Not What I Expected

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2006)

I didn't see this movie when it was released. I felt, after seeing Braveheart, that what I was going to see was a pro-Vietnam War movie, like what John Wayne did in The Green Berets. I was wrong, and I wish I'd seen this in the movie theater. I saw it tonite on TV, Memorial Day Weekend, with so many other war movies on so many channels. I felt it gave an accurate, realistic portrayal of that war, both pro and con. The cinematography was very effective, showing the confusion and chaos of a battle scene, pulling the audience into the battle. Mel Gibson, Sam Elliot and Barry Pepper were very good, and Greg Kinnear was surprisingly good. The attention to detail was excellent, and graphic. I don't know what this movie is rated, and since I saw it on TV, I'm sure much of it was cut, but the violence is very effective. Just as an example, when they show the first American death, and the camera is focused on the soldier's eyes, as he dies you see his pupils dilate. I'm sure, as a nurse, I noticed a lot of this sort of detail that maybe gets missed, but it certainly adds to the reality of the movie. I intend to rent this so I can see it uncut, and I'm going to buy the book. I'm sure the movie couldn't include everything, but what was there is excellent.