Movie Info
The 2-part TV movie Rumor of War was based on the 1977 memoirs of Vietnam veteran Philip Caputo. Brad Davis stars as Caputo, who during the mid-1960s was a Marine lieutenant. In battle after battle, Caputo performs his duties admirably, even when questioning the wisdom of America's Vietnam involvement. As both the war and the body count escalate, Caputo suffers a nervous breakdown. A Rumor of War bears an inevitable resemblance to the much-earlier antiwar epic All Quiet on the Western Front,
Cast
-
Richard Bradford
Rupert -
-
Brad Davis
Phil Caputo -
Brian Dennehy
Coleman -
-
Steve Forrest
Atherton -
John Friedrich
Pascarella -
Stacy Keach
Major Ball -
-
Michael O'Keefe
Cohen -
-
Keith Carradine
McCloy -
Perry Lang
Woodward
ADVERTISEMENT
Audience Reviews for Rumor of War
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Rumor of War yet.
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 25
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 6
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
- Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock 8
- Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 17
Top Headlines
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
-
10 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Hangover Movies
1
-
Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer Talk Man of Steel
0
-
New Transporter Trilogy in the Works
0
-
Richard Linklater Plans "Spiritual Sequel" to Dazed and Confused
0
-
King of Kong Filmmaker Seeks Funding for Lost Limb Documentary
0
-
Which Film Franchise Has Been the Best for Female Characters?
6
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
The 106 minute version on VHS leaves a lot to be desired, but that is what was conveniently available to me. I didn't care for the movie especially and I did not find it to be compelling, perhaps because too much of the story had been cut out and it did not do justice to the serious issues involved. All the same this is a highly personal perspective of the US involvement in the early months of the Vietnam conflict as of 1964-1965 after Congress had signed the Tonkin Bay Resolution, although the United States had not actually declared war. The story is based upon the experience of Lieutenant Philip Caputo, as recounted in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, who is revisiting the situation in flashback throughout the movie as he prepares his legal defense against court martial.
The account is a coming-of-age drama in which a naive, idealistic young man eager to leave home and go out on his own after college joins the Marines and goes through Officer's Candidate School. Once assigned overseas, however, things don't go exactly as he expected them to proceed. He makes some bad judgment decisions which lead to his being arrested for murdering two Vietnamese civilians. Apparently under the accumulated stress and strain of command in the field on front-line maneuvers over the course of many months, Lt. Caputo had suffered a mental breakdown which was left untreated and which is why he became confused and acted inappropriately, and this seems quite plausible as presented. The film includes disturbing scenes of violent combat and guerilla tactics. Realistic special effects. Good performances.