Flag waving and all the other expected things

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 2002)

First of all this is aimed directly at the patriotic/war movie fans. It is filled with all the requisite cliches and symbolisms.
First is tries to build up some characters. Since it's the 60s, we get some commentary about racism. We have barbie doll wives and well-mannered confirming gentlemen who we're supposed to admire. And, then comes the war part.
The first thing they do is have red baloon bursts stunts and lots of blood scenes that are supposed to show us how terrible war is. It's all done in the late 90s style of war depiction with hundreds of sounds and fireworks going on at every second.
Then, it's time for phase 2. Some important characters die. And, everything's about to be lost. But, then they do some heroic things and it's all supposed to be worth it.
The enemies might as well have been Arachnids from Starship Troopers. Little is shown expect them getting blown up and killed. Hundreds, thousands who knows die. Little scenes of the general plotting attacks is shown but only to show that the American counterpart is smarter and knows all the moves (which doesn't make sense in a true story movie). Movies like these are cultural and historical snapshots of what the acceptable opinion of the Vietnam war is now. Like all the big-budget war movies carved out of the same formula (and supposedly out of true events) Blackhawk Down, Pearl Harbor etc., it all paints a glorified view of war and a strong suggestion that it is superior intrinsic qualities that deservingly hands victory out of defeat's jaw for the home team.