A Very Powerful Movie!

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2002)

I have to admit, I was a little reluctant to see this movie at first. I kept thinking NOT ANOTHER MOVIE ABOUT VIETNAM!!!! I think this war has been the one war Hollywood has severely overplayed. It was nice to see a break with films like The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan or even Black Hawk Down but still do we have to discuss the Viet Kong yet again.
Well, I have to admit after I went and watched this movie it is probably one of the best war movies I have ever seen. You can very easily drop this battle at any time other than Vietnam. I think it would be just as powerful if it took place during the Korean war, WWI, WWII, or even during Desert Storm. It's more about the people involved in the war and how they strategically plan their moves than most of the other recent films dare to be. It also does a really nice job on the way it touches on the real life moments when the wives receive notice that their loved ones have been lost. Watching it reminded me more of a film like Bridge on the River Kwai then Platoon. I won't deny that some of the graphic scenes are rather gruesome (especially the burned soldier) but then war is a gruesome tragedy. All in all, the movie does a great way to display the human side of war.
(SPOILER ALERT) I also really seemed to enjoy the ending when Moore had not only taken the time to write a letter of condolence to Mrs. Geoghegan but one to the wife of the fallen NVA soldier as well. This sequence was probably one of the greatest highlights I have seen in a recent war drama. That would be (in my humble opinion) one of the hardest things in the world to do and really seems to capture the essence of what type of man Moore really was. (END SPOILER)
So, if you can think past the idea that this takes place during Vietnam long enough to buy a ticket, then I urge you to see it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.