Great war action

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2014)

Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) is a proponent of the new Air Cavalry strategy. He's a smart insightful soldier who forms an elite force combining ground forces with helicopters. The war in Vietnam is in its opening stages. The movie starts with their formation back in the States. It climaxes when in 1965, Moore and his men engage the much larger North Vietnamese force in a small battlefield in the first battle of its kind.
Based on Moore's book, the action is compelling and realistic. The home front story doesn't detract from the action. It's important to see Moore's home life. The battle doesn't demonize the enemy, and shows as much as reasonably expected of the opposition. There is a few characters that is allowed to have compelling story lines. Even though the battlefield can be confusing, the movie never is.