One of the More Accurate Vietnam War Movies

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2010)

Despite all of the complaining, and some it justified, you can't hide the fact that this is definitely one of the more accurate Vietnam war films based on a real-life battle. Yes, the climactic battle scene is pure Hollywood, and I myself was very disappointed by it, but overall the events as they are portrayed in the film follow the book quite nicely. As another reviewer pointed out, it could have been one of the all-time great war films, but it fell a bit short. I do disagree with reviewers who try to paint this film as pro-American propaganda and revisionist. It is simply a Vietnam war film about the bond between a commander and his men in the field, and it was very well done in that aspect. I don't remember a whole lot of dialogue in the script about who was right and who was wrong, or why we were there. It was all about survival in the face of a determined enemy. I also don't agree with the reviewer who stated that the LZ Albany ambush was avoided in order to paint a one-sided version of the battle, because that was a separate event that didn't involve Colonel Moore or his men. Involving other units would have meant a much bigger film in scope, even though I still think that it could have been handled well. The battle scenes were some of the best filmed. However, as I stated earlier, Hollywood inevitably stepped in right near the end, and that is why the film was flawed. A more realistic climax and ending would have been much better, and still satisfying. Hopefully, some day in the future a filmmaker will avoid Hollywood clichÃ©s and finally get it 100% right.