A Film Review by James Berardinelli
United States, 2002
U.S. Release Date: 3/1/02 (wide)
Running Length: 2:18
MPAA Classification: R (War violence, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Seen at: UA Riverview, PhiladelphiaCast: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, Josh Daugherty, Barry Pepper, Keri Russell
Director: Randall Wallace
Producers: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Randall Wallace
Screenplay: Randall Wallace, based on "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", by Hal Moore and Joe Galloway
Cinematography: Dean Semler
Music: Nick Glennie-Smith
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
We Were Soldiers is the latest in the new breed of war movies - films that throw the viewer into the midst of the chaos and brutality of the fray, giving audiences a taste of the violent, visceral nature of an armed conflict, while still allowing moments of honor and heroism to stand out. In the wake of Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers is not as shocking as it might have been, but it is no less impressive because of that. Interestingly, the picture is also one of the few movies about Vietnam to eschew a political message. During and after the war, Vietnam has become a lightning rod for writers and directors espousing a particular viewpoint, but We Were Soldiers takes a different path. It is about nothing more complex than men trying to survive, and, in that quest, showing the best and worst that humanity has to offer.
The film tells of the November 1965 battle in the Ia Drang Valley (a.k.a. "The Valley of Death"), which was the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese troops. Before taking the story to Vietnam, however, director Randall Wallace (the writer of Braveheart) allows us to spend some time with the American soldiers at home. This becomes crucial to the movie's later success, as it humanizes the men, presenting them as more than faceless fodder for enemy bullets. If only briefly, we see their wives and children. Then they ship off, and, in seemingly no time, are trapped and outnumbered, fighting for their lives.
The commanding officer is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), the leader of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry. He is a student of history and a master of tactics, and his motto is to leave no man behind. Before departing for Vietnam, he has spent sleepless nights poring over books detailing previous military engagements there, and he is determined not to repeat the mistakes of those who preceded him. In the midst of battle, Moore is at his best, inspiring confidence in his men by never expecting more of them than he is willing and able to give. He seems to be everywhere, bolstering spirits and improvising defenses for each new attack by the enemy. The men under his command include daredevil helicopter pilot Snakeshit Crandall (Greg Kinnear); the gentle and well-liked Lt. Jack Geoghegan (Chris Klein), whose wife has just given birth; and the crusty Sgt-Maj. Basil Plumley (Sam Elliott in the R. Lee Ermey role), Moore's right-hand man. Another key participant is photojournalist Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper), who is temporarily forced to exchange his camera for a gun.
For the most part, Wallace keeps us in Vietnam, but, during the course of the three-day battle, he occasionally breaks away for interludes at the stateside base where the wives are waiting and worrying. During these sequences, which serve the dual purpose of interrupting tension and building character, we spend time with two women in particular - Moore's wife, Julie (Madeleine Stowe), and Geoghegan's wife, Barbara (Keri Russell). These two take it upon themselves to deliver the dreaded yellow telegrams to the newly-widowed women living around them. One of We Were Soldiers' most memorable scenes occurs not on the battlefield, but when one of the first telegrams arrives and Julie thinks it's for her. Stowe shines in this scene as the emotions - dread, panic, horror, grief, shock, and relief - flicker across her features.
We Were Soldiers' battle action is as intense and unsparing as that of Black Hawk Down, yet the movie is richer because the characters are more fully realized. The gore is no less prevalent and the assault on the senses is no less brutal. As powerful as the film is, it is not for the faint of heart or of stomach. Those who do not like war movies may find this particular excursion difficult to endure. Although We Were Soldiersdoes not glorify the carnage that was Vietnam, it displays, in a lucid manner, small acts of heroism. These are things that never make it into the history books, which are concerned only about winners and losers and the number of casualties. Such texts are not interested in the story of a helicopter pilot who risks his life in a maneuver that saves his commanding officer, or in the officer who dies trying to rescue a mortally wounded comrade.
We Were Soldiers also refuses to demonize the North Vietnamese. Much as in Patton, where we are given insight into the activities within the German HQ, this movie takes us into the military sanctum of the North Vietnamese, where the commander is plotting each move against the Americans. One Vietnamese soldier carries a picture of his girlfriend in a diary he places close to his heart. There is never any question that these men are the enemy, but Wallace makes sure we understand that "enemy" does not equate to "evil." Everyone who lives and dies, regardless of which side they're on, is a human being.
The screenplay, by Wallace, is drawn from the novel "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", an account of the battle written by Moore and Galloway. The movie is more faithful to the historical record than most films, and the sense of verisimilitude is unmistakable. The performances are solid without exception - from Chris Klein, who puts his boyish blandness to good use; to Greg Kinnear, who shows an unusually heroic edge; to Barry Pepper, who exhibits the film's greatest transformation; to Mel Gibson, who makes Moore the bigger-than-life figure that all legends become. We care about these people - in part because the screenplay gives us cause to, and in part because the actors make them real to us.
Once, war movies were very much arm's length affairs, but, in an era when so many lines have been crossed and so many barriers broken, such an approach no longer works. As a result, the in-your-face style ofWe Were Soldiers results in a suspenseful, intense, and exhausting cinematic experience. There are times when the film is grueling and times when it is exhilarating. The movie has the ability to keep viewers on the edges of their seats and to wring tears from their eyes. It's an amazing experience, and a second success from the team that previously cooperated to give us an Oscar-winning motion picture. Their subject, both then and now, is about the courageous of spirit and brave of heart.
