We Were Soldiers

We Were Soldiers
Movie Poster

There have been many films about the Vietnam war, I'm sure without really thinking about it you can name 5 off the top of you head. Nearly all of them portray the war either around the time of the Tet offensive in 1968 or in the wake of the aftermath from that campaign. This film show you the start the very first battle of the US Army "advisors" sent to Vietnam.

Based on the book by the reporter Joseph Galloway and the Lieutenant General in charge of the US air cavalry unit Hal Moore this films outlines the true horrors of the first battle and the fallout from it. How the Vietnamese regular army surrounded and cut US army uint off from its landing zone and the bloody battle that resulted from that action.

While the film itself is pretty much like any other Vietnam war film its trying to apply the Saving Private Ryan approach and graphically bring the harsh reality of the battle and the build up to the battle to us on screen. Its a war that the US wants to forget but we should really take the time to remember the young men who gave their lives and this is a memorial to their sacrifice.

Mel Gibson plays Hal Moore well and gives you a good impression of the leadership he bought to the battle, the gentle approach to the men under his command and how it got the best out of them when it really mattered. While I wouldn't rush to watch it myself, if your looking for a war film with a slightly different approach then this is a good choice.