Mel Gibson
plays Lt. Col. Hal Moore.
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A fresh take
on the Vietnam conflict, with Mel Gibson as a fatherly Colonel in
a much visited period of American history.
Review by Neil
Heath
The Plot
'We Were Soldiers' tells the story of the first ground battle of
the Vietnam conflict in 1965.
The film begins with the depiction of the French army's brutal slaughter
in Indochina. Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson) cautious of the inevitable
trip to Vietnam, frequently alludes to the massacre.
Ironically he's also given charge of the 7th US cavalry, which General
Custer led into defeat in the battle of Little Bighorn.
With the warnings from history on his mind, the Colonel leads his
men from their training camp in the US, to the 'Valley of Death'
in Vietnam. There they enter a three day battle, heavily outnumbered
in hostile conditions.
Meanwhile back home, as the casualties mount up, Hal's wife, Julie
Moore (Madeliene Stowe) has the unenviable task of informing the
distraut wives of their partner's consequent deaths.
The Review
We Were Soldiers', is a good account of a war that most Americans
want to forget.
It's rare, but
refreshing to see a film about Vietnam, that finally depicts the
enemy's sacrifices, rather than just the USAs.
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| Mel Gibson
leads his men into battle. |
The North Vietnamese
army and the Viet Cong, have always been demonised, but surprise,
surprise they had loved ones too.
Directors have always avoided this angle, favouring flag waving
and jingoistic prattle.
It's set when
Vietnam was innocent. By this I mean, at this time, the American
soldiers were only guilty of following orders and killing the enemy.
For once in a Vietnam film, we're not confronted by rape, madness,
village burning and infanticide.
Instead we're
introduced to wholesome, married men, who want to kill the enemy
and return home to their family.
The only stab
at the political side of the war is the fact that the Americans
return to their country, injured and broken, without a hero's welcome.
Gibson is as good as he could be, as the brave and caring Lt. Colonel,
and Pepper and Elliott do a good job of supporting him.
Although Wallace does an ok job generally, the film falls down with
his portrayal of life back in the USA.
The action is broken up by returning to the soldier's home life.
In this sense, we're taken away from the characters we actually
care more about.
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| Barry Pepper
also starred in another war flick, 'Saving Private Ryan'. |
Also, Madeliene
Stowe as the Colonel's wife, wouldn't be missed if they recast this
film. She doesn't have enough lines to create any emotion, and is
unconvincing as a soldier's wife and a mother of five.
Apart from
this, Randall Wallace does an admirable job of directing the film,
particularly with his organisation of the battle sequences that
easily rival those seen in 'Saving Private Ryan'. 
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