We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...watching the local rugby games, we decided to kill two hours and watch a film. We do buy a few DVDs now and then and my boyfriend had brought a few back with him. We decided on watching the war movie ‘We were soldiers’. I thought I had already seen the film but knew it was a really good film. This is another film which includes one of my favourite actors- Mel Gibson. He plays many good roles and this is no exception. Having his name star as the main ...
...on true events of history. We were soldiers is based around the Vietnam War which I do not know much about so it was good to see more of what happened there. Even though we had both seen this before at some point, we both wanted to see it and knew it was a good film. It is one of those films where you do need to listen on what is happening but it is not complicated and it is not hard to follow. The director Randall Wallace has not directed many films ...

blackmagicstar4 14.09.2009 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...boot-camp and slow build-up segments. We get to the battle at just the right moment and the realization that the battle is going to be a nasty, all-out one is well conveyed. He also doesn't make the mistake of having blokes blub in your face and with his star Mel Gibson delivers a strong emotional scene where Mel's crying is shown only from behind. This really is the only way blokes crying should be done on-screen. Blokes crying generally look like ...
...where a soldier dies and we look into his eyes as his iris expands due to the muscles relaxing control. There's also a great scene where a soldiers get a close-up hit from a incendiary grenade in super slow motion which looks incredibly dangerous and, as bits of his face are on fire from burning material stuck to him and he has another soldier cutting bits of his face off with a knife, one presumes this was accomplished using a mixture of live-action ...

MisterSlimm 26.12.2005 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...is the one thing which we all dread when our hubby’s are off fighting wars. I will admit though that times have moved on and there are no longer telegrams telling of the news, but maybe I was being a little too sentimental but this just got to me. I did find that it was an excellent choice to show this side in the film as it did give a brake from all the violence and blood shed. I have to give a lot of credit to Mel Gibson who took on the role of ...
...approval. The DVD which we have does have some bonus material which includes:- Feature length commentary from Director Randall Wallace Deleted Scenes with Optional commentary ‘Getting it right’ making of documentary (25 mins approx.) TV and Radio Spots Theatrical Trailer I have no interest in bonus features so I have not watched any of these but hubby is keen on watching them so when he has I will come back and update with his opinions on ...

sewbizzie 10.06.2009 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...them in the Vietnam battle. We see him in one of the extra DVD’s actually in Vietnam and now, in the present day talking to us about how close to reality this film was. There have been quite a few films portraying the Vietnam, Platoon is one good example, but from Lt General himself, he says that this is the most hard hitting, true to life film he has seen…..and that’s saying something. For me this film was always going to be disappointing, ...
...anybody, and in this film we really are shown the effects war has on those at home, the wives and children of the people out there fighting. Were not just shown the bloody action, we shown love and companionships in the film. The film revolves around true love for your fellow troops. For instance, we are taken deeper into a relationship between Hal and Jack Gheogeghan (Chris Klein of American Pie fame). He is soon to be a proud father to his baby, ...

GR-Design 28.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...Air Assault Test Division, where we meet Lt. Col Hal Moore who has arrived to take command of the 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry. Moore’s job as commander is to train up his officers and men in the use of helicopters to get into and out of battle areas. This takes quite some time and lots of practice before it is perfected. During the film’s focus on the training period we get to know some of the main characters of the film. You get to meet and laugh ...
...Freeman), Sgt. Major Basil Plumley, Sgt. Savage and others to name but a few. During this section of the film there are some light-hearted moments between Plumley and Savage that make you laugh out loud. (Check out the extras section for some even better ones!) You will also get to see the wives and families of some of the characters as they battle with their own emotions about their men going to war in a far away country. Next comes the call to ...

Paddys_back 09.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...based on the book We were soldiers once….and young. I have not read this to date and cant say exactly how close it is to this. I am planning on reading this very shortly and will update when I have. History behind all of this: The Americans decided that they couldn't keep up with the terrain and moving troops so came up with the idea of shipping troops in via helicopters. Genius at the time and now a very productive tactic in modern war. The person ...
...Lt.Col. Hal Moore. He was the first to step foot onto the battlefield and also the last to step off the battlefield. 400 of his regiment were sent into Landing Zone X-Ray in the La Drang Valley *translated as the valley of death*. Greatly outnumber 1 American to roughly 5 Vietnamese. 2000 Vietnamese had them surrounded and outnumbered. This led to one of the most savage battles in US history. I cant even begin to describe to the courage and bravery ...

underdose86 08.04.2006 (21.04.2006) · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

The plot: Gripping truly based war epic. The first engagement between American forces and the North Vietnamese Army which occurred in 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley. The American forces were not expecting the mass amount of enemy troops that were in the valley and as you can imagine the results were horrendous. Lt Col Hal Moore (Gibson), the leader of the 7th Cavalry, enters The Valley of Death with his troops, only to be outnumbered ten-to-one in ...
...roller coaster that war causes and sees relationships form with soldiers that were even incompatible in normal every day life. Overview: The film is very well directed and is defiantly one of the best war movies ever made. This comes as no surprise as it was directed and produced by the partnership of Wallace and Gibson, which won Oscars for the brilliant Brave heart. It is not your normal war film as it does not just emphasise the loss of life ...

kev_macca 24.04.2003 (06.05.2003) · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...of history. The first time we saw them was in the superb Braveheart, a movie which few can deny is flawed historically, but ultimately superb in terms of pure entertainment value, this time they tackle the first major conflict between US marines and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam war. Historically, its probably just as inaccurate - but frankly its Hollywood and its damn entertaining so who cares! Like Black Hawk Down and Tom Hanks' ...
...Down sadly lacked 'real' people. We Were Soldiers may be a little clumsy in how it does this at times, but in letting you into the lives of some of the characters, showing their home lives, the young men together with their wives, girlfriends, children etc. makes it all the more punishing to watch the carnage they were thrown into. On a similar note, We Were Soldiers refuses to demonise the North Vietnamese troops, but rather shows them as 'real' ...

