Close, but no cigar

Rating: 3/10 (28 May 2006)

I'm not disputing the factuality of what takes place in the film. For all I know, it could be word-for-word perfect in every scene. My criticism is aimed at the directing and cinematography, which stunk. This film was just a couple of clicks above a high-school play. Scenes which should have had tremendous impact on the viewer were just ... scenes.
It's telling that many of the positive reviews here were written by veterans, or contained comments from veterans. Those who actually experienced the Vietnam war, while able to recognize the accuracy of the film, are missing the simple fact that it was not a good film.
Badly-done Shakespeare may still be called "Shakespeare", but to be accurate, it also must be called "bad".