Explosive, both in action and characterisations.

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2010)

On Sunday November 14th, Lt. Col. Hal Moore {Mel Gibson} and his 400 strong regiment touched down at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam. Surrounded by around 2000 North Vietnamese soldiers who were well trained and well versed with the terrain, Moore's troopers fought for 56 hours. It was a bloody and brutal battle that was the first major engagement of the Vietnam War. It was "The Valley Of Death" in more ways than one.
Directed by Randall Wallace, We Were Soldiers is based on the book "We Were Soldiers OnceÂ… And Young" by Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway. As always when a War film comes out you get the usual statements trundled out. Things such as "the most realistic yet" and "finally a film to tell it as it was," both of which were applied to Wallace's movie. If they happen to be true I have no idea, what with not being a combat veteran myself. What I do know is that personally, We Were Soldiers hits many many high points in its running time of 138 minutes.
After a crucial 30 minute build up of the characters, the film switches to the landing of the "boys" in Vietnam. From here the action never lets up, with Wallace and his team stunningly recreating the brutality and harshness of this bloody engagement. But crucially the action does not detract from its characters, having been engaged with them at the start of the film, the makers ensure that we stay with these men throughout the battle. Also of note is that the film shows the Vietnamese side of the battle, the fair treatment of both sides a most rewarding thing to see in a War film. There's brilliant cut aways to the Women and families at home, themselves fighting a battle to not lose their minds as their men fight in some faraway land. The emotional aspect significantly racked up high as the dreaded telegrams start being delivered by nameless, faceless yellow cab drivers.
The men of the cast are uniformly strong, particularly Gibson, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper & Ryan Hurst. While Madeleine Stowe & Keri Russell deliver heartfelt and believable turns on the Women's side. Dean Semler's cinematography is done justice by the new High Definition age and Nick Glennie-Smith's score is just a wonderful, emotive arrangement that taps into the psyche of the viewer. It's looking like it is a divisive film now, certainly in the context of Vietnam War films. So with that it is in danger of becoming the forgotten "Nam" movie. Which would be a crying shame for this is a tip top dramatisation of an horrific historical event. Point made, nobody forgotten, great great film. 8/10