We Were Soldiers is an early Viet Nam War film

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2005)

I'm afraid I have to disagree with a few of the comments made by previous reviewers.
One thing we should remember most importantly is that the story, as mentioned in the film, is about the first major engagement between the American military and the NVA.
Someone made a comment about some of the 'cliched' lines, i.e. "Tell my wife I love her" "We'll give them hell" and "I'm glad I died for my country". What we should also remember is that in the early years and at the time the film is set the combat soldier honestly believed that what he was fighting was a war that America could win and that he was defending Viet Nam and the West from Communism and that they were doing the right thing. It was only really later that opinions changed about the war. As I'm ex-forces myself I can assure anyone who doubts the things people say when they are in danger that they are true.
I think Mel Gibson as Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Sam Elliott as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley portray well the kind of leadership and inspiration that took those young combat soldiers into the hell of Ia Drang and it is a tribute to those men who experienced it for real.
This film and a few others are based on fact and real incidents so we have the written accounts and the films military advisers to rely on to bring reality to the screen.
With regards one reviewers comments about the wives, both American and NVA, in the story, I don't see any problem with this. At least we see the affect it has on those back home. The comparisons between the American wives looking after their own and the men looking out for each other is exactly how it is in real life, what's wrong with that?
In this film we see the affect this one battle had on the men and women affected by it and that would sadly be repeated many, many times before the Viet Nam War ended and sadly is now being repeated in Iraq.
One final thing I think we should read: smilovich from United States Reviewer: Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) comments about this film to ascertain whether this is a good film or not.