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We Were Soldiers (2002)
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:88
Rotten:53
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: The war cliches are laid on a bit thick, but the movie succeeds at putting a human face on soldiers of both sides in the Vietnam War.
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]
Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott
Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper
Director: Randall Wallace
Director: Randall Wallace
Screenwriter: Randall Wallace
Producer: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Randall Wallace
Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for We Were Soldiers
Gibson wears a rictus of distaste which seems more suggestive of dodgy on-set catering than the horrors of combat.
Wallace seems less like he's been burning to tell a war story than he's been itching to somehow tack one together
Wallace's emotional message and refreshingly non-demonised enemy make an effective tribute.
The war genre, vigorously energized with Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, takes several steps backward with this old-fashioned moralistic saga, a tribute not only to the soldiers in combat in Vietnam but also to the homefront.
I was impressed by Wallace's emphasis of Moore's faith, but the violence struck me as excessive, taking valuable time that could have been used to develop characters.
... A fitting tribute to all the men and women who have fought and died for their country -- and for each other.
Mais uma patriotada que mostra os americanos matando milhares de vietcongues, mas sendo mais 'humanos' que os inimigos.
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February 06, 2002:
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December 04, 2001:
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