We Were Soldiers (2002)
The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.
- Randall Wallace
- Cate Hardman
- Allen Kupetsky
- Nilo Otero
- Allan Graf
- Frank Kostenko Jr.
- Joseph L. Galloway
- Randall Wallace
- Harold G. Moore
Rating: 7.143/10 by 2042 users
Alternative Title:
越战忠魂 - CN
我们曾是士兵 - CN
梅爾吉勃遜—勇士們 - TW
Fuimos soldados - AR
Byakhme voĭnitsi - BG
Ímastan Kápote Stratiótes - GR
Once and Forever - JP
Am fost cîndva soldati... si tineri - RO
Bili smo vojnici - RS
My byli soldatami - RU
My buly soldatamy - UA
We Were Soldiers (2002) - US
Byliśmy Żołnierzami - PL
Nous étions soldats - FR
軍天壯志 - HK
Country:
Germany
United Kingdom
United States of America
Language:
English
Tiếng Việt
Français
Runtime: 02 hour 18 minutes
Budget: $75,000,000
Revenue: $114,660,784
Plot Keyword: vietnam war, vietnam veteran, hero, army, based on novel or book, steel helmet, missile, based on true story, major, soldier, explosion, battle, bayonet, death, military, vietnamese, 1960s, soldiers, war
Mel Gibson ("Col. Moore") takes charge of training for, and then execution of, a perilous operation in the Vietnamese highlands in 1965. We know from the start of the film how difficult that task is going to be - the previous French troops met with ruthless treatment at the hands of the N.V.A. and so "Moore" and his motivational deputy "Crandall" (Greg Kinnear) know that they are going to have their work cut out for them. Their mission is to combat an enemy with overwhelming superiority of numbers and try to capture and hold a mountain. Needless to say, their hosts are none too keen on that a plan and what ensues is a brutally depicted, bloody and gory, series of well photographed combat scenes that test the mettle of both sides as the body count mounts. There is a poignant angle added too, as back home we see the colonel's wife "Julie" (Madeleine Stowe) take responsibility for delivery of the letters that are sent to the families on the base intimating bad - even tragic - news to those left behind. Sam Elliott adds well some stoic discipline as "Sgt. Maj. Plumley" and Chris Klein's portrayal of the recent father "Lt. Geoghegan" also contributes a strong human angle to this story. Sadly, though, this is all way too long and though certainly potent at the start, that is washed away in a sea of repetition. What makes us sit up and take notice at the start becomes much less effective; the pyrotechnics lose their impressiveness a bit and to be honest, Gibson just hasn't the on-screen presence to carry this for 2¼ hours. It does emphasise just how modern - airborne, usually - warfare can provide smaller groups with greater superiority and as an example of the ghastliness and futility of war it is a worth watching.
