and Vietnamese) died in Vietnam. If you go, bring tissues.