Starring Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott and
Barry Pepper. Rated MA.
The war movie with the full-on special effects is here to stay. Almost
like a sub-genre in its own right, all it needs now is a name or a tag
by which we can readily identify it. Any
suggestions?
Yes, We Were Soldiers is another in the vein of Saving Private Ryan
and Black Hawk Down.
It is also a war movie with a tale to tell - not just of the ferocious
battle, but of the consequences of that battle on the lives of those left
behind. And it does this without getting too soppy or too caught up on
the home front.
The main point of the movie, after all, is the battle, and that's where
we spend most of this tale.
Lt-Col Hal Moore led 400 soldiers of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry
(ironically the same command as Gen Custer) into Ia Drang on November
14, 1965, and straight into a firefight that would last three days and
see more than a quarter of his men taken away in body bags.
Surrounded by a far superior force of well-trained, well-led and highly
motivated soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army, Moore and his men held
out valliently in what was to be the first and probably the worst fight
of the whole Vietnam campaign.
I don't know a whole lot about the actual battle, so I can't profer
an opionion on whether or not the film does justice to all concerned.
But it does appear, to the uneducated at least, that it does.
Sure the Yanks whooped ass (the NVA body count topped 2000), but the
enemy was treated, cinematacally speaking, with the respect he probably
deserved.
Unlike Black Hawk Down or even Pte Ryan, the camera
spent a reasonable amount of time depicting the battle and its flow from
three sides - Cav, NVA and the home front.
Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers both depict fights
where the Yanks had to fight hard to get out of self-dug holes.
Perhaps the next big flick should depict a propper battle where the
heros a. were not Yanks and b. won the battle without massive air support.
Let's say the Battle of Kapyong, for example. Or even Maryang San where
3RAR extricated themselves from an engagement of similar odds (to those
encountered by Moore against the NVA) without such devistating losses.
Whinge aside, We Were Soldiers is another flick you should add
to your "must see" list - and don't wait for the video.
This is the last time I will write a movie review in Army uniform. I've
pulled the pin and am moving over to the Federal Police (but not in their
uniform). However, I still intend to continue writing movie reviews for
the Australian Defence Force newspapers. Your support over the years has
been great and I would love to continue to get your input. Contact me
at brian@bigirishgit.com
Five out of Five.
Check out the official web site www.weweresoldiers.com
-- it's pretty good if you have Flash.
Your Comments:
Brian, I couldn't agree more with your film review.
I was lucky enough to win tickets to a pre release screening. I was just
blown away by the factual portrayal. I have strongly recommended all down
here in sunny Tassie to go and see it.
Keep up the good reviewing.
Regards, Smokey
Robert Dawson
Tasmania
This received May 14, 2002
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