We Were Soldiers

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1827.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Undercover Brother"><U>Undercover Brother</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1825.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Undisputed"><U>Undisputed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1838.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Undisputed"><U>Undisputed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1798.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Van Wilder"><U>Van Wilder</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1796.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Way We Laughed"><U>The Way We Laughed</U></A>   |   <B>We Were Soldiers</B>   |   <A HREF="id1795.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Time is it There?"><U>What Time is it There?</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1826.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What to do in case of Fire"><U>What to do in case of Fire</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1733.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Windtalkers"><U>Windtalkers</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1824.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="XXX"><U>XXX</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1737.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Y Tu Mama Tambien"><U>Y Tu Mama Tambien</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1942.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Its My Life"><U>It's My Life</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1943.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Juwanna Man"><U>Juwanna Man</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Pages for</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>      </B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>            </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>                   </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> We Were Soldiers</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="501" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 146 WIDTH="495"><div> <IMG SRC="12cc5c8c0.jpg" border=0 width="92" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000068TPN/reelmoviecriticc"> We Were Soldiers on DVD</A>  </div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>We Were Soldiers </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Wingdings 2" ><B>êêê</B></FONT><B>1/2 </B> ( R ) </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton </div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="575" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Kill all they send and they will stop coming</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Lt. Col.Hal Moore: Mel Gibson</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Julie Moore: Madeleine Stowe</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Sgt. Maj. Plumley: Sam Elliott</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Snake: Greg Kinnear</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Lt. Geoghegan: Chris Klein</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Ahn: Don Duong</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Director: Randall Wallace</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: The true story of the first major land battle in Vietnam between the Vietcong and soldiers from the United States.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> Although this film is released on the heels of <I><B>Black Hawk Down</B></I>, make no mistake that even though the story sounds similar, to say the two are the same would be like saying crossing all bodies of water are the same, be it a river or an ocean. In both films there is an ambush of Americans, helicopters come under heavy attack and the battle is much more intense than initially anticipated. In Somalia, though not a walk in the park, closer to 20 rather than 200 were killed. The enemy there was essentially a thug, while in Vietnam, one could argue that the enemy was the threat of communism and the domino theory (one country falls and the rest follow, thereby threatening the Western world). In Vietnam the Americans were preceded by the Chinese and then the French and the North Vietnam government saw the enemy as anyone who invaded their country rather than being concerned about what country they were from. This perspective is important because unlike other war films, the enemy is not demonized. In fact, we actually look at things from the enemies' point of view at times. In the film when the French are ambushed and a soldier asks his commander if they take prisoners, he is told "No…because if we kill all who come, they will stop coming."</div> <bR> <div> Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) is the commander for a unit about to go into Vietnam on a search and destroy mission. He's happily married to Julie (Madeleine Stowe) with their five children. When the men have completed their training and are off to Vietnam, Julie becomes the de facto leader of the officers' wives. We see three things going on concurrently: 1) the war from the Americans' point of view; 2) the war from the North Vietnamese perspective (foot soldiers and officers) and 3) the impact on the families in the US as the injuries and body count start to rise. While there are plenty of heroic actions, no one feels like a hero.</div> <bR> <div> As a former Army Officer, I appreciate and have a special place in my heart for the dedication of enlisted people, especially the senior ones such as Sgt. Major Plumley (Sam Elliott). With a high degree of skill and patriotism, they do what they are told with respect to following the orders of their superior officers. He's the person that you want at your side in the heat of battle. Snake (Greg Kinnear) earned his nickname because he is a helicopter pilot not afraid to come and go under heavy fire, so close to the ground he could scrape the back of a snake. Lt. Geoghegan (Chris Klein) is the idealistic and qualified leader that might have what it takes to one day fill the shoes of Lt. Col. Moore. Most interesting of all is Ahn (Don Duong), who is the Vietnamese counterpart of Hal Moore, with respect to military strategy, dedication and loyalty to his country. </div> <bR> <div> The story is very straightforward. A unit gets called up and before going to the combat zone they fine-tune their training skills. Not long after being "in country," they find themselves in extended combat against a determined, well-armed and smart enemy. If the enemy had air support comparable to the Americans, it would not have been a contest. It was the air support that helped level the battlefield, since the Americans were outnumbered 5 to 1 on the ground. It's basically punch/counter punch with lots of lives and dreams shattered with each battle. </div> <bR> <div> While the set up of the characters is a little corny, the announcement procedure of death notices back home overdone, and a marital reunion that stretches even Hollywood endings, these things keep <I><B>We Were Soldiers</B></I> from being "too intense." It doesn't emotionally tug your heartstrings like <I>Braveheart</I> and <I><B>Gladiator</B></I>, but it's not trying for that. After what Col. Moore and his men went through on the battlefield, writing an ending that is as good as the movie that precedes it might be impossible.</div> <bR> <div> The battle scenes here, to the extent that it's possible, take the action in <I>Black Hawk Down</I> and <I>Saving Private Ryan</I> and kick it up another notch.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Lt. Col. Moore reminds me of Colin Powell, and that might explain why Powell is such a cool head as a Secretary of State. While clearly not a push over, he sees no glory in a battlefield victory because he understands what will transpire before a winner is declared.</div> <bR> <div> Men and women die for our country without questioning the reason for the fight. In looking at what happened during this battle and thinking of the timing, it angers me to reflect on the dishonesty of our political leaders that resulted in the deaths of over 50,000 Americans<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Symbol" >¾</FONT>for what? Not having blind faith in our politicians and holding them accountable is the key. Toward that end, I feel much better about our state of affairs today than was the case in the 1960's and 1970's. We've earned that accountability; let's not ever give it away.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="621" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Rated R for sustained sequences of graphic war violence, and for language.</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> George O. Singleton  © 2002</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="617"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>Reelmoviec@aol.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Mel Gibson: <I><B>Signs</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Madeleine Stowe: <I><B>Impostor</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Sam Elliott: <I><B>The Contender</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Greg Kinnear: <I><B>The Gift</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Chris Klein: <I><B>Rollerball</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Don Duong: Green Dragon</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Randall Wallace: <I><B>Pearl Harbor</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>