Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Randall Wallace - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Mel Gibson, Madeline Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Barry Pepper, Keri Russell
In 1965, 400 American troops faced an ambush by 2,000 enemy troops in the Ia Drang Valley (also known as the Valley of Death), in one of the most gruesome fights of the Vietnam... more
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We Were Soldiers [2002]
We Were Soldiers, based on the bestselling account of the battle of La Drang valley at the
... more
outset of the Vietnam War, is the latest Mel Gibson Braveheart-esque offering where plot and characterisation, rather than the men who lost their lives in the co...
We Were Soldiers [2002]
We Were Soldiers, based on the bestselling account of the battle of La Drang valley at the
... more
outset of the Vietnam War, is the latest Mel Gibson Braveheart-esque offering where plot and characterisation, rather than the men who lost their lives in the co...
We Were Soldiers [2002]
We Were Soldiers, based on the bestselling account of the battle of La Drang valley at the
... more
outset of the Vietnam War, is the latest Mel Gibson Braveheart-esque offering where plot and characterisation, rather than the men who lost their lives in the conflict, are the most serious casualties. The story follows Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Gibson) and his platoon through a brief spell at boot camp and then into the battle itself. In place of the moral ambiguity offered by, say, Platoon or Hamburger Hill, We Were Soldiers presents us with archetypes. Gibson's family man colonel is almost a parody of Patton, a man with so much heart you wonder how he manages to get up in the morning. He's a good Catholic, loves his men, and tells us that he's the first one on the battlefield and the last one off. And if that self-eulogising wasn't enough we have the slow-mo, heavily scored last-one-into-the-helicopter moment to prove it. In uncomfortably jingoistic contrast, the commander of the Viet Cong never leaves his cavernous headquarters as he sends his faceless foot soldiers to their death. What saves the film are Ryan Hurst's performance as the stoic Sergeant Ernie Savage and Barry Pepper's non-combatant journalist who gets caught up in the action and has to fight to survive, both of whom inject some much-needed humanity into the action. Otherwise there is so little character development before the offensive that you find yourself squinting at the screen trying to work out who just bought the bullet when you really should be feeling every gunshot. Braveheart scribe Randall Wallace's direction is heavy handed and over sentimental--relentless violence masquerades as poignant remembrances of the futility of war--and the only time it ever approaches genuine emotion is the scene where the wives begin receiving telegrams detailing their husband's deaths. When measured against Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket, We Were Soldiers doesn't even deserve to be in the same platoon. --Kristen Bowditch
We Were Soldiers [2002]
We Were Soldiers, based on the bestselling account of the battle of La Drang valley at the
... more
outset of the Vietnam War, is the latest Mel Gibson Braveheart-esque offering where plot and characterisation, rather than the men who lost their lives in the conflict, are the most serious casualties. The story follows Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Gibson) and his platoon through a brief spell at boot camp and then into the battle itself. In place of the moral ambiguity offered by, say, Platoon or Hamburger Hill, We Were Soldiers presents us with archetypes. Gibson's family man colonel is almost a parody of Patton, a man with so much heart you wonder how he manages to get up in the morning. He's a good Catholic, loves his men, and tells us that he's the first one on the battlefield and the last one off. And if that self-eulogising wasn't enough we have the slow-mo, heavily scored last-one-into-the-helicopter moment to prove it. In uncomfortably jingoistic contrast, the commander of the Viet Cong never leaves his cavernous headquarters as he sends his faceless foot soldiers to their death. What saves the film are Ryan Hurst's performance as the stoic Sergeant Ernie Savage and Barry Pepper's non-combatant journalist who gets caught up in the action and has to fight to survive, both of whom inject some much-needed humanity into the action. Otherwise there is so little character development before the offensive that you find yourself squinting at the screen trying to work out who just bought the bullet when you really should be feeling every gunshot. Braveheart scribe Randall Wallace's direction is heavy handed and over sentimental--relentless violence masquerades as poignant remembrances of the futility of war--and the only time it ever approaches genuine emotion is the scene where the wives begin receiving telegrams detailing their husband's deaths. When measured against Hamburger Hill and Full Metal Jacket, We Were Soldiers doesn't even deserve to be in the same platoon. --Kristen Bowditch
We Were Watching. Review ofWe Were Soldiers (Wide Screen)by
MisterSlimm
Advantages: They were soldiers Disadvantages: We were not entirely convinced
...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 ...
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very helpful
26.12.2005
A remarkable film Review ofWe Were Soldiers (Wide Screen)by
GR-Design
Advantages: an excellent and educational film Disadvantages: None at all, apart from all the death and destruction
...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, ...
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Advantages: Tries to stick to the facts. Realism throughout. Shows both sides of the battle. Good cast, music, effects and is truthful. Disadvantages: Could have told the whole story included in the book.
...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 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Best film ever, true story Disadvantages: When i find one i will tell you. The knowledge of all the death being true
...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 ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: action packed,well directed, good SPX, great movie! Disadvantages: some corn little boring at times
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 ...
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Actor(s): Mel Gibson, Madeline Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Barry Pepper, Keri Russell
Director(s): Randall Wallace
Genre: Action & Adventure
Classification: 15 years and over
Production Year: 2002
Running Time: 2 hours 13 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United States of America
Plot: In a small clearing four hundred young soldiers were surrounded by two thousand North Vietnamese soldiers. The battle that followed was one of the fiercest in US history...
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): Icon Home Entertainment; Warner Home Video
Release date: 18/04/2005
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: D 093478
Barcode: 7321900934787
Screenwriter: Randall Wallace
Producer: Randall Wallace
Languages
Main Language: English
Subtitle Language: English
Hearing Impaired Language: English
DVD Description
In 1965, 400 American troops faced an ambush by 2,000 enemy troops in the Ia Drang Valley (also known as the Valley of Death), in one of the most gruesome fights of the Vietnam War. WE WERE SOLDIERS is a detailed recreation of this true story--of the strategies, obstacles, and human cost faced by the troops that participated. The story focuses on the lieutenant colonel that led the attack, Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), and a civilian reporter who accompanied them, Joseph Galloway (Barry Pepper), as well as a number of other soldiers who were involved.
This is an unusual Vietnam film in that it also shows the North Vietnamese perspective on the battle; their leader Lieutenant General Nguyen Huu An (Don Duong) is depicted as a brave soldier and smart commander. And in addition to the many gory battlefield sequences--which seem to have been influenced by SAVING PRIVATE RYAN--we also see how the carnage of war affects those left behind, the soldiers' wives and children. Ultimately this is a moving anti-war film, which, by sticking close to the true stories of real soldiers, very effectively brings home the overwhelming horror of war.
Technical information
Special Features: Feature Length Commentary From Director Randall Wallace, Ten Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary, Getting It Right Making Of Documentary, TV And Radio Spots, Theatrical Trailer
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
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