Review of The Green Berets (1968) by Christopher P — 23 Nov 2008

The anti-war sentiment and social discontent pervading throughout the nation at the time inspired John Wayne to make this movie, which glorifies American involvement in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it is far from being included on his list of career triumphs.

The pro-war rhetoric comes off as heavy-handed and cheesy, even to a Republican, patriot, and Duke fan like me. However, even to this day, "The Green Berets" remains virtually the sole Vietnam War movie that doesn't ask Americans to bow their heads in shame.

While anti-American liberals like Jane Fonda and Walter Cronkite were busy sympathizing with the enemy and declaring the war "unwinnable", John Wayne - the perennial American hero - stood up for what was right and tried to rally his country and his people to a cause, which is more than can be said for any other celebrity of the time.