Unique Vietnam War Movie

Rating: Null/10 (1 April 2003)

Okay, let's leave out that one of my favorite movies, Braveheart, comes from the Gibson/Wallace team. This is still a good flick. Every Vietnam War movie I've seen before this one seems to have some angle, some statement to be made. Just like Job's friends, when we see something that doesn't make sense, it's human nature to put out our own take on it to try to reconcile what we have experienced. Yet, this is one of the few movies that hesitates to carry that burden. It doesn't overtly accuse the politicians, the press or the military for Vietnam's ultimate failure. It tells a story from a Lt. Colonel's perspective, not coming from some frightened kid's coming-of-age perspective and not with some leftist ideological blinders like Born on the Fourth of July, or Platoon, or--shudder--Apocalypse Now. It's told by a man who understands battle, the killing, and the maiming. It's told to pay tribute to men who answered their country's call to go and fight.
And men they were. They were men with families and friends. They were men who risked seeing their children grow up because of their willingness to go fight. As a father, that hits home. Few war movies pause to address the internal conflict a soldier must face prior to deployment and the turmoil it creates with those who love them. Fewer still recognize faith and religion's impact on the whole equation. It only adds depth to their characters and makes them more real. Man is a spiritual being, and far too often, that fact is overlooked for telling a story or to keep from making people "uncomfortable."
There are some intense moments and very graphic violence. The casual viewer may overlook one scene where a guy is struck by phosphorous. But burning phosphorous is like little chunks of the sun and it won't stop burning for anything. The aftermath where his buddy helps him still chills me because I know a little about what has to happen for him to survive. On the whole, the gore is significant and extensive. Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan are comparably tame by some measures. So unless you *live* for that sort of thing, you may come away with a queasy stomach.
I watched this during the second Persian Gulf War, so the ramifications of soldiers dying hit with much more force. Consider this when you make your movie choices. You may want a comedy or a classic instead of this, considering.