Review of We Were Soldiers (2002) by Bengel W — 22 Sep 2013

Randall Wallace's "We Were Soldiers," really hits home as a true war story of Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and his fellow men in the 7th cavalry. Moore is a religious family man that has been called upon to lead 400 men into the Valley of Death where roughly 4,000 men await. Along with Moore is an elder Army veteran, Sgt. Mgr. Plumley, who has a classic army personality; intimidating and tough. This film truly was a success due to brilliant acting, the use of music to build the scenes, and the perfect portrayal of the Vietnam War.

The acting as a whole was about as perfect as it could be. Mel Gibson plays the role of a caring man that can truly lead any group of men into battle. The day before they departed for Vietnam, Gibson's character, Lt. Col. Moore delivered one of the most memorable speeches. At the end of his speech he states "I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear before you and before Almighty God, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off." This line was delivered with tears in his eyes and true confidence.

The fellow actors alongside Mel were Sam Elliot as Plumley, Greg Kinnear as Major "Snake Shit" Crandall, and Berry Pepper as Joe Galloway, the camera man who hops a ride into battle. Sam Elliot plays the role as the unsentimental Colonel brilliantly. This was seen when a soldier named Savage walks by him and says "Beautiful morning, Sergeant" followed by the response "What are you the f-ing weatherman now?" He gave the response with little to no emotion making you believe that he was actually angry at Savage. Kinnear plays a funny helicopter pilot that does an outstanding job of showing a variety of emotions whether it be cracking jokes to vomiting after the first day of battle due to what he witnessed. Pepper is a camera man that doesn't know what he got himself into and ends up fighting for his life. He has the ability to show you true fear through his eyes and actions.

The short sequences of music that are added into the movie at climactic moments plays a crucial role. The song "Sgt. MacKenzie" is played at two different points in the movie; when Moore is on his way to the valley in the helicopter and the final battle scene. It is a Scottish song with so much raw emotion that it brings out those scenes in a brilliant way. Director Randall Wallace's best decision in the entire movie was putting this song into these scenes.

There are very few movies that truly depict the rigors of war both on the battlefield and at home. The movie showed how the American soldiers were much more skilled and far better trained than the enemy, but severely outnumbered and how the battles took place in such close quarters. There was the perfect amount of gore that doesn't distract you from the story line. The movie shows how the taxi cab service would bring envelopes to the doors of women who have lost their husbands on battle. Hal Moore's wife Julie asks to have the envelopes dropped off at her door and she will bring them around to the wives. This adds emotional moments that hit your heart.

This is a must watch movie that leaves the audience with a true feel of what Vietnam was truly like. Before battle Moore turned to Plumley and said "I wonder what Custer was thinking when he realized he'd move his men into slaughter." Plumley replies, "Sir Custer was a p----.".