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We Were Soldiers 2002 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Randall Wallace
R, 138 min. (graphic war violence, profanity) |
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Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliott, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, Josh Daugherty, Barry Pepper, Keri Russell
Producers: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Randall Wallace
Screenplay: Randall Wallace
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Released: 3/1/02 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
There's a moment in We Were Soldiers, the latest film from director Randall Wallace (who penned Braveheart),
when the most gripping and riveting scene occurs not on the field of battle, but on the doorstep of a soldier's home where his
wife awaits news of her husband's demise. While there's not much time to think in the midst of battle, there's plenty of time
to ponder a loved one's fate when left alone with a home full of children awaiting their father's return. The horror and shock
at the sight of a taxi, which carries a telegram that usually contains bad news, is almost too much for a wife to endure, and
it seems as if seconds turn into minutes when awaiting the sound of a doorbell. In that moment, the reality of war hits home
in full force, turning a wife's worst fears into a terrible reality.
We Were Soldiers joins a growing number of war films to plunge its audience into the midst of battle, complete with
graphic, realistic injuries and a claustrophobic atmosphere that allows the viewer to better understand the horrors associated
with man's ultimate solution to unresolved conflict. Like Saving Private Ryan and the recent Black Hawk Down, this film
is unflinching in its quest to leave its audience shaken at the horrific nature of war. Although not quite at the level of those
two films, We Were Soldiers is arguably the best at developing characters and putting faces on the soldiers that are killed in
battle. As a result, the viewer is impacted even more so than if no time had been invested in a background story to each
character. In other words, while Black Hawk Down represents the calculated, cold brutality of intense battle, We Were Soldiers
attempts to create attachment to its characters in order to interpret the devastating reality of each man that falls.
This film is also somewhat unique because of its approach to the men on both sides of the Vietnam conflict. The story
limits itself to the first major battle between American troops and the North Vietnamese army at Ia Drang Valley in
November 1965. A bloody battle, thousands losts their lives in a conflict that produced no victor. The Vietnamese soldiers
are also given a face, as their headquarters in a nearby mountain are visited several times to give perspective to their
strategy in relation to the American contingent. The film is dedicated to both sides in the conflict, thereby taking an
apolitical stance that doesn't become overly manipulative.
The story centers around the 1st Battalion of the 7th Calvary, which Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) commands. He is
charged with the unenviable task of preparing a fresh crop of officers and their men for the intense heat of battle. At night,
he studies the history of battle, especially Gen. Custer's infamous last stand, because, at least as he sees it, he is being
sent into a similar situation. Moore is a good man, tough and determined, but also soft-hearted and sympathetic to his
men's needs. He has a large family and a beautiful wife, Julie (Madeleine Stowe), who have learned to live with his frequent
absences in the name of country. Moore's right-hand man, Sgt-Maj. Basil Plumley (Sam Elliott), is a hardened, battle-tested
soldier that demands the best from his troops. Key officers under Moore's command include helicopter pilot Snakeshit
Crandall (Greg Kinnear), good-natured Lt. Jack Geoghegan (Chris Klein), and later, photojournalist Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper),
who tries to put a face on the newly-created war in Vietman.
As aforementioned, the film's best scenes occur during snapshots of the soldiers' wives and how they manage to go about
their normal routines while awaiting the fates of their loved ones. At one point, the delivering of the yellow telegrams becomes
so intense that Julie and her companion (Jack's wife) take it upon themselves to soften the blows of each telegram by
delivering them personally to each newfound widow. The intercutting between intense battle scenes and emotional turmoil
at home is handled adeptly by Wallace, something that is usually very difficult to achieve. This strategy helps offset some
minor weaknesses in poorly realized scenes early in the picture. Although some of the same bland dialogue he used for
the abysmal Pearl Harbor last year is apparent in this film, here it is not as grinding on the nerves.
Gibson has always had a knack for this type of role, and his version of Moore sheds light on his tough exterior but caring
heart for his men. He can be calculating and uswerving in his tactical decisions, but places his men's well-being above his
own. The men know this, and will fight for him anywhere. The film's other great performance comes from Pepper, who gives
a nice turn as Joe, a man that is gradually changed
over the course of a few days in the heat of the battle. An unknown courage reveals itself to him when he's able to take
up a gun in exchange for his camera to help fight off advancing forces. The event clearly changed his life forever, inspiring
him to put to paper what happened on that inglorious day.
Wallace also wrote the screenplay for the film, based on the book "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young" written by
Moore and Galloway. From what I've heard, the film closely resembles the story put forth in the book, always an important
ingredient to achieving similar success. Galloway's pictures, combined with Moore's insight to the intensity of warfare,
prove invaluable to the film's authenticity. We Were Soldiers is a solid war film, built on a strong foundation with likable
characters and gruesome war violence. In fact, one begins to wonder if successive war films can achieve an R-rating from
the MPAA if they continue to ratchet up the graphic nature of war - one scene in particular is almost too much to swallow.
Regardless of its stark and resolute framing of war, We Were Soldiers is a film that's hard to forget.
© 2002 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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