We were soldiers film. Is it any good?

[kingsurfer]

This is on in the UK tomorrow night. Is it a good film to watch? I am fed up of weasting my time on inferior films.

[pajama pundit]

It's a fantastic movie. Based on a true story and the book "We Were Soldiers Once and Young." A professor at Marine Corps Command and Staff College was an Army Captain at Ia Drang and he got teary eyed when talking about it.

"Full Metal Jacket" is the closest thing I've ever seen to what I went through at Marine Corps OCS including the uniforms and rifles. My Platoon Sgt (what they called the head DI in your OCS unit) was one of the finest men I've ever known, and I would follow him against the gates of hell to this day. He put his career on the line to train us in the ways of the Corps (he broke the rules many times, but I'm glad he did). Things are much different now.

[Yardstick]

I saw flashpot explosions, klutzy looking anonymous gooks flailing in that B-movie way when they got shot, unimaginative camera work, too many of the standard war movie visual cliches.

As for the characters, it's hard to put into words exactly what made them cutouts rather than living and believable. It's kind of a subtle thing, like the difference in good writing and mediocre writing. You just sort of see it. Hollywood is capable of doing sensitively rendered, organic, living breathing characters but I didn't see any in this movie.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

And now there's something we can all do to properly honor Lifetime, Lifesaving Hero RICK RESCORLA:


http://www.RickRescorla.com


...while learning more about his lifetime of Sacrifices made on behalf of others, ever so willingly.


for: Sacrifice begets Sacrifice..?

---

RICK RESCORLA = Lifesaver

1965-Battle of IA DRANG
1993-Bombing of World Trade Center
2001-Airstrikes on World Trade Center

http://www.lzxray.com

.

[Yardstick]

I'd not confuse/equate special effects with quality.

I'm not, but you have to admit that visual effects in a war movie are important. And it wasn't just the visual effects -- it was the fundamentals like camera angles and editing and that sort of thing. I'm not enough of a film person to be able to put my finger on exactly what it was the filmaker did or didn't do, but the result was a flat, unremarkable movie in my opinion.

Just me talking. I'm no trendy Hollywood movie reviewer. . .just a guy that knows what he likes.

Yep, same here. Different strokes and all that.

Regards

[LibKill]

Very good. (Not for small children. People die in very realistic scenes.)

[combat_boots]

Hello? Any good? Pal, if you don't shed a tear at the end, you ain't human.


PAGING ALOHA RONNIE!!!!!!

[combat_boots]

Hoorah.

[506trooper]

Fair enough, you saw what you saw, and I saw it from a different perspective....my wife said I quit sub- vocalizing when the CA began and said I didn't even move for a half an hour, and my family has always maintained I'm the nastiest critic of poor war flicks in the world.

[LibKill]

I particularly like the part where the Sgt. Major throws a rifle to the photographer:

Photographer: (Shocked, Excited) "I'm a non-combatant!"

Sgt. Major: (Calm, Matter-of-Fact Attitude) "Boy, there ain't no such thing today."

[506trooper]

You too...looked at your profile....better you wrecked the cars instead of the fastmovers.

[Lexington Green]

http://www.RickRescorla.com

Thanks Aloha Ronnie for posting this. I'm gonna help make sure that statue gets built. This was a MAN, by God! If our sons ever need to know what a real man is, tell them to read about Rescorla.

[Lexington Green]

http://www.RickRescorla.com

Thanks Aloha Ronnie for posting this. I'm gonna help make sure that statue gets built. This was a MAN, by God! If our sons ever need to know what a real man is, tell them to read about Rescorla.

[Gunrunner2]

Ha. . .you got that right! (There but by the grace of God. . .)

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

MAN =


"Tell them to read about RESCORLA"


INDEED


http://www.lzxray.com

.

[Gunrunner2]

Was with the 101 and I see you were too.

Story:

Driving through Iraq, day three of the ground war. In a convoy and I was feeling gritty and pissed off.

Saw a lizard on a knoll about 40-50 yrds away. Whipped up my M-16 and snapped off a few rounds at the lizard---did this without thinking. Anyway, surprised my driver and he slammed on the brakes and I hit the windshield.

As I looked up all the other hummers were stopping in a wishbone pattern and the guys were diving out of their hummers, weapons at the ready. I, not putting two-and-two together, jumped out as well.

As I was laying in the sand, heart in my throat, an Army Sgt low crawls up to ma and says, "Air Force. . .where are they?"

Doh!!!

Now, what was I supposed to do? Admit I was plinking at a lizard while in the middle of a combat zone? Or was I to try and save the reputation of the Air Force? I replied, "The're over there!"

The Army assaulted the knoll and came back empty-handed.
Army: "Air Force. . .nothing over there."
Me: "Not even a lizard?"
Army: "Nope. No lizard."

We got back in the hummers and drove on.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

WWS Actor SAM ELLIOTT =

Sgt/Major BASIL PLUMLEY



(1st Photo = SAM ELLIOTT)
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_collection.htm

(1st Photo = Sgt/Major BASIL PLUMLEY in Vietnam)
http://www.lzxray.com/guyer_set3.htm

[LibKill]

Great links.

Thank you for your service.

[writer33]

Alright, I'll be the party pooper. I found the movie disappointing. Cardboardy characters, silly looking special effects. If Full Metal Jacket was an A, this movie was about a C.

You're right. You're the party pooper. :)

[writer33]

Having been in that type of situation, I have to say the special effects took me back to a place I didn't want to go, so I thought they were pretty good. I could smell the cordite and hear the screams.

Dad said the same thing. I thought it was a good one and the scenes were realistic. I didn't feel anyone was larger than life in the film. Although, Hollywood does do that.

[writer33]

What are you doing on this thread? You're biased. :)