We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
Randall Wallace: Writer
Arne Schmidt: Producer
Bruce Davey: Producer
Danielle Lemmon Zapotoczny: Producer
Eveleen Bandy: Producer
Harold G. Moore: Writer
Joseph L. Galloway: Writer
Paramount
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DVD Details:
- Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein
- Director: Randall Wallace
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, THX, NTSC
- Rated: R (Restricted)
- Studio: Paramount
- Theatrical Release Date: Mar 01, 2002
- DVD Release Date: Aug 20, 2002
- Run Time: 138 minutes
- ASIN: B000068TPN
- UPC: 097363400240
- Sales Rank: 1557
Amazon Customer Reviews:
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
    Gibson Elliott Deliver: Vietnam War in a Microcosm, 2008-11-16
One of the best Vietnam war movies made, "We Were Soldiers" features some of the most realistic combat scenes conveying the "fog of battle" and horror of combat. The story development may seem slow at first, but allows some appreciation of the characters involved and the context of the battle. The action is fast paced, showing the battle from both the North Vietnamese and American points of view, but is broken by the juxtaposition of poignant events on the home front and political machinations in the rear areas.
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br /Mel Gibson is surprisingly exceptional as the gung-ho Colonel Hal Moore, Sam Elliot seems born to the role of the salty Sergeant Major Basil Plumley, and the entire supporting cast does a wonderful job. The cinematography and special effects go a long way towards recreating the confusing swirl of a battle with ill-defined lines.
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br /The film is perhaps flawed only by its attempts to cover too many social and political issues in the one film; forgivable in the context of creating a story intended as a microcosm of the entire Vietnam War. This does however, lead to short scenes seemingly out of step with the rest of the film. Additionally, there are some unrealistic liberties (Killed in Action telegrams arriving home during the first night of battle), but it is simply artistic license required to make the story work. If you're willing to remember a film has limited time to tell its tale, these flashes into the social, political and personal issues go a long way in back-filling the context of the story and the conflicting emotions and views of the characters.
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br /In the end, this is a movie of war and the people involved, and it is a very good one. It's a decent translation of the book to film, and the best portrayal of the 1st Air Cav's action at Ia Drang (the only battle of the Vietnam War in which sizable US Army and NV Army forces faced each other).
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br /You'll like this movie if:
br /You liked "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down", or Mel Gibson in "The Patriot."
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br /You'll dislike this movie if:
br /You're expecting a strict antiwar piece, a reprise of Mel Gibson in "Gallipoli" or the complicated subplots and storyline of "The Deer Hunter".
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br /For a more detailed and realistic look at the battle, read Hal Moore's and Joe Galloway's book by the same title: We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam
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