We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young.
Here! it is not just a review but it is what I felt after watching this great movie, there may be many who may not have liked it, let me ignore their views but these are my words..
Personally I am a big fan of war and military films but I haven’t seen a lot of war or military movies from Hollywood as most of them are either about Vietnam or about World War 2, now the recent trend is Gulf war and capturing Saddam and Osama, which more looks like an Emergency / search operation. As recently I liked Hurt Locker and Zero dark thirty, but the truth is that the American film makers are true patriots and its their patriotism (may be paid ) and they fail to show the atrocities they have done in Iraq and in their detention centers.
A few war movies in my list are Enemy at gates, We were soldiers, Crimson tide, Hurt Locker, Flags of our father and the Lost battalion.
We were soldiers ,a true military movie, it is not just a war movie but has done justice to the life style of the soldiers at their base, at the training center and at the front “the valley of death”. After all it was written by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore (retd.).
The film is based on “ We were soldiers once and young “ a novel written by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle of Ia Drang, directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper.
At the end this too becomes a American war as Americans believes that the victory was theirs Nguyen Huu An says this while collecting the bodies of their dead soldiers holding a damaged American flag, story was crafted in such a way that they have done some justice to the other side which many fails to do.
Moore in his novel complains that "Every damn Hollywood movie got it wrong"; Wallace has said he was inspired by this comment and became "determined to get it right this time."
The film depicts a heroic Lt.col Moore destroys the Vietnamese reserve, ending the battle in an American victory, but the truth was that the Battle of Ia Drang continued for another 300 days.
Casts:
Mel Gibson as Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel Hal Moore
Madeleine Stowe as Julia Moore
Greg Kinnear as Major Bruce P. Crandall
Sam Elliott as Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley
Chris Klein as 2nd Lieutenant Jack Geoghegan
Luke Benward as David Moore
Taylor Momsen as Julie Moore
Devon Werkheiser as Steve Moore
Keri Russell as Barbara Geoghegan
Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway
Mark McCracken as Ed "Too Tall" Freeman
Don Duong as NVA Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu An
Ryan Hurst as Sergeant Ernie Savage
Marc Blucas as 2nd Lieutenant Henry Herrick
Jsu Garcia as Captain Tony Nadal
Jon Hamm as Captain Matt Dillon
Clark Gregg as Captain Tom Metsker
Blake Heron as Sp4. Galen Bungum
Desmond Harrington as Sp4. Bill Beck
Brian Tee as Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama
Robert Bagnell as 1st Lieutenant Charlie Hastings, USAF
Direction and Screenplay: Randall Wallace
The writer-director bestows honor – generously, apolitically – not only on the dead and still living American veterans who fought in Ia Drang, but also on their families, on their Vietnamese adversaries, and on the families of their adversaries too.
The film has shown Army wives association and welfare activities that I have not seen in a any other film may be because most writers may not give it much importance as that does not have any heroic element in it.
A Soldiers fights at the front, his wife, his children does it back at home, and they get the strength to accept it that he will never come back on receiving the letter. (Someone once asked me why you get all the facilities that only your serving father is supposed to have, no other govt. servant gets any such for his family.)
Some Interesting True life incidents about Julie Moore wife of Lt. Gen Hal Moore (ret.) :
Contributions to Army family life
Wherever her husband was stationed, Mrs. Moore served as a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader and Cub Scout Den Mother. She volunteered with the Red Cross in the Army hospitals. She supported the day care centers and worked with the wives clubs to take better care of the enlisted soldier and his family. Mrs. Moore was especially active in setting up the Army Community Service organizations that are now a permanent fixture on all army posts and which assist each soldier as they process into their new duty stations.
Casualty notification
The Ia Drang Campaign was the first major ground engagement involving U.S forces in Vietnam. The Army had not yet set up an adequate system of notifying the next of kin of battlefield fatalities. Instead, the telegrams were given to taxi cab drivers for delivery, as depicted in the film. Unlike the film depiction, Mrs. Moore did not actually assume responsibility for the delivery of the telegrams, but followed in the wake of the taxis, grieving with widows and families, and attending the funerals of those who fell under her husband's command. Her complaints to the Pentagon, and the example that she set, prompted the Army to immediately set up notification teams consisting of a uniformed officer and a chaplain.
It’s a must watch film for all military movie fans.
My Ratings
5/5 for Madeleine Stowe for portraying Julia Moore a responsible Army wife,
4.5 for Mel Gibson as Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel Hal Moore, Sam Elliott as Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley and 4 for Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway.
Quotes by Lt col Harold G Moore:
- This is where the metal meets the meat.
- I will be the first man to walk on to the battlefield, and the last to walk off!
Quotes by Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An:
- Those who are about to fight and die, I am grateful.
Download it or grab a DVD but don't miss it, You will be satisfied of watching a good Army film with action, drama emotion, what else a cinema buff needs?
