We Were Excellent.

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2002)

From the trailers, this looked like just another war movie starring Mel Gibson. At first glance, I thought it was just a generic war flick. How wrong I was.
I'm glad I'm not one of those people who shuns movies just because of lack of interest. That is how I got to loving movies like the Matrix and Desperado. This movie caught my eye, because Mel Gibson is great in everything he's in, but again, this looked like another war movie that wasn't as deep as its older brothers.
We Were Soldiers separates itself from Mel's other War flicks. While Braveheart and the Patriot focus on one soldier and his life (along with several battle scenes), We Were Soldiers focuses on the lives of many soldiers, their families, even one of the Viet Cong soldiers, as their lives are affected in a deadly battle.
This film takes place in the Vietnam War, the only war we ever officially lost. The first half hour revolves around training the troops... basically, the exposition. Soon after, they fall into battle. This battle makes up most of the movie. This isn't necessarily bad. For people who like seeing blood and guts, you will love this movie. Those who want to see some story, you will also love this movie. In fact, the acting was done so well in We Were Soldiers, that I nearly burst into tears in the end in sympathy for a Viet Cong soldier.
That's another reason why this movie is so great. While some movies portray the "other side" to be barbaric and want to spill our guts, We Were Soldiers actually gives the Viet Cong soldiers feelings. Even the leader, who was shouting out orders to kill us all... Our leader was doing the exact same thing. However, we only see the Viet Cong leader being barbaric because they are the "antagonists". That, I highly disagree with.
If you should see this movie, keep in mind that the antagonists are NOT the Viet Cong, but the war itself. This movie, as generic and unoriginal as the trailers made it seem, was one-of-a-kind, and if you have not seen it yet, make it a point to. It pays tribute to all the fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons who died in 'Nam. Braveheart and the Patriot are better, but this one should not be looked down upon. On a scale 1/10 (10 best), I give We Were Soldiers about a 15. Soldier, DISMISSED!