U.S. Release Date: 3/1/02 (wide)
Running Length: 2:18
MPAA Classification: R (War violence, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Seen at: UA Riverview, PhiladelphiaCast: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, Josh Daugherty, Barry Pepper, Keri Russell
Director: Randall Wallace
Producers: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Randall Wallace
Screenplay: Randall Wallace, based on "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", by Hal Moore and Joe Galloway
Cinematography: Dean Semler
Music: Nick Glennie-Smith
U.S. Distributor: Paramount Pictures
We Were Soldiers is the latest in the new breed of war movies - films that throw the viewer into the midst of the chaos and brutality of the fray, giving audiences a taste of the violent, visceral nature of an armed conflict, while still allowing moments of honor and heroism to stand out. In the wake of Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, We Were Soldiers is not as shocking as it might have been, but it is no less impressive because of that. Interestingly, the picture is also one of the few movies about Vietnam to eschew a political message. During and after the war, Vietnam has become a lightning rod for writers and directors espousing a particular viewpoint, but We Were Soldiers takes a different path. It is about nothing more complex than men trying to survive, and, in that quest, showing the best and worst that humanity has to offer.
The film tells of the November 1965 battle in the Ia Drang Valley (a.k.a. "The Valley of Death"), which was the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese troops. Before taking the story to Vietnam, however, director Randall Wallace (the writer of Braveheart) allows us to spend some time with the American soldiers at home. This becomes crucial to the movie's later success, as it humanizes the men, presenting them as more than faceless fodder for enemy bullets. If only briefly, we see their wives and children. Then they ship off, and, in seemingly no time, are trapped and outnumbered, fighting for their lives.
The commanding officer is Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), the leader of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry. He is a student of history and a master of tactics, and his motto is to leave no man behind. Before departing for Vietnam, he has spent sleepless nights poring over books detailing previous military engagements there, and he is determined not to repeat the mistakes of those who preceded him. In the midst of battle, Moore is at his best, inspiring confidence in his men by never expecting more of them than he is willing and able to give. He seems to be everywhere, bolstering spirits and improvising defenses for each new attack by the enemy. The men under his command include daredevil helicopter pilot Snakeshit Crandall (Greg Kinnear); the gentle and well-liked Lt. Jack Geoghegan (Chris Klein), whose wife has just given birth; and the crusty Sgt-Maj. Basil Plumley (Sam Elliott in the R. Lee Ermey role), Moore's right-hand man. Another key participant is photojournalist Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper), who is temporarily forced to exchange his camera for a gun.
For the most part, Wallace keeps us in Vietnam, but, during the course of the three-day battle, he occasionally breaks away for interludes at the stateside base where the wives are waiting and worrying. During these sequences, which serve the dual purpose of interrupting tension and building character, we spend time with two women in particular - Moore's wife, Julie (Madeleine Stowe), and Geoghegan's wife, Barbara (Keri Russell). These two take it upon themselves to deliver the dreaded yellow telegrams to the newly-widowed women living around them. One of We Were Soldiers' most memorable scenes occurs not on the battlefield, but when one of the first telegrams arrives and Julie thinks it's for her. Stowe shines in this scene as the emotions - dread, panic, horror, grief, shock, and relief - flicker across her features.
We Were Soldiers' battle action is as intense and unsparing as that of Black Hawk Down, yet the movie is richer because the characters are more fully realized. The gore is no less prevalent and the assault on the senses is no less brutal. As powerful as the film is, it is not for the faint of heart or of stomach. Those who do not like war movies may find this particular excursion difficult to endure. Although We Were Soldiersdoes not glorify the carnage that was Vietnam, it displays, in a lucid manner, small acts of heroism. These are things that never make it into the history books, which are concerned only about winners and losers and the number of casualties. Such texts are not interested in the story of a helicopter pilot who risks his life in a maneuver that saves his commanding officer, or in the officer who dies trying to rescue a mortally wounded comrade.
We Were Soldiers also refuses to demonize the North Vietnamese. Much as in Patton, where we are given insight into the activities within the German HQ, this movie takes us into the military sanctum of the North Vietnamese, where the commander is plotting each move against the Americans. One Vietnamese soldier carries a picture of his girlfriend in a diary he places close to his heart. There is never any question that these men are the enemy, but Wallace makes sure we understand that "enemy" does not equate to "evil." Everyone who lives and dies, regardless of which side they're on, is a human being.
The screenplay, by Wallace, is drawn from the novel "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", an account of the battle written by Moore and Galloway. The movie is more faithful to the historical record than most films, and the sense of verisimilitude is unmistakable. The performances are solid without exception - from Chris Klein, who puts his boyish blandness to good use; to Greg Kinnear, who shows an unusually heroic edge; to Barry Pepper, who exhibits the film's greatest transformation; to Mel Gibson, who makes Moore the bigger-than-life figure that all legends become. We care about these people - in part because the screenplay gives us cause to, and in part because the actors make them real to us.
Once, war movies were very much arm's length affairs, but, in an era when so many lines have been crossed and so many barriers broken, such an approach no longer works. As a result, the in-your-face style ofWe Were Soldiers results in a suspenseful, intense, and exhausting cinematic experience. There are times when the film is grueling and times when it is exhilarating. The movie has the ability to keep viewers on the edges of their seats and to wring tears from their eyes. It's an amazing experience, and a second success from the team that previously cooperated to give us an Oscar-winning motion picture. Their subject, both then and now, is about the courageous of spirit and brave of heart.
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