Anti-Vietnam or anti-war?

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2005)

We, average movie lovers, are a little tired of Vietnam movies. Hollywood mass-produces them and indifferent films with different casts parade on the theaters.
But the thing we are really tired of is Anti-Vietnam movies, with the message "We Shouldn't Be Here" written all over them. I don't argue that America should battle there, but the message has become boring after watching it over and over again. "Platoon" brings together everything I hate about Vietnam movies so it's the worst example for me, with "Born on the 4th of July" close behind it.
But I know that Kubrick and De Palma used the same setting to produce masterpieces "Full Metal Jacket" and "Casualties of War".
"We were soldiers" does not excel like the two I mentioned above, but is definitely a good movie despite those negative criticism it got from the critics. First of all it is an anti-war movie, not anti-Vietnam. It has a humanitarian attitude. "Thin Red Line" has the same attitude but so much that it was a distraction. Randall Wallace, gives a good mixture of combat and humanity.
Mel Gibson is his usual self and does not disappoint. Gregg Kinnear delivers a decent performance as "Snake" and it was an interesting change to watch Sam Elliott without his legendary mustache.
Violence and bloody scenes can disturb the ones with a weak stomach, but if you like a decent war movie, forget the critics and watch "We were Soldiers"