Review of Hearts & Minds (1995) by Ken T — 21 Nov 2010

Absolutely incredible landmark documentary chronicling the opinions, thoughts, and realities of the war in Vietnam as told by those who took part - either directly or indirectly whether they were American or Vietnamese.

The film takes an anti-war stance. There is a masterful sequence where the President applauds a bombing mission, then we see the bombing mission on film, then the realities - the cameras on the ground to capture what happened, and then to a pilot who comments on what it was like to drop those bombs and what types of bombs were used.

Hearts and Minds represents and enormous synthesis of material, presenting a film that captures the essence of a time where America was now beginning to question war. And the documentary was entirely correct, though it is shameful that the same political actions have taken place more recently.

The viewer listens to the opinions that drive a nation to war - notions that are entirely false. We see the romanticized visions of war in fictional film and then the reality. Hearts and Minds is a truly amazing work on a difficult subject - and packs quite a punch in less than two hours.