wampyrii 11.04.2002 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...‘We were soldiers once.......and young’, We Were Soldiers is a powerful, moving, funny war film based on a true story. It’s set in 1965 during the Vietnam War. Lt Col Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and his regiment of 400 men are flown into Ia Drang Valley which is surrounded by 2000 Vietnamese soldiers. What follows is one of the bloodiest battles in the Vietnam War. But it is so much more than just another war film. The film begins at ...
...feet while in the background we could hear them reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Even that had me in tears. Special Features Feature length commentary from director Randall Wallace Deleted scenes with optional commentary “Getting it right” making-of documentary (25 mins approx) TV and radio spots Theatrical Trailer The extras are pretty bog standard to all DVD’s apart from the making-of documentary which was absolutely fantastic. ...

ShellyB 13.02.2003 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...This unfortunate occurrence has befallen We Were Soldiers which has been written off by everyone, judging it on whether they liked the violence or not. Many people just thought that it was another dumb chest beating-go America movie such as others from the recent glut of War films like Black Hawk Down and Behind Enemy Lines. I expected We Were Soldiers to be irretrievably cheesy, over sentimental and clumsily emotional in a Forrest Gump kind of way. ...
...Of July as runners up. We Were Soldiers is really the result of a director who has seen and taken to heart all the above films. Director Randell Wallace skilfully blends all the elements that made those films work and adds new slants and untouched aspects of the War. Admittedly the film doesn’t begin promisingly with some of the cheesiest most painfully crappy moments ever committed to film. It was almost as if the Director had a special Cheese ...

Fatdog 09.04.2002 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

We sat last night watching this DVD again last night as you might have experenced yourself there was nothing on tv due to sport. But I truly forgot how great this film was.There are many great stars in this film with Mel Gibson being no stranger to war movies. The film begins with Lt Colonel Hal Moore and his family turning up at his new base camp were the helicopters are training on sundays and the soildiers are playing baseball. But not long has ...
...it right".Behind the Scenes of We Were Soldiers(25:31),presented in full frame (with 2.35:1 non-anamophic widescreen) and Dolby Digital 2.0, is an above-average featurette on the making of the film. Ten Deleted Scences with optional director's commentary are presented in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 2.0. The picture quality of these scenes is only mediocre. Film is been rated a 15 due to the violence. Run Time 133 Min Approx ...

scottishkat 19.08.2004 (22.08.2004) · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...that should be told least we forget what they sacrificed on both sides. In military terms, this was a watershed and was a first in several ways. - First time US Marines had met the NVA in battle. - First use of the Air Mobile Division. - First mass use of the M16 Assault Rifle. - First “Broken Arrow” situation in Vietnam. - The point in time when US involvement was increased to 125,000. There are numerous poignant moments, one is when asked ...
...the silence of the night we will always hear their screams. The names of the US Marines who died at la Drang Valley are remembered on panel 3 of the Vietnam War Memorial, together with the other 58000 who lost their lives. In conclusion, I feel this movie shows the story from both sides and although it is patriotic it is in no way propaganda. The movie is as close to what it is like and as true to the story as can be; more a depiction of what both ...

see-search.com 28.05.2003 (30.05.2003) · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

We Were Soldiers is based on the memoirs of Colonel Moore (played by Mel Gibson) who reluctantly led his squadron to war in 1965. Dropped into the Ia Drang Valley (aka the valley of the shadow of death) they soon found themselves surrounded by North Vietmanese solidiers. Many violent deaths, and telegrams home to dutiful wives, later they achieved a small victory. Yes, this film is as it sounds - yet another example of American filmakers glorifying ...
...the current context. Will our men be as glad to die for America? We Were Soldiers is 140 minutes long and is rated a 15. If you liked Pearl Harbour you may enjoy this film. Personally, I would recommend Full Metal Jacket as a far superior take on war. ...

Kikk 07.09.2002 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

...you've got your mission, however we can't tell you how viable it is!! GREAT! Gee thanks Guys.. The troops were flown in by Helicopters and they had no sooner set foot on ground when they immediately came underfire. Striaght into a full scale battle.. They found themselves surrounded by approximately 2000 North Vietnamese Soldiers. The American troops struggled for three days, being cut off and eventually had to admit that they were becoming over ...
...effects in this movies are stunning. No detail has be left unattended to. This is the first film i remember seeing that there was an overwhelming feeeling of loss and struggle for both sides. There is a conclusion to the story but there is no victory as such. However there is a clear sense of mutual respect from both sides with regards to the bravery of their enemy, and a mutual loathing of war and grieving of loss.. The haunting sound track to ...

blackbeard 28.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)

This film is one of the best Vietnam war films made, and is seriously under-rated, being frequently ignored in the "top ten" lists of the great and good reviewers. Althought Mel Gibson is a good actor, he may be the reason it is dropped from the list of "cool" Vietnam war films. He still pulls the "mad in the face of danger" routine, which wears a bit thin, but if you can ignore this, the film is a film of merit which deserves a place in your DVD ...
...having a 15 certificate. The French Foreign Legion are outwitted and outfought, eventually massacred. Mel Gibson (Lt Col Hal Moore) and his unit of 400 men are sent to the Ia Drang valley on what should have been a routine clearance mission. Moore is aware that he is not fighting villagers, but a disciplined and resourceful army. His goal is to ensure that his men do not meet the same fate as the Legionnaires. They don't realise until too late that ...

AdamGale 06.07.2004 · Read full review
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Review of We Were Soldiers (DVD)